INFORMATION LITERACY
SKILLS (ILS) TRAINING FOR
MEDICAL STUDENTS
OVERVIEW
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Importance of ILS Training for Medical Students
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Why training?
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Ability of Information Literacy
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What is an Information Literacy Person?
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Modules
Importance of Information Literacy Skills
(ILS) Training for Medical Students
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Motivation for information literacy skills is based on the
realization that academic libraries are central and critical to the
instructional and scholarly life of the universities they serve
They are integral parts of the teaching, learning and research
Medical Librarians are accepting the challenge of graduating
students with information and communication technology
competencies
It is therefore important to design instructional modules to be
taught to medical students during their academic career
ILS recognizes that all learners need training in information and
communication technology in order to fully utilize available
information resources.
Why ILS Training?
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Information Communication Technologies have changed the way
in which we communicate
Whilst books and journals remain important, CD-ROM, e-mail
and the Internet are supplementing and even replacing some
forms of print material (INASP, 2002)
Due to these developments, the following questions arise:
What new skills and techniques are needed to search, find and
navigate this information?
What kind of training is needed? What kind of training is
needed?
How can these electronic resources be evaluated?
Ability of Information Literacy
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Understand in a basic sense how resource information is
produced, disseminated, organized, including differences among
primary, secondary and tertiary literature and the distinction
between popular and peer-reviewed literature
Information literacy is increasingly important in contemporary
environment of rapid technological change
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.
What is an Information Literate
Person?
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Determines the extent of information needed
Accesses the needed information effectively and efficiently
Evaluates information and its sources critically
Incorporates selected information into one`s knowledge base
Uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
Understands the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding
the use of information, and access and use information ethically
and legally.
Module 1
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Lecture 1: Information Organization
Lecture 2: Information Sources
Lecture 3: Access Tools
Lecture 4: Information Retrieval
Lecture 5: Electronic Information Retrieval-navigating
websites, subject gateways, advanced searches, online
journals, evaluating resources
Lecture 6: Referencing
Module 2
Information Sources
 Books
 Periodicals
 Indexes and Abstracts
 Bibliographies
 Encyclopedias
 CD-ROM
 Databases
 The Internet
Module 3
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Lecture 1: Topic Analysis and Knowledge structure –
Basic Structure of Databases, Selecting a Database,
Abstracts and Full-text articles
Lecture 2: Access Tools
Lecture 3: Search Strategy-Electronic Information
Retrieval Skills
Lecture 4: Digital Libraries, E-Books and E-Journals
Lecture 5: Bibliography & Intellectual Propertyplagiarism, copyright, referencing
Module 4
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Lecture 1: The Research Process-Topic Analysis, OPAC,
CD-ROM
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Lecture 2: Information Retrieval – search engines,
Using Websites, Subject Gateways
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Lecture 4: Evaluating Articles
Module 5
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Lecture 1: Search Engines
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Lecture 2: Keywords and Boolean Operators
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Lecture 3: Evaluating Sites
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Lecture 4: Referencing
Citation Styles-MLA
Refers to rules and conventions established by the
Modern Language Association
 Book by one author
Datey, K. K. Essentials of cardiac therapy. New Delhi :
Allied Publishers, 1983.
 Book with three authors
Datey, K. K., James Hingorani and Edward Mujera.
Essentials of cardiac therapy. New Delhi : Allied
Publishers, 1983.
 Book with more than three authors
Datey, K. K. et al. Essentials of cardiac therapy. New
Delhi : Allied Publishers, 1983.
Harvard Citation Style
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Book with one author
Smith, David. (1987) Plastic and reconstructive surgery for students,
Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation, Chicago.
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Book with two or three authors
Smith, David, Mataruse, A. & Mujera, E. T. (1987) Plastic and
reconstructive surgery for students, Plastic Surgery Educational
Foundation, Chicago.
Harvard Citation Style
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Thesis
Ncube, T. (2000), Children and the family, Phd Thesis,
University of Zimbabwe.
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Article in a journal
Kongle, C. & Crago, S. (1999) “Pacemakers and related
children”, Medical Journal of North America, vol. 85,no. 2,
pp71-77.
INTERNET
Electronic journal
basic pattern: Surname, First name(s),Year. Title of
article. Title of journal, vol. no. (issue no.). (URL:
xxxx…) Date accessed.
Example
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Micco, Mary, (1996). Subject authority control in the world of
Internet. Libres, 6(3). (URL: http://www.lib.lsu.edu/)
[Accessed 22 July 2009]
THANK YOU