Information Literacy Programs
Overview of the Libraries' Information Literacy Program:What is information literacy?
Who teaches information literacy?
Who provides direction for this Program?
Does the Library have a student learning outcomes assessment plan?
What standards are used?
| WHAT IS INFORMATION LITERACY? |
"Information literacy forms 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." Taken from the Association of College and Research Libraries"To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." Taken from the Presidential Committee on Information Literacy
The Libraries Information Literacy Program aims to provide members of the University with the skills and knowledge needed to effectively identify, find, evaluate and ethically use information to support academic excellence and lifelong learning. This Program emerges from the Libraries' vision & mission and strategic plan [.pdf].
| WHO TEACHES INFORMATION LITERACY? |
Two main groups coordinate and conduct the day to day activities that constitute the Libraries Information Literacy Program. They are:
User Education Services (UES):
- Designs, coordinates, teaches, and assesses information literacy programs for the University's large first-year and gateway programs, and for a CORE (required) writing program.
- Coordinates orientations sessions for the University's summer & pre-college programs, for international students coming to campus, and in-depth & targeted research visits for high school groups.
- Trains special lecturers, graduate students and library staff to participate in its programs.
- Produces and maintains a wide assortment of general user guides (in print, web, interactive). Coordinates the University Libraries participation in various campus events and activities.
Librarian Subject-Specialists, Curators & Special Collections Librarians:
- Librarian subject specialists (many of whom are members of six subject teams) the curators of special collections, and other librarians with subject expertise, design and teach information literacy classes, orientations, seminars, & workshops for the University's subject-specific courses.
- Organizes and conduct customized tours for visiting administrators, scholars, school groups and others.
| WHO PROVIDES DIRECTION FOR THIS PROGRAM? |
The Information Literacy Team serves to provide direction for the Libraries information literacy program. It's mission is to:
- stay abreast of developments & trends in information literacy & teaching technology;
- review problems and issues to develop solutions and recommend policies;
- support staff development that builds skills in instruction to improve the quality of teaching and learning;
- work to integrate the assessment of student learning into instruction activities.
| DOES THE LIBRARY HAVE A STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT PLAN? |
At present, the Libraries' Learning Outcomes Assessment Plan is defined for the information literacy programs coordinated by User Education Services; these include ENGL 101, GEMS 100 and UNIV 100.
| WHAT STANDARDS ARE USED? |
Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education
These standards provide a framework for assessing the information literate individual. There are five standards and twenty-two performance indicators. The standards focus upon the needs of students in higher education at all levels. The standards also list a range of outcomes for assessing student progress toward information literacy. These outcomes serve as guidelines for faculty, librarians, and others in developing local methods for measuring student learning in the context of an institution's unique mission. It is important to note that some disciplines may place greater emphasis on the mastery of competencies at certain points in the process, and therefore certain competencies would receive greater weight than others in any rubric for measurement. Paraphrased from the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education
