Blazing a Trail with Information Literacy Proficiencies
In the growing jungle of ever-proliferating databases, Web search tools, constantly changing electronic interfaces, and competing sources of information, students need guidance. Learning to apply basic seach strategies, and developing a knowledge of discipline-specific sources can provide a relatively stable conceptual path through the information foraging process that can support a lifetime of productive learning. An effective library assignment can offer such a initial path and almost inevitably integrates several or all of the eight information literacy proficiencies endorsed by the IPFW Senate Library Subcommittee in 2003. These proficiencies are central to Helmke Library's instructional philosophy:
Information Literacy Proficiency #1: Know What I Need
Define and articulate an information need by:
- recognizing the need to know more information than is already known;
- stating a research need, problem, or issue;
- formulating appropriate and relevant research questions;
- defining a manageable focus and timeline.
Information Literacy Proficiency #2: Select the Best Resources
Identify and select appropriate information resources by:
- recognizing the variety of information formats;
- considering the costs and benefits of acquiring needed information;
- selecting the appropriate resources for searching and understanding their limitations.
Information Literacy Proficiency #3: Develop a Search Strategy
Develop and use search strategies by:
- recognizing the structure and limitations of information-finding tools;
- identifying common access points of information sources;
- identifying and using appropriate search techniques;
- being able to refine a search as needed.
Information Literacy Proficiency #4: Retrieve What I Need
Locate and retrieve relevant information by:
- recognizing the components of a citation and differentiating among types of resources;
- using appropriate components of a citation to locate the original source;
- applying the conventions for identifying and locating works in print and electronic formats;
- being able to locate and retrieve both local and external sources of information.
Information Literacy Proficiency #5: Evaluate What I Find
Evaluate the information retrieved by:
- distinguishing between popular and scholarly sources;
- assessing the currency, authority, and reliability of the information retrieved;
- evaluating an author's expertise, authority, and credibility;
- recognizing an author's point of view (prejudices, loyalties, etc.).
Information Literacy Proficiency #6: Organize What I Select
Organize and synthesize information effectively by:
- filtering large amounts of information and distinguishing among facts, points of view, and opinion;
- extracting relevant information;
- organizing information in a logical and useful manner;
- communicating the final product effectively, in formats appropriate to the intended audience;
- incorporating the newly organized and synthesized information into one knowledge base;
- recognizing that existing information can be combined with original thought, experimentation, and/or analysis to produce new information.
Information Literacy Proficiency #7: Treat Information Ethically
Recognize the economic, legal, social, and ethical issues of access to and use of information by:
- recognizing that access to information can be constrained by both economic and political factors;
- citing and acknowledging sources appropriately;
- being aware of the principles of intellectual property, copyright, and plagiarism, and acting ethically in light of them.
Information Literacy Proficiency #8: Explore Information Landscapes
Recognize the unique characteristics of the body of knowledge within a specific discipline by:
- distinguishing among primary, secondary, and tertiary sources and their use;
- recognizing the relationship between currency and relevance;
- analyzing and comprehending the organization and structure of the literature in a particular discipline;
- being able to transfer skills from familiar resources to unfamiliar ones.
Many of your current library research assignments quite naturally already incorporate these objectives. Why not directly enumerate those which you currently utilize? Ask your subject librarian for suggestions on how to tweek a current assignment to take advantage of the full potential of the proficiencies and for suggestions on how to measure their effectiveness.
Effective Llibrary Assignment Web Sites
The following links lead to a number of checklists for designing library assignments. All of them advise instructors to involve a librarian as part of the planning process for a new library assignment, or at the very least, to ask a librarian to review the assignment.
- Designing An Assignment (University of Wisconsin-Madison)Offers guidelines for planning assignments, choosing topics and logistics.
- Effective Assignments Using Library and Internet Resources (University of California Berkley Library)Includes example objectives, alternative designs for assignments, common problems, and a note on the acceptable use of the Internet.
- Designing Library Assignments (University of Washington University Libraries)Includes assignment tips and alternatives to the term paper.
- Designing Effective Library Assignments (University of Evansville Libraries)How can assigments include information literacy skills?
- Guide to Creating Effective Library Assignments (South Dakota State University Library)Summarizes tips and pitfalls.
Library Assignment Red Flags
Sometimes library assignments can do more harm than good, and instead of providing a clear path, produce a vicious cycle of anxiety and confusion. What kinds of assignments produce this undesirable result? Some of these features are mentioned above in the links listed under Effective Library Assignment Web Sites. Most academic librarians agree that the following types of assignments are counterproductive:
- The assignment assumes that all students are information literate and have had previous experience doing library research.
- The assignment takes the form of a scavenger hunt, focusing on finding facts and arcane lists of information, not on judging the quality of the source or comprehending the process involved in finding the information.
- The assignment is based on a previous version of a database or interface and thus the directions given cause confusion for students and library staff.
- The assignment requires all students to use the same source or a small number of sources, which often quickly disappear or become damaged.
- The assignment incorporates sources that the library does not own, or depends on policies and procedures the library cannot support. Sometimes, these are library exercises that are misadapted from a course textbook, and may need only to be better developed to suit the students' local information environment.
Never hesitate to ask a librarian to review your assignment. We can help you and your students avoid "red flag" frustration!
And Finally, Ask Your Subject Librarian
. You are welcome to make an appointment with Your Subject Librarian if you need more in-depth assistance.
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