Information Literacy Goals Research Articles

Navigating tomorrow's classroom

This article explores the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on information literacy (IL) in schools, advocating for a paradigm shift. It emphasises the role of school librarians in leveraging AI, especially through the Framework Of Skills for Inquiry Learning (FOSIL), to seamlessly integrate IL into the curriculum. Addressing librarian hesitancy towards AI, the article stresses the urgency for librarians to embrace the technology and position themselves as essential guides in navigating ethical considerations. The discussion underscores the importance of inquiry-based learning, aligning with IL goals and preparing students for an AI-driven future. It envisions a collaborative future where librarians, armed with clear roles and frameworks like FOSIL, actively contribute to shaping education. The article calls for collective exploration by educators, librarians, and policymakers to ensure a holistic approach in preparing students for the challenges and opportunities of the future.

Improving Information Literacy in Introductory Psychology Through Short, Adaptive Interventions

Background The American Psychological Association has identified information literacy as a crucial component to undergraduate education. One major barrier to comprehensive information literacy instruction has been a lack of guidance integrating this into survey courses, particularly with reduced pedagogical resources available. Objective This research evaluates the effectiveness of a scaffolded information literacy curriculum that may be integrated into psychology courses. Method Students in introductory psychology courses were taught with either an information literacy curriculum or the typical science-focused curriculum. Information literacy knowledge was evaluated using a multiple-choice test. Results Students who received the specialized curriculum demonstrated significant improvements on an objective information literacy test by the end of the course, while students in the control group did not. Conclusion Evidence suggests that this easily adaptable information literacy curriculum is effective in meeting psychology information literacy goals, more so than the traditional science-focused curriculum taught in introductory psychology classes. Teaching Implications Instructors and faculty should be encouraged to utilize this adaptive curriculum, available on Open Science Framework, as a way of improving information literacy. Other implications, including feasibility and content, are discussed.

Successful Applications of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programming in Various Professional Settings: Strategies to Increase DEI in Libraries

Today libraries stand as the most inclusive institution in US society, but their workforces remain unaligned with the wide-ranging domestic demographic. With 83% of librarians identifying as white in 2020, this institution requires cultural reconstruction to enable its information literacy goals. As diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts have been unsuccessful over the years in libraries, this report surveys efforts in industries with more diverse workers and adapts them for implementation in library settings. Recruitment, retainment, and inclusion strategies in corporate, STEM, and healthcare environments are reviewed to identify successful options as starting points for library planners. Practical adaptations are provided as more feasible options for library budgets and personnel volumes. As libraries were founded and transformed to serve the varying needs of all patrons, incorporating these DEI tools into planning strategies is imperative to diversify library labor forces and eliminate barriers to information literacy.

Introducing Information Literacy to Mathematics Classrooms: A Cross-Case Analysis

This study employs a cross-case analysis to explore the demands and opportunities that arise when information problem-solving tasks are introduced into college mathematics classes. Mathematics teachers at three universities developed and introduced tasks that required students to seek out, evaluate, and synthesize quantitative claims from disparate information sources. The results focus on a comparison of how the teachers balanced content-specific instructional demands with the information literacy goals of the tasks that they created. Three tensions were identified through this analysis: the need to balance mathematical content with opportunities for students to engage in a realistic approximation of the information problem-solving process, the limitations imposed by the students’ mathematical knowledge, and the ill-defined nature of teachers’ desired outcomes with respect to student dispositions towards quantitative claims. These findings provide tools for better understanding how to productively incorporate information literacy practices into subject-specific instruction while maintaining a focus on content goals.

“I Wanna Be in the Room Where It Happens”…: Using Curriculum Mapping to Support the Information Literacy Goals of Online Programs

Embedding information literacy and instruction within an online program can be a difficult process to begin. Curriculum mapping guides librarians to the courses where their services can have the most impact. However, curriculum mapping can seem like an overwhelming and unwieldly process. This case study demystifies the process and shows how simple and effective curriculum maps can be designed and utilized. Particularly in environment with a single librarian dedicated to online outreach serving as a coordinator for other subject liaison librarians, curriculum mapping is a tool that allows for clear communication, outreach and systematic assessment. This paper will provide an overview of how the curriculum maps were developed, how they were used for communication and outreach both within and outside the Libraries, and ideas for programmatic assessment based upon the maps.

Instruction Coordinators and Higher Education Accreditation: A Study of Awareness and Assessment Documentation Use

This study gauges instruction and information literacy coordinators' awareness of higher education accreditation processes at their institutions and provides a picture of how coordinators use assessment documentation produced by units external to the library. The study took the form of a survey sent to a random sample of instruction coordinators and information literacy librarians stratified by regional accrediting body. Results showed that instruction coordinators generally are aware of accreditation processes but that only about half use documentation relating to student learning assessment, which may include written student learning outcomes at the institution, program, or course level, plans for assessing learning outcomes, and reports on assessment activities and results, to further their information literacy goals. Accreditation awareness is influenced by time in position, time in the profession, and, to some extent, regional accreditor. Use of and considered importance of assessment documentation is influenced by size of institution, regional accreditor, and, to some extent, time in position. Suggestions for increasing awareness and use of documentation include introducing the accreditation process to new librarians in library school, encouraging contribution of experiences with assessment documentation to the literature and regional conferences, and advocating for instruction coordinators to serve on campus assessment committees.

The learning continuum: economical best practices for implementing and achieving a community’s information literacy goals

Information literacy is a driving force in the field of librarianship, however, the often underestimated complexity of the concept, the primary focus on academic libraries, the intricacies involved with transliteracies, and the obstacles associated with technology make it difficult to establish a strategy for meeting a community’s information literacy needs. Budget cuts have especially impacted public library programming, pushing information literacy goals further out of reach. Faced with this adversity, Lancashire Library Service partnered with Credo to enhance their current information literacy plan, which yielded immediate results and provides a blueprint that public libraries may follow to achieve similar goals.

Library-Led Faculty Workshops: Helping Distance Educators Meet Information Literacy Goals in the Online Classroom

ABSTRACT At University of Maryland University College (UMUC), librarians have designed and led a number of multiday, asynchronous online workshops for faculty. The workshops teach faculty how to meet information literacy goals in the virtual classroom. Through hands-on activities and discussion among their colleagues, participants in the faculty workshops learn about the university's information literacy standards, library resources and services, free Web tools, and how best to design class assignments involving library research. Library-led faculty workshops at UMUC have increased library visibility and furthered collaboration between faculty and librarians. This article discusses 5 workshops, detailing workshop content and logistics and demonstrating how librarians can help distance faculty further information literacy goals for students.

Crossing the Rubricon:

Sound information literacy programs at a university library depend on effective librarian instructors. A robust, systematic evaluation procedure can both assist the development of librarian instructors as well as provide data for summative decisions regarding retention, promotion or tenure. This case study explores issues in IL instructor evaluation and proposes a rubric instrument for peer review observation. Rubrics are a fast, powerful, standardised mechanism for evaluating performance, and while studied in depth for the purposes of assessing student work, are relatively understudied and underemployed for the purposes of evaluating librarians. The different types of rubrics (analytic vs. holistic, simple vs. complex) are discussed and how they allow for customisable but standardized application. The process of developing a rubric can help clarify instructional values and desired outcomes. Rubrics show promise as a streamlined, equitable means for furthering information literacy goals by focusing on the growth of the librarian instructor.

Writing Information Literacy Assessment Plans: A Guide to Best Practice

Academic librarians throughout higher education add value to the teaching and learning missions of their institutions though information literacy instruction. To demonstrate the full impact of librarians on students in higher education, librarians need comprehensive information literacy assessment plans, composed of instructional program-level and outcome-level components, that summarize the purpose of information literacy assessment, emphasize the theoretical basis of their assessment efforts, articulate specific information literacy goals and outcomes, describe the major assessment methods and tools used to capture evidence of student learning, report assessment results, and highlight improvements made as a consequence of learning assessment.

Bringing Information Literacy into the Social Sphere: A Case Study Using Social Software to Teach Information Literacy at WFU

This article presents an approach to teaching information literacy in an academic course from a socio-technical perspective. It includes an overview of the course framework, a review of course contents, and an analysis of student responses provided through pre- and post-course surveys. The premise of the course design was that students bring a set of technical and information skills to class that address specific but not generalized information literacy goals. By designing a course to engage students from this perspective, the instructors hoped to find a new method for approaching information literacy instruction.

Information Literacy Across the Curriculum: Expanding Horizons

Trinity University, in San Antonio, Texas, began its first year of a five-year plan to integrate information literacy into the liberal arts curriculum as a part of the required reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 2008–2009. This opportunity brought changing roles for the library and librarians by providing an opportunity at wide-scale integration of information literacy goals into the curriculum with administrative support. The campus embraced the formation of an information literacy committee, and the administration provided support and funding for workshops, curricular grants, and new positions. This article details the goals, plan, and new personnel brought about by this program.

Continuing the connections

Reflects on the selected papers from the 2004 LOEX‐of‐the‐West Conference to note the importance of collaboration and connections to advance information literacy goals with college and university faculty and students.

Situating the Library in the First Year Experience Course

Abstract John Gardner, of the National Resource Center for The First Year Experience and Students in Transition, addressed academic librarians at the ACRL meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, in April 2003, urging librarians to become more actively involved in First Year Experience courses. Susan J. C. Bissett responds in this article, citing the difficulties librarians have in gaining faculty attention and acceptance of ideas derived from the Information Literacy movement. She connects librarians' problems with integrating a “library” or information component into the curriculum of First Year Experience courses to the more general difficulties that librarians face in persuading faculty to incorporate into their courses such Information Literacy goals as information finding, information evaluation, and synthesis of information. She discusses the role that administration plays in guiding faculty to adopt Information Literacy goals and the need for college administrations to provide greater resources to fa...

Positive Faculty/Librarian Relationships for Productive Library Assignments

Abstract Faculty/librarian collaboration is a topic that receives almost as much coverage in the library literature as information literacy. It is probably safe to say that information literacy efforts cannot succeed without positive collaboration between classroom faculty and librarians. The most common scenario for such collaboration is the library instruction session, in which an instructor takes the class to the library, or invites the librarian to the classroom. Other types of collaboration occur- or should occur-at the time the instructor gives a library research assignment. Librarians can provide “faculty development” to their colleagues from across the disciplines as to how best to work with librarians to achieve course content and information literacy goals. A non-threatening and collegial approach can be most effective. This article summarizes one librarian's experience in conducting such a faculty development session. Content adapted from the session handout is provided.

Information literacy program assessment: one small college takes the big plunge

Managing a library instruction program at a small liberal‐arts college has many challenges. Programs at such institutions often have limited financial resources and are maintained under difficult staffing conditions. This study examines the effectiveness of an instruction program offered at a four‐year liberal‐arts college with fewer than 3,000 students. The research was designed to assess the effectiveness of the current program and measure it against a pilot group of students exposed to enhanced information literacy opportunities based on the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.Working with five faculty members, information literacy goals were clearly articulated and implemented into nine sections of first‐year writing and speaking courses. Bibliographic analysis, an information literacy questionnaire, and an in‐class writing exercise were used to determine whether students in the pilot groups performed better than students receiving the program’s customary library training.