Association Of College & Research Libraries Research Articles

Identifying information literacy skills and behaviors in the curricular competencies of health professions.

Objective:This research identified the presence of information skill and behaviors components of information literacy in curricular competencies to inform a medical sciences library's instructional schema for five different professional programs at Texas A&M University: College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy, and School of Public Health.Methods:Curricular competency documents were collected from each program and reviewed. Coding categories were identified from the curricular competencies of professional health curricula using data-driven qualitative coding. To guide the identification and coding of competency categories, we developed a seven-category rubric from the coding categories. Three researchers used this rubric to independently code the categories of all of the included professional health curricular competencies. An additional researcher used a revised version of the rubric to identify action verbs in each competency.Results:Competencies for four of the five professional health curricula explicitly stated information skills and behaviors. Each of the five curricula included several competencies that depended on information-specific skills and behaviors. The most common verb used to describe implicit or explicit competencies was “evaluate.”Conclusions:The representation of information skills and behaviors aligns with the drive behind the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Both underpin the importance of evidence-based medicine methodology.

Evaluating nursing faculty's approach to information literacy instruction: a multi-institutional study.

Objective:In 2018, the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Health Sciences Interest Group convened a working group to update the 2013 Information Literacy Competency Standards for Nursing to be a companion document to the 2016 Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education. To create this companion document, the working group first needed to understand how nursing faculty approached information literacy (IL) instruction.Methods:The working group designed a survey that assessed how nursing faculty utilized IL principles in coursework and instruction. The survey consisted of nineteen mixed methods questions and was distributed to nursing faculty at eight institutions across the United States.Results:Most (79%) faculty indicated that they use a variety of methods to teach IL principles in their courses. While only 12% of faculty incorporated a version of the ACRL IL competencies in course design, they were much more likely to integrate nursing educational association standards. Faculty perceptions of the relevance of IL skills increased as the education level being taught increased.Conclusion:The integration of IL instruction into nursing education has mostly been achieved through using standards from nursing educational associations. Understanding these standards and understanding how faculty perceptions of the relevance of IL skills change with educational levels will guide the development of a companion document that librarians can use to collaborate with nurse educators to integrate IL instruction throughout nursing curriculums at course and program levels.

Digital and information literacies and the school library

You can’t teach people everything they need to know. The best you can do is position them where they can find what they need to know when they need to know it. (Seymour Papert)
 For school librarians, this is certainly part of a core responsibility, to provide students with digital literacy skills and strategies that will enable them to find and access information at point of need, in order to create knowledge (Farkas, 2011). While students are growing up in this digital age, research reveals they are not necessarily skilled in reading to locate and use online information effectively (Leu, Zawilinski, Forzani, & Timbrell, 2014b; Pickard, Shenton & Johnson, 2014). This is significant when “students overestimate their ability to engage with information in a critical and literate manner” (Kirkwood in Beetham & Oliver, 2010, p.162). Yet, students are required to be ethical and critical thinkers, and engage as collaborators and creators in participatory digital environments (Coiro, 2003; Mackey & Jacobson, 2011; Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), 2015).
 This exploratory case study seeks to investigate Year 5 students’ (ages 10-12) learning experiences within a school library program. It endeavoured to explore the pedagogical background, motivation and steps in implementing digital and information literacies. Did these sessions provide students with the emergent skills and strategies to support independent research and collaborative inquiry as they began their International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) Exhibition?

Students’ Competency Focuses in Literacy at Language and Letters Faculty, State University of Medan (Unimed), Indonesia

The research aimed at describing Enlgish literacy competency of students, including information literacy. The rational of this research is taken from the vision of Universitas Negeri Medan which is planning to be a world class university. This educational institution which mostly supplies teachers should prepare students the better literacy competency. The first step to develop the competency is to do mapping about English literacy competency of students, including information literacy based on five information literacy standard of Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) and The Australian and New Zealeand Institute for Information Literacy (ANZIL). The method used in the mapping is mixed methodology, qualitative and quantitative. The data of the research is 157 students from first and second semester of Indonesian letters Department. The tests done are reading, speaking, listening, speaking and writing, including students competency in accessing and understanding infromation in the internet. The result shows that English/information literacy competency of students vary (60 % low, 30% medium, and 10 % high). There fore, it is necessary to do some efforts to improve English literacy competency of students at the Department of Indonesian Letters Faculty of Language and Arts Universitas Negeri Medan.

ANALISIS KEBUTUHAN TOPIK PEMBELAJARAN LITERASI INFORMASI ONLINE PADA PERPUSTAKAAN SEKOLAH MAN INSAN CENDEKIA

In each design activities, required analysis of user needs for the results obtained to meet the objectives to be achieved. This research is descriptive qualitative research which aims to get an analysis of learning needs LI material online that required student MAN Insan Cendekia Serpong. Thenumber of samples in this study was 54 students. The data taken is analized based on the indicators of LI which refers to Information Literacy Competency Standard for Higher Education which is released bythe Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), combined with School Library Manifest which is published by International Federation of Library Association of College & Research Libraries (IFLA/UNESCO). The results of the research indicated that respondents have good ability in terms of 1) determining the limits of information, accessing information needed effectively and efficiently, 2) combining selected information into one's knowledge base, 3) ability to understand economic issues,law, and social use of information and access it ethically and legally. The abilities which are needed to increase is in evaluating information and the sources, and ability to use information effectively to achieve the particular goals. Six tops materials which are selected by students in designing information literation based on web, are 1) orientation in library including collection items and loations, 2) the technique of index using, reference materials and bibliography, 3) Techinques in searching information, 4) Technique of Online catalogue use, 5) Ways to use reference sources which is matched the needs, 6) Technique of reference writing.

Mapping the Association of College and Research Libraries information literacy framework and nursing professional standards onto an assessment rubric.

ObjectiveThe authors developed a rubric for assessing undergraduate nursing research papers for information literacy skills critical to their development as researchers and health professionals.MethodsWe developed a rubric mapping six American Nurses Association professional standards onto six related concepts of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. We used this rubric to evaluate fifty student research papers and assess inter-rater reliability.ResultsStudents tended to score highest on the “Information Has Value” dimension and lowest on the “Scholarship as Conversation” dimension. However, we found a discrepancy between the grading patterns of the two investigators, with inter-rater reliability being “fair” or “poor” for all six rubric dimensions.ConclusionsThe development of a rubric that dually assesses information literacy skills and maps relevant disciplinary competencies holds potential. This study offers a template for a rubric inspired by the ACRL Framework and outside professional standards. However, the overall low inter-rater reliability demands further calibration of the rubric. Following additional norming, this rubric can be used to help students identify the key information literacy competencies that they need in order to succeed as college students and future nurses. These skills include developing an authoritative voice, determining the scope of their information needs, and understanding the ramifications of their information choices.

Framing Information Literacy

In 2000 the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) published the Standards for Information Literacy. After 15 years these standards were in desperate need of revision. Instead of releasing a revised edition of the Standards, in 2015 ACRL presented a completely new vision on information literacy in higher education.In this keynote we will explore the new ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in all its glory. We will compare it to the old standards. Is this new American Framework an opportunity for librarians to promote their courses to faculty in a new light, with the aim to integrate them into the curriculum? Do we really need a framework for information literacy to achieve this integration? Or is there another way? We will take a closer look at an interesting British alternative: the Researcher Development Framework from Vitae and The Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL). We will compare both frameworks and list the pros and cons.It is a complicated situation: there are Standards, there is a new Framework in an early stage of implementation and there is this Researcher Development Framework. What do we, the librarians, have to do? Should we bid the old standards farewell and switch to the new framework? Or does the Researcher Development Framework provide a better alternative? We have to think and talk about our teaching role in our institutions. At this conference we can think and spar with our colleague librarians, putting one of the ACRL framework concepts, “scholarship as conversation”, into practice.

Trends and issues in Jamaican academic libraries 2010-2016

Purpose Observing trends and issues plays a key role in the success of any industry. Since 2010, the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) has been publishing papers on top trends and issues in academic libraries in the USA, allowing for reflection, tracking, lesson drawing, adaptation, planning and direction. Such a publication is absent in the Jamaican library industry. This paper aims to examine the extent to which these trends and issues, as reported by ACRL, are evident in Jamaican academic librarianship. Design/methodology/approach Through document and thematic analysis of publications written on Jamaican academic librarianship 2010-2016, this paper highlights trends and issues in Jamaican academic librarianship. Findings There are similarities in the trends and issues in Jamaican academic librarianship and American academic librarianship; the similarities sometimes vary, however, in focus. Additionally, there are trends and issues in Jamaican academic librarianship not mentioned in the literature reviewed on American academic librarianship and vice versa. Research limitations/implications A survey of the chief librarians’ perceptions regarding the trends and issues would be a useful follow-up. Practical implications This paper allows for reflection, comparison, benchmarking, lesson-drawing, planning and direction for academic libraries and other types of libraries in Jamaica and the rest of the developing world. Social implications The gaps highlighted, particularly those with the most potential, can be discussed with the objective of exploring how these can be translated into new or revised services for the community of users. Originality/value This paper is of value, as there is no publication with an explicit focus on trends and issues in Jamaican academic libraries; this paper will be the first publication on trends and issues in Jamaican academic librarianship. In this regard, this paper makes an important contribution to the literature on academic librarianship generally, and to the literature on Caribbean and Jamaican academic librarianship, specifically.

Authentic engagement

Purpose – The purpose of this case study is to measure the impact of authenticity – the operation of one’s true self in one’s daily activities – on student engagement and learning in the context of information literacy instruction. Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted during information literacy instruction for English 105 classes at the House Undergraduate Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A classroom modeling exercise was developed to help students choose authentic topics of interest. Students then filled out a questionnaire to assess whether choosing authentic topics led to increased engagement and increased learning according to Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards compared to students in the control group. Results were analyzed using an independent samples t-test. Findings – The data illustrate that the exercise successfully helped students choose authentic topics and that these students’ motivation to learn was higher than students in the control group. Students in the experimental group also, on average, rated their learning of ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards significantly higher than students in the control group. Originality/value – The study provides the first empirical data confirming the positive impact of authenticity on student motivation and learning in the context of information literacy instruction. An implication of the study is that it is possible not only to provide students with resources – as the traditional role of librarians might have it – but also that librarians can have a positive and substantial impact on the content students choose to work on, and the degree to which they care about it. The impact of this particular result could radically change the way instruction librarians view the nature and scope of their pedagogical role in academic libraries.

Poster presentations as an assessment tool in a third/college-level Information Literacy course:

This paper examines the impact that poster presentations have had in increasing student knowledge, engagement and interest in learning and understanding library research skills in a college-level, general education information literacy class. Many general education library classes use an annotated bibliography as a summative assessment of students’ learning in the course; however, this type of assessment does not provide a good method to evaluate students’ knowledge of research skills. In place of this bibliography a poster session was used to evaluate and assess student understanding of library research skills. The poster presentations allow the instructor to evaluate how the students applied their library research skills to locate information to answer research questions. Additionally, the presentations provide the students with the opportunity to share what they have learned with their classmates and invited guests and to learn more about each other’s topics. More than 100 students have had the opportunity to present a poster and to share what they have learned. The poster consists of a summary of what was learned about the research question, reasons why the question was chosen and three citations. Students have commented that they have enjoyed the experience of learning more about their selected research topics and sharing what they have learned with their classmates. Researching a topic of interest to the student results in greater understanding and more interest in learning and using library research skills. The poster presentation helps students make a stronger connection between the skills required to find the information and their ability to communicate what they have learned about their research question. When designing information literacy programs, poster presentations showcasing the students’ research process should be considered as an alternative form of assessment that can be used to evaluate student learning in a general education library skills class. Additionally, a poster presentation assessment addresses Standards 1 through 5 of the ACRL (Association of College & Research Libraries) Information literacy competency standards for higher education and demonstrates the students’ ability to meet the course learning objectives. This article is based on a paper presented at LILAC 2012.

Information literacy on Facebook: an analysis

PurposeThis analysis, being part one of a two‐part study, aims to illustrate the attitudes and patterns users are being habituated to through the functionality of Facebook, relate them to information literate practices and behaviors, and speculate their application to information literacy instruction within an academic context. It also aims to lay the groundwork for part two, which is to be reported on in a later issue of this journal.Design/methodology/approachFor this first part of the study, the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education have been aligned with common behaviors on Facebook, examining each standard, performance indicator, and outcome for possible parallels in common Facebook tools and behaviors. These behaviors have then been connected to the process of conducting research in an academic context.FindingsThree Facebook functions – Feeds, Share, and Comment – emerged as the primary means by which information literate practices and behaviors are developed and exhibited on Facebook. In addition, information literacy in the age of social media requires a “meta‐literacy”: a critical awareness of why we do what we do with information.Research limitations/implicationsThis analysis (part one) presents the conceptual framework on which the data collection portion of the study (part two) is based. In doing so, it lays the groundwork for a reexamination of what it means to be information literate in light of social media practices and behaviors.Originality/valueThis paper is valuable to information literacy instructors and researchers because it offers the first extended analysis that deliberately reads Facebook through the lens of the ACRL Standards.

Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) National Conference

PurposeContributions describing the 12th ACRL National Conference, covering selective highlights of papers, presentations and the overall context of this meeting.Design/methodology/approachObservations and descriptions of key themes and ideas that were presented in a conference framework.FindingsSignificant participation at this conference.ValueThis is the primary forum for the exploration of issues and challenges facing academic college and research libraries in North America with significant analogies to the global community.Research limitations/implicationsHow problems and issues are resolved by other institutions and realizing that the power of sharing information is greatest when solutions are creative and openly shared. The full academic library experience is covered intensely via a wide range of conference presentations.Practical implicationsGood to share information and network with colleagues and participate in an active tradeshow.