Library User Instruction and
Information Literacy
Nanjing University
June & July
Holly Yu
California State University, Los Angeles
Topics Covered
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Definition of Information Literacy
Standards
• ACRL
• CSULA
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Outcomes
What Are We Doing
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Information Literacy Plan
Student Survey
Faculty Survey
Online Tutorial
Library Liaison Program
Library Instruction Classes and Tours
Material Used
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Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/infolitoverview/infolitforfac/infolitfaculty.
htm
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CSULA Curricular Policies
http://www.calstatela.edu/academic/senate/handbook/ch4a.htm#info
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CSULA Information Literacy Outcomes
http://www.calstatela.edu/library/infolit/infolit-outcomes.htm
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CSULA Information Literacy Plan
http://www.calstatela.edu/library/infolit/ILplan.pdf
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Library Liaison Program
http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/libinfo/what.html
Information Literacy Definition
To be information literate, an individual must recognize
when information is needed, and have the ability to
locate, evaluate, and use effectively the information
needed.
--Presidential Committee on Information Literacy, American Library Association
(ALA), 1989
Information Literacy Definition (2)
Information Literacy forms the basis of 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 self-directed, and to assume
greater control over their own learning.
--Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, Association
of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), 2000
Content of Information Literacy
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Information literacy focuses on content and
communication:
• it encompasses authoring, information finding and organization,
research, and information analysis, assessment, and evaluation.
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Content can take many forms:
• Text, images, video, computer simulations, and multimedia
interactive works
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Content can serve many purposes:
• News, art, entertainment, education, research and scholarship,
advertising, politics, commerce, and documents and records that
structure activities of everyday business and personal life.
--Being Fluent with Information Technology, National Research Council Computer
Science & Telecommunications Board, 1999
Information Literacy Competency
Standards for Higher Education
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The information literate student
• determines the nature and extent of the information needed
• accesses needed information effectively and efficiently
• evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates
selected information into his or her knowledge base and value
system.
• individually or as a member of a group, uses information
effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
• understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues
surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses
information ethically and legally.
--Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), 2000
Information Competence--CSULA
Curricular Policies
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Prior to graduation from California State University, Los
Angeles, students must develop the ability to:
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formulate a research question or problem
determine its information requirements
locate and retrieve that information effectively
organize, analyze, evaluate, and synthesize that information
critically
• be able to communicate and present that information in a
coherent fashion. In addition, students must develop an
understanding of the ethical, legal, and socio-political issues in
the retrieval, use and presentation of information.
Information Competence--CSULA
Curricular Policies (Cont.)
The process of acquiring information competence should occur
progressively, since the sources of information and methods by
which information is gathered and communicated can vary greatly
across disciplines in the University. Therefore, instruction in
necessary skills must begin in lower division courses and
subsequently be refined and directed so as to reflect a specific
discipline's information needs as its students progress toward
completion of its program. The extent to which programs assist
students in developing information competence will be assessed at
the time of program review.
--CSULA Faculty Handbook Curricular Policies, Chapter 4
CSULA Information Literacy Outcomes
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The CSULA Information Literate Student Can:
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Define the research topic and the need for information
Access information effectively and efficiently
Evaluate information critically
Organize, synthesize, and communicate information for a
specific purpose
• Ethically and legally access and use information
--Adapted ACRL Standards and UCLA Library
Outcome One
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Define the Research Topic and the Need for Information
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the assignment or information
need and its requirements
• Develop a purpose statement and a timeline for completion of the
project
• Clearly articulate a focused research question or problem
• Identify types of materials (journals, government publications, books,
Web presentations) that may be used to complete the research
• Recognize gaps in information or that information may be limited on the
topic
Outcome Two
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Access Information Effectively and Efficiently
• Choose key concepts or terms appropriate to the retrieval system
selected
• Recognize that the organization of literature differs by discipline
• Search the library OPAC, article databases, and Web sites fluently,
navigating between print and online sources as necessary
• Follow a citation and connect citation components with searches
• Locate information remotely and physically by utilizing URLs, call
numbers, linking software, and interlibrary loan
• Modify the search strategy as necessary
Outcome Three
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Evaluation Information Critically
• Determine if the information discovered is relevant for the needs of the
assignment
• Distinguish between scholarly and popular sources, primary and
secondary sources, and mainstream and alternative sources of
information
• Examine and compare information found in books, articles, and web
sites, and evaluate for reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, scope, and
timeliness
• Identify prejudice, bias, deception, or manipulation
Outcome Four
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Organize, Synthesize, and Communicate information
for a specific purpose
• Manage and store search strategies and search results from a variety of
resources using various technological tools
• Integrate new information with previous information to create knowledge
appropriate to answering the research question
• Present information in a manner that supports the assignment or
information need
Outcome Five
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Ethically and legally access and use information
• Avoid plagiarism by appropriately summarizing, paraphrasing,
quoting and acknowledging sources
• Legally obtain, store, and use text and data, including sound and
images
• Select and consistently use a citation style appropriate to the
discipline
• Cite correctly printed, multimedia, and online sources
• Distinguish between free and fee-based access to information
What Are We Doing?
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The Plan--Toward a working model of information literacy at
California State University, Los Angeles: Recommendations for
implementation
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Student Survey
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Faculty Survey
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Online Tutorial
• Text-based Tutorial: http://www.calstatela.edu/library/tutorial/
• Multimedia Tutorial : http://www.calstatela.edu/library/tutorial/new/
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Liaison Program
The CSULA Information Literacy Plan
In order to begin to implement a program of information literacy
for CSULA students, the following 12 actions are recommended:
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Define, campus-wide, what information literacy is.
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Develop a set of student learning outcomes for a campus-wide
articulation of information literacy.
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Develop an assessment plan for the lower division and the transfer
undergraduate population using agreed-upon student learning
outcomes.
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Support faculty in the development of information literacy initiatives
for their classes. Develop a framework in collaboration with Directors
of the Center for Innovation and Excellence in Teaching and Learning
and eLearning Programs and Support.
The CSULA Information Literacy Plan (2)
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Establish a computer literacy requirement across campus and synchronize
it with information literacy outcomes. Certify students who can demonstrate
combined information and computer proficiencies using a standardized
national assessment tool such as the ETS Information Competency Test
(ICT) or a campus-based assessment.
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Establish a foundational one-unit course for at-risk or high-risk students
needing library assistance or remediation. Perform student outreach via
Student Services (non-academic) centers.
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Expand the information literacy requirement in the General Education
Program as a prerequisite to major/minor or upper division coursework.
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Coordinate information literacy components for English 102 as a sequence
to Introduction to Higher Education courses.
The CSULA Information Literacy Plan (3)
• Establish a curriculum map for each major’s program of
study/department/subject discipline to determine which courses target
what learning outcomes, including assessment of student learning.
• Provide course-integrated instruction in major and minor fields of study
at the upper-division and capstone levels.
• Require students to use information literacy skills in the upper division
writing classes.
• Develop an extensive suite of digital learning objects, including online
tutorials, in support of discipline-specific learning and distance
education.
A Three-tiered Approach to
Information Literacy
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The recommended approach to achieving information literacy at
CSULA is a three-tiered model providing basic, intermediate, and
advanced information literacy skills.
• The plan embeds basic skills in required courses for at-risk, freshmen,
and transfer students,
• and then provides progressively course-integrated information literacy
skills in the major/minor fields at the upper division and graduate
levels, including capstone and Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC).
The curricular model is a hybrid; it includes embedded assignments,
web-based tutorials, and course-integrated instruction sessions at the
lower- and upper division and graduate levels, as well as a one-unit
foundational course targeted to at-risk students.
Model: A Three-tiered Approach to
Information Literacy
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Tier One
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Tier Two
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Lower and upper division:
General Education classes/
Embedded assignments
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Technological literacy: ETS/ICT test
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Lower division and transfer:
Course-integrated Library instruction IHE 101/301
Course-integrated Library instruction ENGL 101/102
Web tutorial: basic IL
Foundational: LIBR 150
Tier Three
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Graduate level:
Workshops
Upper division:
Course-integrated assignments by subject
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Web: subject guides and tutorials
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Student Survey
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Questionnaires were designed to test the level of student
information literacy the following areas:
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Define research topics and search terms
Know what is plagiarism
Know the differences between scholarly and popular sources
How to read a citation
The survey are given to students taking IHE 101 and 301 courses
using WebCT
72% is the average score
Students are required to take the online tutorial if they failed to reach
80%.
Faculty Survey
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Questionnaires were designed to find out
• how much the teaching faculty know about the level of their student’s
information literacy level.
• if the library resources meet the teaching needs of a specific discipline
• how their students using the library resources to complete their
assignments
• how they instruct their student to use the library resources effectively
• how they evaluate their students’ use of library resources
• how library can help
Online Tutorial
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A self-paced online information literacy tutorial that helps students find,
evaluate, and use appropriate information in the library and beyond.
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The skills students learned can be applied in the "real world" and for the rest
of their life (like when they buy a car, look for a job, or vote in an election).
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The tutorial is divided into 10 modules and there is a short quiz after each
module to enhance the skill and knowledge the student just learned.
http://www.calstatela.edu/library/guides/researchguides.htm
Library Liaison Program
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What Is a Library Liaison?
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http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/libinfo/what.html
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A library liaison is a librarian who has been formally designated as the primary
contact person between The IUPUI University Library and an academic unit
(school, department, center, program) of the University. The intention of such
appointments is to provide faculty and students with the name of at least one
person they can call upon as a starting point for assistance with or information
about any library service or issue.
What Does a Liaison Do?
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Communication / Information Sharing
Library Instruction
Collection Development
Library Liaison to Colleges and Departments
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http://www.calstatela.edu/library/dlc.htm
Discussion Questions
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Have you seen the needs and trends for information literacy to be
implemented in universities and colleges in China?
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What are the roles of academic libraries in promoting information literacy?