Information Literacy 2009

Information Literacy

Heidi CardULS Librarian,

Assistant to the Director on Research & Special ProjectsUniversity of Pittsburgh

hrc5@pitt.edu

What is Information Literacy?

A set of skills/abilities needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information

And more. . .

Financial Literacy Health Literacy Scientific Literacy Visual Literacy Cultural Literacy Technical Literacy

Why is Information Literacy Important?

Information literacy is increasingly important in the contemporary environment of rapid technological change and proliferating information resources.

The Solution to “Data Smog”

Who Needs Information Literacy?

Is IL a Required Course?

Some colleges require a course for undergraduate programs:

Information Literacy Requirements

Information literacy is an intellectual framework for identifying, finding, understanding, evaluating, and using information. The mastery of these skills is essential for lifelong learning and is the foundation of Duquesne University’s special trust of seeking truth and disseminating knowledge within a moral and spiritual context. Courses within the student’s major will build on the introductory skills learned in the basic Information Literacy class.

Charter Oak State College

How is IL Taught?

College courses Library courses Library workshops Library tutorials Library modules Library consultations

IL Topics

Research Strategies

Finding Books

Finding Periodical Articles Online

Effective Internet Searching

Ethics in Research

Internet Evaluation

Using print indexes

Current Events

Professional IL Resources

Blogs/Websites

The Big 6 - dedicated to teaching using the Big6 - the most widely-known and widely-used approach to teaching information and technology skills

Connecting Librarian - "connecting new ideas and

technologies"; though not specifically about information literacy, the concept is a frequently discussed topic

Information Literacy Round Table (ILRT)

Information Literacy Weblog - addresses IL from a global perspective

Listservs

Information Literacy Instruction Listserv (ILI-L)

ACRL's College Libraries Section List (COLLIB-L) 

Organizations

Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy

  Institute for Information Literacy Instruction Section Professional Activity

  Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT)

Library Orientation Exchange (LOEX)

National Forum on Information Literacy

Project Information Literacy

A report of preliminary findings and analysis from student discussion groups held on 7 U.S. campuses in Fall 2008

Results suggest that conducting research is particularly challenging

Students’ greatest challenges are related to their perceived inability to find desired materials

Figuring out how to traverse complex information landscapes may be the most difficult part of the research process

Findings also suggest that students create effective methods for conducting research by using traditional methods, such as libraries, and self-taught, creative workarounds, such as “presearch” and Wikipedia, in different ways.

Purpose of Report

To better understand how early adults define and conceptualize the process of research

To discover the steps that early adults take to locate, evaluate, select, and use resources required for course-related research and for everyday research

What Frustrates Students When They Conduct Research?

Students Value Libraries

1. For the library website, which they used, usually off-site, as gateway to scholarly research databases.

2. For librarians as “navigational sources,” which they used most often used for making sense out of the complex library system on campus.

3. For librarians as “information coaches,” who they used for refining thesis statements or helping them locate hard-to-find resources (i.e., statistics or government documents).

Reference Desk

IL at ULS

Mission and Objectives

Rubrics IL Working Group Assessment

Mission

Core to the mission of the University Library System (ULS) is partnering with faculty in each department and program to foster information literacy through a variety of educational approaches. 

The ULS seeks to ensure that students at the University of Pittsburgh are equipped to navigate an increasingly complex information environment. 

Student Learning Outcomes for the University of Pittsburgh

Think critically and analytically Gather and evaluate information effectively and appropriately Understand and be able to apply basic, scientific and quantitative

reasoning Communicate clearly and effectively Use information technology appropriate to their discipline Exhibit mastery of their discipline Understand and appreciate diverse cultures (both locally and

internationally) Work effectively with others Have a sense of self, responsibility to others, and connectedness to the

University  

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Several skills, collectively referred to as “information literacy,” apply to all disciplines in an institution’s curricula.

These skills relate to a student’s competency in acquiring and processing information in the search for understanding.

Objectives of IL at ULS

To ensure that University of Pittsburgh students will be capable of:

Gathering and evaluating information effectively and appropriately;

Identifying information sources appropriate to their discipline;

Critically evaluating and incorporating information to address a specific information need;

Utilize appropriate information technology; Understand the principle of intellectual property, and the

legal and ethical uses of information.

IL Working Group created in Spring 2006 charged with developing an information

literacy assessment program for the ULS And developing new ways to market the

information literacy program to faculty and students

creating online tutorials (and revising existing ones) finding new ways to promote information

literacy

Rubrics

Different forms of IL @ ULS

Instruction: structured classes

Kiosks: “Help Hub” Individual

Consultation Tutorials online

New Instruction Room

Online Tutorials

IL Assessment

• Developing a research strategy• Using appropriate information

resources• Identifying and finding scholarly

literature• Plagiarism and ethical use of

information

SAILS Results Indicated that students struggled with:

How the ULS is Using SAILS Data

• To identify specific IL gaps of students;

• Demonstrate to departments the specific IL needs of their students and partner to address

• Eventually use this base data as a means of measuring the impact of IL instruction

Next Steps

Need to comprehensively review the data collected from the current SAILS testing

Identify gaps in order to identify competencies of current freshman

Work with other departments to integrate findings into curricula

Outside the Classroom Curriculum

Introduction to ULS How to Write & Communicate Clearly Interview Assistance Managing Information

Any Questions?

谢谢！ 謝謝！

References

Head, A. J. and Eisenberg, M. B. (2009). Project Information Literacy Progress Report. The Information School, University of Washington.