Table 1. Mansfield Library Information Literacy Curriculum Framework.
The following information literacy concepts and skills provide a framework for library
instructors and teaching faculty to address during each of the indicated class levels.
100-level
200-level
300-level
400-level
Graduate
The role of students
as scholars;
discourse
communities inside
and outside the
university
Choosing and
stating a research
topic; using research
to refine topic
Choosing the
appropriate
resources, sources,
or investigative
methods based on
research need
Identifying
important
associations,
publications, and
scholars in the
discipline
Research ethics
Scholarly
publication
processes
Information
production and
organization;
scholarly publication
processes, inclusive
of publication
models and authors’
rights; copyright and
fair use
Developing research
questions and
relevant keywords
Critical evaluation
of information;
value and
distinctness of
information
resources (e.g., data
sets, finding aids,
Internet, library
catalog, librarians,
subscription
databases, local
knowledge and
customs, etc.)
Citing research
sources of all types
formats; academic
honesty and
plagiarism
Information
production and
organization;
copyright and fair
use
Ethical, legal, and
social issues
surrounding the use
Keyword and
subject searching;
broadening and
narrowing search
terms
Value and
distinctness of
general and subjectspecific information
resources
Value and
distinctness of
information sources
(e.g., popular, trade,
and scholarly;
primary and
secondary; current
and historical, etc.)
Tracing citation data
back to original
source
Interdisciplinary
research
Incorporating new
information into
knowledge base and
value system
Combining new and
prior knowledge to
create original
scholarship
The ways in which
sources are utilized
by different
disciplines
Identifying gaps in
research; comparing
and contrasting
research arguments,
data, studies, and
methodologies
Discipline-specific
citation styles
Repeated content:
Critical evaluation
of information
Information
management
Citing research
sources of all types
formats; academic
Repeated content:
Ethical, legal, and
social issues
Economic, legal,
political, and socioeconomic impacts
on information
access and use
Ethical, legal, and
social issues
surrounding the use
of information
Critical evaluation
of information
Knowledge of
discipline-specific
Research ethics
information
resources and their
Economic, legal,
organization and use political, and socioeconomic impacts
Advanced search
on information
strategies (e.g., use
access and use
of controlled
vocabularies,
Literature review
Boolean operators,
process
cited references)
Incorporating new
Repeated content:
information into
Research ethics
knowledge base and
value system
Incorporating new
information into
Combining new and
knowledge base and prior knowledge to
value system
create original
scholarship
Combining new and
prior knowledge to
Identifying
of information
Impact of
information
including
significance for
future generations
and local
/regional
consequence of
information
honesty and
plagiarism
surrounding the use
of information
create original
scholarship
Information
production and
organization;
copyright and fair
use;
Critical evaluation
of information
Identifying gaps in
research; comparing
and contrasting
research arguments,
data, studies, and
methodologies
Ethical, legal, and
social issues
surrounding the use
of information
Citing research
sources; academic
honesty and
plagiarism
Choosing the
appropriate
resources, sources,
or investigative
methods based on
research need
Information
management
important
information
associations,
publications, and
scholars in the
discipline
Knowledge of
discipline-specific
information
resources and their
organization and use
Advanced search
strategies (e.g., use
of controlled
vocabularies,
Boolean operators,
cited references)
Discipline- and
journal-specific
citation styles
Citing research
sources of all types
formats; academic
honesty and
plagiarism
Information
management
Table 2. Mansfield Library Information Literacy Curriculum Rubric.
The following Information Literacy Curriculum rubric identifies information literacy
learning outcomes for students to complete at the end of each of the indicated class
levels.
100-level
200-level
300-level
400-level
Graduate
Identify and explain
discourse
communities
Identify and
describe a research
topic
Implement a
research strategy
appropriate to
research need
Identify important
associations,
publications, and
scholars in the
Describe how
information is
produced and
organized, as well as
Identify research
questions; translate
questions into
keywords for
searching
Recognize that,
based on research,
an initial topic may
need to be refined
discipline; explain
the role of these
resources in the
discipline; explain
Combine, relate, and the contributions of
Confer with
reconcile new
individual scholars
Recognize different instructors and
information with
to the discipline
information
librarians about
prior knowledge and
resources and
appropriate research beliefs
Describe the
explain the value
topics, information
scholarly publication
and differences
resources and search Compare and
process
between them (e.g., strategies
contrast research
finding aids, library
from various
Explain the
catalog, subscription Execute both
sources to create an economic, legal,
databases, local
keyword and subject holistic analysis of a political, and socioknowledge and
searches; execute
topic
economic impacts
customs)
revised searches to
on information
refine results
Recognize the value access and use (e.g.,
Construct in-text
of original
censorship,
citations and a
Explain why there is scholarship;
constraints, costs,
bibliography,
usually not “one”
construct an original funded research,
inclusive of all
source that will meet argument or
policies,
source types and
all research needs
position based on
scholarship)
formats (e.g.,
research findings
articles, images,
Recognize and
Describe key
music; print,
explain the value
Compare the use of discipline-specific
electronic)
and differences
information sources information
between general and by discipline
resources and how
Explain the
subject-specific
they are organized
importance of citing information
Identify gaps in
and used
research sources and resources
research findings
academic honesty
and modify research Construct advanced
Recognize different strategies
searches using
Describe how
information sources accordingly
controlled
information is
and explain the
vocabularies and
produced and
value and
Recognize that
Boolean operators;
organized, as well as differences between different disciplines execute cited
the role of copyright them, including
have different
reference searches
and fair use
their scope,
citation styles and
audience and intent style guidelines
Recognize and
Recognize ethical,
(e.g., archival
explain the value of
legal and social
collections;
Apply disciplinetracking citations
issues surrounding
government
specific style guide
forward and
the use of
information;
to research
backward
information (e.g.,
popular, trade, and
productions
academic freedom,
scholarly
right to privacy, free publications)
Document and
Explain the role of
ethics in research
the role of copyright
and fair use
Describe the
scholarly publication
process, inclusive of
publication models
and authors’ rights
Assess the reliability,
validity, accuracy,
authority, timeliness,
and point or view or
bias of information
sources
Explain the role of
ethics in research,
including the role of
Institutional Review
Boards
Recognize ethical,
legal and social
issues surrounding
the use of
information (e.g.,
academic freedom,
right to privacy, free
and fee-based
information,
intellectual property)
Explain the
economic, legal,
political, and socioeconomic impacts
on information
access and use (e.g.,
censorship,
constraints, costs,
funded research,
policies,
scholarship)
Distinguish between
and explain the
and fee-based
information,
Trace source
intellectual property) citation to original
material, regardless
Assess the reliability, of citation style and
validity, accuracy,
source format
authority, timeliness,
point or view or
Categorize research
bias, and impact of topics by discipline;
information sources explain what
constitutes an
interdisciplinary
topic
organize personal
research process and
information sources
steps of a literature
review
Combine, relate, and
reconcile new
information with
prior knowledge and
beliefs
Compare and
contrast research
from various
sources to create an
holistic analysis of a
topic
Recognize the value
of original
scholarship;
construct an original
argument or
position based on
research findings
Identify important
associations,
publications, and
scholars in the
discipline; explain
the role of these
resources in the
discipline; explain
the contributions of
individual scholars
to the discipline
Describe key
discipline-specific
information
resources and how
they are organized
and used
Construct advanced
searches using
controlled
vocabularies and
Boolean operators;
execute cited
reference searches
Recognize and
explain the value of
tracking citations
forward and
backward
Apply disciplinespecific style guide
to research
productions
Explain the
importance of citing
research sources and
academic honesty
Document and
organize personal
research process and
information sources