Information Literacy

The good news --- information is just a click away, giving students unprecedented access to a wide range of sources. The bad news---information is just a click away, giving students unprecedented access to a wide range of sources. How does a student discern between reliable and unreliable sources, between magazines and scholarly journals?

The Association of College and Research Libraries calls information literacy "the basis for lifelong learning. It is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education. It enables learners to master content and extend their investigations, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their own learning." (From the ACRL site).

President Barack Obama has recognized the importance of information literacy with this recent proclamation

This guide aims to help faculty incorporate the skills of information literacy and critical thinking into their courses, with a focus on library resources and librarian expertise. Use the tabs above to navigate to topics that interest you.

Information Literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning. It is an intellectual framework common to all disciplines, all learning environments, and all levels of education. Its focus is on content, communication, analysis, information searching, and evaluation. In addition, students need repeated opportunities for seeking, evaluating, and managing information gathered from both traditional sources and resources in the expanding digital world.

Mission

By connecting the CLC Community with collections and services in an environment of discovery and mutual respect, library faculty support the College’s preeminent goal of enhancing student learning. Our mission is to facilitate learning inside and outside the library by using information competently and ethically.

Goals

Students should be able to demonstrate these skills in an integrated process:

• Determine the extent of information needed
• Access needed information effectively and efficiently
• Evaluate the information and its sources critically
• Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
• Use information ethically

(from the Assoc. of College & Research Libraries)

Services

CLC Libraries provide the following instructional opportunities that actively involve students, and may complement discipline faculty’s curricular efforts:

• Faculty requested, course-related library instruction sessions
• Individual Reference desk and electronic resource assistance
• One-on-one research consultations directly or through distance technologies

These opportunities not only prepare CLC students for immediate curricular activities, but also enable them to be effective lifelong users of information.

Additionally, the library provides these resources to enable faculty to become active partners in the integration of Information Literacy instruction:

• Workshops through the PDC
• Individual consultations to enhance the development of information skills while teaching in the discipline areas
• Toolkit of tips and techniques for advancing IC principles

Toolkit for Advancing IC Principles

• Web evaluation form
• Nichols College Alternatives to the Research Paper
• Annotated Bibliography rubric
• Plagiarism Tutorial - Rutgers University
• Plagiarism Tutorial - Acadia University

Library Instruction and Collaboration

Why work with a Librarian?

We know the Murphy Library collections. Reference librarians work with electronic and print sources every day, and can help students match the scope of their research questions to appropriate sources. We do research on research. Reference librarians keep up with the latest sources of information (electronic, print, or on the Web), and with the most efficient ways to search for them and within them. We can link our goals. Both faculty and librarians want students to use information effectively and ethically, and to think critically.

User Education at the Murphy Library

Murphy reference librarians work with faculty to help students become smarter researchers and information. We can help you build library research into assignments (see the Assignment Design tab), or collaborate on a semester-long or one-time basis.

Research Instruction Sessions

Research instruction sessions normally take place during scheduled class periods in the library’s Research Lab. They are most useful to students when tied to a particular assignment, at the point when they would normally need to begin research. Reference librarians will work with you to customize the session to your students' knowledge, skills, and research topics. Skills and concepts that can be covered include:

• Search strategies: how to turn a research question into keywords; how to narrow or broaden searches;
• Evaluation of sources: differentiating among scholarly, popular, and trade publications; verifying information's accuracy and authority; identifying what types of information may be found in particular sources (e.g., reference books, blogs) and how to use it
• Discipline-specific research strategies
• How to cite information properly

To schedule a research instruction session, please use our Library Instruction Request form, available online.

Course-Long Collaboration

If you are interested in library and information literacy skills being more embedded in your course, please contact Kathleen Lovelace, Information Literacy Lead, or your departmental library liaison - a list of liaisons can be found here.

Possibilities include:

• Building on concepts in multiple, shorter sessions
• Building library resources and skills into assignments
• Creating a specialized course guide for students

Assignment Design

Creating Effective Assignments If you're requiring students to use library resources for an assignment, consider the following as you design the assignment:

• Assume minimal library knowledge. Students may equate information technology skills with information literacy skills. They may not understand what is meant by "peer-reviewed," "primary source," or "journal article." They may be unaware that the library's resources are in any way different from what can be found on the Internet. (This is something we always emphasize in instruction sessions.)
• Be specific. Call databases, the library catalog, and other information sources by name: Academic Search Premier, Murph Library Catalog, JStor, etc.
• Have students explain their choice of resources. Creating a limit on resources like "no websites" can be confusing to students (who may not differentiate between electronic sources on the library's website and the free Web), and can cut them off from useful information. (We can help students learn how to better evaluate sources.)
• Check availability of resources. If all students need to get access to the same book, place it on reserve. A few of our databases have simultaneous user limits or require additional passwords. Our collections are changing and improving all the time - if you suggest sources, make sure they are up-to-date with the libraries' holdings (or are easily accessible elsewhere).
• Encourage students to use reference services. Reference librarians are available to help students several hours a day in person and by phone, e-mail, and chat. Find our hours, along with online library research guides, from our website.

For more ideas, read this College Teaching article by Dennis Isbell: "What Happens to Your Research Assignment at the Library?"

References:
Jenkins, B. (2007, February). Guidelines for Effective Library Assignments. Retrieved August 5, 2009, fromhttp://libweb.uoregon.edu/instruct/assignments.html
Queen's University. (2008, October). Designing Research Assignments. Retrieved August 5, 2009, fromhttp://library.queensu.ca/inforef/design.htm

Readings

Books
University of Google	The Desk and Beyond	Standards for the 21st Century Learner in Action	Integrating Information Literacy into the Higher Education Curriculum

Articles

Adhikari, R. (2009, September). Is the Internet killing critical thinking?TechNewsWorld. Retrieved September 28, 2009, from
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Is-the-Internet-Killing-Critical-Thinking-68059.html?wlc=1254167352

Bail, J. (2009).From business school to the boardroom: Essential research skills for students entering the workplace from a former corporate librarian. Retrieved August 11, 2009, from
http://units.sla.org/division/dbf/files/2009_bailposter.pdf.(Opens into a PDF.)

Gilman, T. (2009, May). Not enough time in the library. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved August 6, 2009, from
http://chronicle.com/article/Not-Enough-Time-in-the-Library/47410/

Gross, M. (2009). Undergraduate perceptions of information literacy: defining, attaining, and self-assessing skills. College & Research Libraries, 70, 336-350.

Head, A.J. (2007). Beyond Google: How do students conduct academic research?First Monday, 12(8). Retrieved August 10, 2009, from
http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1998/1873.

Lombardo, S.V. & Miree, C.E. (2003). Caught in the Web: The impact of library instruction on business students' perceptions and use of print and online resources. College & Research Libraries, 64, 6-21.

McInnis Bowers, C.V., Chew, B., Bowers, M.R., Ford, C.E., Smith, C., & Herrington, C. (2009). Interdisciplinary synergy: A partnership between business and library faculty and its effects on students' information literacy. Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 14, 110-127. Available in print at the Bentley Library.

Senior, H., Wu, K., Martin, D.M., & Mellinger, M. (2009). Three times a study: Business students and the library. Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 14, 202-229. Available in print at the Bentley Library.

Windham, C. (2006). Getting past Google: Perspectives on information literacy from the millennial mind. An EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative paper, available in PDF online.

Avoiding Plagiarism

What does CLC say?

"Students at the College of Lake County are expected to be honest in their academic endeavors. All acts or attempted acts of alleged academic dishonesty should be reported to the Division Dean ... or, when deemed valid, be reported to the Vice President for Student Development for disposition under the Student Rights and Responsibilities Policy."

Faculty Guidelines for Encouraging Academic Honesty

What other colleges are doing:

Indiana University

Penn State University

University of Maryland

Get help with these tutorials from:

Acadia University

Rutgers University