Information Literacy For Higher Education Research Articles

My life as a writing professor and research librarian: The ideas that bridge the gap

When I got into libraries, I looked forward to more one-on-one time with students. I had been a teacher at the college level for some time, and when I got a job as reference coordinator at American University, I saw an opportunity to have both large-group and one-on-one time with students.I staff a public-facing research desk, am embedded in first-year writing courses as their librarian, and teach first-year writing as a professor in the literature department. It is a wonderful balance, but it has taken time to learn how these identities interact. Over time, they have merged. This essay looks at that, and at some of the language I have used to understand that bridge between these roles. I hope to lightly tie this language to aspects of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.

Programming as Pedagogy in the Academic Library

This paper considers library programming as a means of extending and enhancing the academic library's pedagogical mission and role in student success. Scholarly programming in the form of faculty speakers, film screenings, or other kinds of research-based events creates opportunities for students to join an academic community and to practice critical thinking skills learned in class. These presentations inscribe the library within the students' journey from student to scholar, highlighting its importance as a nexus for scholarly exchange. At the same time, this programming strengthens the library's mission by encouraging engagement with the campus, interdisciplinary research, and efforts to support diversity and inclusion. Drawing on the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and concepts in critical thinking in the liberal arts, this paper examines the role of programming in the academic library's instructional and formative mission. Library programming can help students become informationally literate, thoughtful consumers and producers of content.

Community College Librarians and the ACRL Framework: Findings from a National Study

This study explored community college librarians’ engagement with the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education . A national online survey with 1,201 community college librarian respondents reveals limited familiarity with and integration of the Framework into community college instruction to date. Findings indicate an openness to future adoption, as well as substantial interest in targeted professional development and a version of the Framework adapted for community college campuses. These results contribute benchmark instructional data on an understudied section of academic librarianship and add to the growing body of research on how librarians have updated teaching practices in response to the Framework.

Apprenticing Researchers: Exploring Upper-Division Students' Information Literacy Competencies

Author(s): Davidson Squibb, Sara L.; Zanzucchi, Anne | Abstract: This study explores upper-division students' research competencies, dispositions, challenges, and developments through focus group interviews complemented by surveys, including local responses to the Experiences with Information Literacy topical module from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). These undergraduates, apprenticing as researchers, use research practices that are more novice than expert, as described in the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. They employ a range of abilities in the research process and demonstrate an emerging knowledge of the information environment and of academic disciplines. Because curriculum strongly influences information literacy development, librarians should pursue close collaborations with faculty.

Information Literacy in Music: An Instructor's Companion ed. by Beth Christensen, Erin Conor, and Marian Ritter

Reviewed by: Information Literacy in Music: An Instructor's Companion ed. by Beth Christensen, Erin Conor, and Marian Ritter Lisa Woznicki Information Literacy in Music: An Instructor's Companion. Edited by Beth Christensen, Erin Conor, and Marian Ritter. (Music Library Association Technical Reports Series, vol. 35.) Middleton, WI: Music Library Association and A-R Editions, 2018. [xvi, 254 p. ISBN 9780895798565 (paperback), $125.] Lesson plans, illustrations, appendix, glossary, bibliography, index. One of the most important duties of music librarians is to provide information-literacy instruction to students. While there are a number of tools they can use to design and create engaging and effective lesson plans for teaching general research skills, music librarians are often challenged in creating library sessions that address the myriad needs of music students. Applied music students may need to sharpen skills focused on finding particular musical works, while music history students are required to become familiar with basic research sources in musicology. Librarians both new and experienced will find help addressing these demands with Information Literacy in Music: An Instructor's Companion, a recent publication in the Music Library Association's Technical Reports Series. Rather than simply describing pedagogical theories, this volume employs a hands-on approach to instructional practice and provides sample assignments and lesson plans for thirty-nine information literacy sessions encompassing a wide variety of music genres and course levels. The scope of Information Literacy in Music is broad, covering not just multiple subtopics within music but also elements of musicianship and theory skills within some lessons. The practical arrangement of entries allows users to quickly find lessons by topic as well as learning objectives and will suit both novice and experienced instructors. The editors group lesson plans into thirteen major categories (or subdisciplines within music) ranging from ethnomusicology to jazz to music therapy, but many plans could be adapted to additional music subdisciplines. They also provide quick reference to lesson plans through two separate indexes: the first by student-learning outcome and the second by instruction scenario. The latter sets up the context of the lesson within the classroom and includes descriptions such as "active learning" or "scaffolded assignments" for instructors wishing to try their hand at specific instructional methods (p. xv). [End Page 476] Each lesson begins with an introduction by the author(s), followed by a list of student-learning outcomes and a detailed description of the assignment. The section titled "Classroom Instruction" outlines the mechanics of actually teaching the lesson and cites required materials for creating an optimal learning environment. Concluding each lesson is an assessment measure followed by the actual assignment as delivered to the student. Most of the assignments are a reiteration of a paper document, but some include screenshots of online components. Source material in plans is carefully documented with detailed bibliographies (where appropriate) and, in some cases, footnotes on background research. Acknowledging that users of the book will include music faculty as well as music librarians, the editors refrain from inserting library jargon within the text and also provide a helpful glossary of terms. Because the intended audience extends beyond library professionals, the "Student Learning Outcomes" section of some entries omits references to the American College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework [accessed 15 August 2019]). While some authors elect to mention specific frames addressed within a lesson, interested readers can find the full text of the ACRL document in an appendix (pp. 231–38). The authors of the lesson plans represent a wide variety of educational institutions, including conservatories and music schools, small liberal arts colleges, and large research universities. While the majority of contributors are music librarians with diverse backgrounds, other contributors are music professors representing subdisciplines within music (such as music therapy and choral music) and faculty in English and art/design departments. The result is a versatile collection of instructional plans reflecting a great variety of viewpoints and approaches to instruction. The diversity of authors and disciplines also allows for exploration of multidisciplinary instructional opportunities, and even if a sample lesson may not exactly fit course subjects, the sources and learning outcomes can assist readers in creating their...

Survey of information literacy instructional practices in academic libraries

This paper reports a study of information literacy instructional practices in Israeli academic libraries, conducted to understand the methods and approaches used by academic librarians in their instructional work, and to explore whether their practices have been influenced by the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The study used an online survey to gather data, an instrument based on one used successfully in similar surveys in Canada and the United States. The survey was completed by Israeli academic librarians with instructional responsibilities. Findings show that respondents believe that information literacy instruction is a shared responsibility, and that one-on-one instruction is the most-used approach. Results reveal multiple challenges faced by respondents, as well as opportunities for improvement in their instruction.

The long conversation: Reflections on science librarianship

As you read this column, feel free to get up and move around. Make access for yourself. We are in dialogue, and we should all be comfortable to nurture this conversation.As an early career science librarian, it can be challenging to incorporate the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education into my work. In the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine) students, faculty, and staff are pressed for time and are focused on skills, data, and gaining familiarity with specific resources. In this column, I reflect on the frame Scholarship as Conversation, and draw on it for inspiration and guidance in my practice. I highlight examples of this discussion with this frame and how it informs my instruction, collection development, and outreach efforts.

Scaffolding Self-direction with the ACRL Framework: A Reflection-Based Approach

This case study reports on the information literacy component of a pilot first-yearexperience course, U1X, at Concordia University. Based on the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, the information literacy component of U1X was designed to encourage self-direction.
 Through exploring the university’s larger research mission, the module aimed to shift the emphasis from “how to do research correctly” to viewing research as a personal endeavour in which the researcher cultivates the skills necessary to make a meaningful contribution. It encouraged students to reflect on what they could contribute and the skills they would need to do so.
 The design of this module aligned with the U1X syllabus, which included as learning outcomes that students gain an understanding “of the University’s research mission at its highest level” and “of the relationship between research and citizenship.” The module took a similarly “big picture” approach, while also looking at students’ personal development through reflection. This paper will explore the challenges and opportunities of this approach.
 

Leveraging Existing Frameworks to Support Undergraduate Primary Source Research

This exploratory study aims to improve librarian support for undergraduate users as they find, access, evaluate, and appropriately use primary source materials in their research. By approaching object-based information literacy instruction via the Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (Framework), this project will promote use of academic library special collections and archives in ways that reinforce the theoretical approach espoused by that document. Primary source evaluations collected before and after one semester of Framework-based instruction indicate that the concepts identified therein are relevant to and support learning with primary sources.

Adult learning theories and autoethnography: Informing the practice of information literacy

The learning theories of self-directed learning and lifelong learning can inform the practice of information literacy in higher education for adult learners. These theories lend themselves to the use of autoethnography, a research methodology that relies on the exploration of lived experiences through reflexivity informed by theory. In conducting an autoethnography on information literacy, its practice appears as both a singular and a collective activity. Multiple ramifications for practice come from this exploration. These ramifications include considerations of choices, barriers, conducive learning environments, informal learning opportunities, and the need for reflection for adult learners. Applying the learning theories of self-directed learning and lifelong learning to the practice of information literacy offers librarians new and useful perspectives on its practice with adult learners.

Pick your battles: Re-examining the Framework for community colleges

Information literacy is a valued skill in almost every academic discipline, and increasingly valued by employers in the workforce. This point is of particular interest to librarians and faculty at community colleges, where job-ready skills and practical concepts are the priority for our students. However, reception of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education has been lukewarm among community college librarians. Many librarians who work in community colleges believe the Framework is meant for four-year schools and research-based institutions. By closely re-examining the Framework and recognizing student needs, community college librarians can use the Framework much more effectively.

Exploring Innovative Ways to Incorporate the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework in Graduate Science Teacher Education ePortfolio Projects

This article investigates ways in which student voice informed design-based research into information literacy instruction. The instruction occurred across a year-long graduate science education ePortfolio culminating project. Library and science education faculty partnered in a two-year project to create communities of secondary science education students, in two cohorts, who used the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education to support their own research and reflections into information literacy. The overarching goal was to improve the course design to help science teachers develop their professional competencies in information literacy to conduct research to support their practice. Examination of students’ responses to research experiences enabled faculty to improve the students’ information literacy experience from one year to another. Findings show that students became more familiar with ways to use the ACRL Framework to interrogate their own and their colleagues’ research processes as they shared their own reflections on research and information literacy. We also found that this was fostered by shifts in when and how the ACRL Framework was introduced. Education students can benefit from knowledge of an information literacy framework to impact the way that they conduct their own professional research, work with students on research projects, and participate in scholarly conversations.

Closing the Gap: Collaborating with Research Librarians to Improve Information Literacy in the Political Science Classroom

This article discusses a collaborative effort between political science faculty members and a research librarian, designed to determine whether structured library interventions with students over the course of a semester yield improvement in students’ information literacy skills. Using the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education as the basis for an information literacy pre- and post-test, faculty conducted a two-wave survey of students enrolled in political science courses, taken at the beginning and end of a semester, while the librarian taught an information literacy session with select political science courses. We then compared the survey results to measure information literacy gains of all students. The results reinforce findings from other studies that collaborating with a research librarian contributes positively to student learning, and the methodology used to evaluate information literacy gains here can be used to provide additional assessment in the future.

Synthesizing a digital badge for chemistry undergraduates

Purpose This paper aims to describe the development of a digital badge for a discipline-specific course in chemistry that was undertaken as part of an overall course redesign. Learning outcomes were developed based on both disciplinary standards for undergraduate students and the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The badge was designed as a series of challenges and awarded based on successful completion of both the challenges and an associated writing assignment. Design/methodology/approach This paper considers relevant literature on the application of andragogy (adult learning theory) for online learning, a proposed theoretical framework for digital badge systems, the instructional design principles used for this project, and the potential for using badges for delivering information literacy instruction. The application is supported by examples from academic libraries and this case study, with a specific focus on information literacy. Findings Andragogy is highly applicable to online learning but is not the only learning theory relevant to the design of digital badges. Multiple learning theories may be applied during the design process using instructional design principles. Digital badges present one mode of delivering instructional content, but the learning theory and design principles applied are far more important than the delivery mode. Originality/value Drawing on both learning theory and instructional design principles, this paper addresses ways in which librarians and educators can develop digital badges or badge systems that align with both curricular needs and the concept-based approach of the Framework.

Teaching the information literacy Framework

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to outline the concept and creation of choose-your-own-adventure flip-books for use in teaching information literacy in higher education. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper that examines how to use choose-your-own-adventure style flip-books to teach knowledge practices from the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Using constructivist theory and active learning methods, the authors discuss how flip-books offer a hands-on learning strategy to build on students’ knowledge and experiences while promoting learner-centered interactions. Findings As academic libraries evolve from teaching bibliographic instruction via lecture to information literacy through student-centered learning, activities such as the one discussed in this paper provide a way for librarians to better engage with students. Creating curriculum based on educational theory and learner-centered approaches is necessary for librarians to use to optimize classroom time. Practical implications This paper provides a practical and pragmatic evaluation of how to incorporate narrative flip-books into information literacy instruction, providing an additional instructional tool for information literacy practitioners. Originality/value The choose-your-own-adventure story narrative has been used as a learning tool through all levels of education, including in university settings, but there is a lack of research on their use in information literacy instruction. This paper provides insight on how this teaching method and teaching tool can be used by librarians in the information literacy classroom.

Geospatial Information Literacy Instruction: Frameworks, Competency, and Threshold Concepts

As librarians are developing library instruction curricula for map and geography libraries, there are many places where one can find guidance. Instructional frameworks can help organize and teach key competencies and develop literacy of geospatial information for learners. The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education has become the quintessential guiding document for information literacy instruction in academic libraries. One does not teach the framework directly, rather the instructor (librarian) identifies threshold concepts, knowledge practices, and dispositions guided by six core concepts and disciplinary context. Librarians in special collections must consider how to apply such frameworks to specific disciplines, collections, institutions, and curricula. This paper focuses on geospatial information literacy instruction, best represented by librarians offering instruction services on geospatial data and/or technologies to classes ranging from GIScience courses to humanities classes incorporating digital scholarship. The unique blend of geographic literacy incorporating geography, primary-source, map, and spatial literacies as well as data and digital literacies, including data information literacy and the emerging Cyber GIScience literacy make GIScience a discipline where map and geography librarians are well positioned to impact the success of learners and advance pedagogy development.

From an Archive to a Digital Map Edition: Introducing the Spatial Turn to an Undergraduate Writing Course

This article describes the process and outcomes of working with an undergraduate writing course as they created original scholarship for a digital map edition. Traditionally, library interventions in writing courses are limited to introducing students to library resources, developing better search terms, and research strategies. More recently librarians have incorporated primary source materials from special collections and archives into some classes as a way to engage student research. We worked with a faculty writing partner to introduce students to an archive but framed the experience through the lens of spatial thinking. As part of their research process students were required to conduct a spatial ethnography and their final essay was shared via a digital map edition. One of the results of this work is that the student essays offered a new way to discover a mural archive, providing a framework for how it can be used as a data and a research collection. We discuss how we worked with the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and other guidelines to develop our assignments and an active learning environment, the process of balancing GIS/data literacy with primary source instruction, and our experience as embedded librarians throughout this process.

Mapping Concepts to Locate Learning Opportunities: Aligning the ACRL Framework to the GIS&T Body of Knowledge

The adoption of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education in 2016 coincided with the launch of the digital edition of the Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIS&T) Body of Knowledge. The GIS&T Body of Knowledge and the ACRL Framework share a common goal of providing a flexible, community-driven, living document to support teaching and learning in higher education. The Body of Knowledge serves as a representation of the GIS&T knowledge domain, while the ACRL Framework aids librarians in integrating core information literacy concepts into instruction in their respective knowledge domains. Despite this connection, no attempt to evaluate how these guiding documents can be aligned to one another to inform instructional practice has yet been reported. This study uses a relative crosswalk approach to map connections between the knowledge practices and dispositions in the ACRL Framework and the learning objectives in the GIS&T Body of Knowledge. This analysis highlights alignment between these documents and can serve as a conceptual foundation to make it easier for map, geospatial, and subject librarians to identify practical opportunities for integrating information literacy instruction into GIS&T education, both independently and in collaboration with disciplinary faculty.

Journals on Information Literacy: Citation Analysis and Social Impact Metrics

ABSTRACTLibrary and information science as a discipline is undergoing rapid and extensive change, driven particularly by new areas of research. Citation analysis and information literacy are widely researched and have a rich background of growth. Publish or Perish, Buzzsumo.com, altmetrics.com, and textalyser.net have been used to analyze all metrics associated with citation analysis, social networking, and keyword analysis.The hypothesis of this study is: “There is no significant difference in the citation pattern of the three prominent citation journals: Journal of Information Literacy, Communications in Information Literacy and Nordic Journal of Information Literacy in Higher Education”.The hypotheses of the study were tested by assessment of the degree to which each of the journals met set of objective criteria. 697 papers from the three journals were analyzed and the results showed that the citation metrics of the Journal of Information Literacy had the highest correspondence with the criteria. The information linked to the Journals of Information Literacy was moderately posted on social networking sites (SNS) and the highest frequency of the keywords: “Information”; “Information literacy”; and “Information literacy instruction” were found in one, two and three-word searches. Some recommendations have also been offered to improve SNS presence and for further research in this field.

Information Literacy Strategies Used by Second- and Third-Year Biology Students

Results from focus groups with 23 second- and third-year biology students revealed gradual gains in information literacy (IL) abilities and dispositions needed for them to join the community of scientific practice as laid out in the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Students were consumers of information and not yet producers of information. They interacted often with primary research articles but struggled to use research tools effectively; remembered active learning vividly; and relied on video resources, Google, and discussions with peers and instructors to define terms and understand results. Findings support the value of collaboration between librarians and science faculty to incorporate IL skills in the process of scientific discovery.