Writing 125 Library Instruction Session: Information Literacy
Learning Objectives
A library research session not only introduces students to sources specific
to her assignment, but it is also the beginning of her path to becoming an
information literate citizen in the world. Although W125 library sessions vary
depending on the topics and assignments, after most sessions a student should
be able to:
Better determine the nature and extent of the information needed
for her assignment:
(E.g., there's a lot of information available on my topic vs. not much)
- Define and articulate her need for information (need biographical
information etc.)
- Identify relevant key concepts and terms
- Understand how information is formally and informally produced, organized,
and disseminated (for example, research published in scholarly journals vs.
the World Wide Web)
- Recognize that knowledge can be organized into disciplines
- Recognize that resources exist in a variety of formats (for example,
databases, Web sites, videos, books, journal articles)
- Identify the audience and timeliness of potential resources (e.g., popular
vs. scholarly, current vs. historical)
- Differentiate between primary and secondary sources
- Determine the availability of needed information (what's at Wellesley
vs. interlibrary loan)
- Clarify, revise, or refine the question
Access needed information effectively and efficiently by selecting
the most appropriate sources/databases etc.:
- Consider the scope, content, and organization of information resources
and retrieval tools (databases which index articles in specific disciplines,
e.g., EconLit, PsycINFO)
- Construct a search strategy using appropriate commands
- Implement a search strategy using different user interfaces and search
engines
- Use various search systems to retrieve information in a variety of formats
- Uses various classification schemes to locate information resources (for
example call numbers systems or indexes)
- Refine her search strategy if necessary
- Assess the quantity, quality, and relevance of the search results to
determine whether a different resource is needed
- Identify gaps in the information found and determine if the search strategy
should be revised
Evaluate information and its sources critically:
- Articulate and apply initial criteria evaluation criteria (who
is the author? Publisher? Year published?)
- Examine and compare information from various sources in order to evaluate
reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, timeliness, and point of view or
bias (National
Review vs. The Nation)
- Recognize the cultural or social context within which the information
was created and understand the impact of context on interpreting information
(information
published by a particular organization, under communism, during the Cold
War, in a particular time or place)
These information literacy learning objectives are based on the Association
of College and Research Libraries publication: Information Literacy Competencies
Standards for Higher Education, 2000, http://www.ala.org/acrl/ilcomstan.html
and Objectives for Information Literacy Instruction: A Model Statement
for
Academic Libraries, 2001, http://www.ala.org/acrl/guides/objinfolit.html