Volume 10, Number 5: March 2004
by Nerissa Nelson,
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
"The
role of a librarian is to make sense of the world of information.
As courses adapt to the hybrid environment, librarians must consider how information literacy instruction can be successfully integrated. My presentation focused on integrating information literacy instruction into Women's Studies programs taught within a hybrid environment. I reviewed Women's Studies programs that have incorporated information literacy components into the curricula from other institutions, including online, hybrid and traditional courses. I also demonstrated an introductory Women's Studies course (WS 105) taught by Professor Pat Gott from the English Department at UW-Stevens Point, who was kind enough to let me use her syllabus and make changes for a mock hybrid course that I created using Desire-to-Learn (D2L), a course management platform implemented throughout the UW System. Library orientation, bibliographic instruction, and information literacy are terms frequently used to describe the teaching functions of librarians. While, to some degree, the meaning of these concepts overlaps, information literacy is a more holistic approach in that it provides an intellectual foundation for understanding information beyond the mechanical use of tools in locating sources. The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has established five national standards addressing information literacy. These standards include the following: The information literate student
Nationwide, there are many information literacy initiatives guided by the ACRL standards that involve successful partnerships between librarians and faculty. Some of these initiatives are carried out within Women's Studies programs. One specific example discussed in my presentation was the model created by Wendy Kozol, Director of Women's Studies; Frances Hasso, Assistant Professor of Women's Studies; and Jessica Grim, Reference Librarian, all of Oberlin College. This particular partnership stemmed from a consortial grant support initiative among the Five Colleges of Ohio, including Oberlin, to integrate information literacy into the liberal arts curriculum. Although the Oberlin example does not necessarily weave information literacy into the hybrid course environment, the model does provide an excellent framework in its emphasis of different phases of integrating information literacy skills throughout the course sequence required for a major. The following includes their model of basic and advanced information literacy competencies for 100-200 and 300-400 level courses:
Using this framework as a base for constructing the mock Women's Studies hybrid course, I incorporated information literacy skills into Professor Gott's syllabus using a "building block" approach. Aligning these skills with her goals and objectives for the course, I included face-to-face "research labs" with brief in-class library assignments that were connected to the readings, discussions, papers, activities and final group projects. Online meetings included student discussion threads describing the pros and cons of their information seeking skills. A pathfinder product was assigned as a companion piece to the final group project. A pathfinder is a navigational tool created to locate a variety of sources on a given topic using an organized information structure based on certain criteria. Resources, such as books, articles, Web sites or videos are included, and the format of the pathfinder can be designed as a Web site, handout or brochure. Criteria may include elements, such as scope notes (brief description of content), subject headings, annotations of sources, call numbers or Web sites. The purpose of assigning the pathfinder was to include both technical and evaluative components, and to reinforce the concepts learned in the research labs and through the discussion threads. At this stage, students learned the necessary skills to successfully explore what exists in the literature and reflect on the information seeking process. In many ways, the pathfinder goes beyond the typical "treasure hunt" type assignment and builds on the information literacy skills learned over the course while being creative in the process. The students also have a "tool" or "product" they have produced and can take with them for future study in Women's Studies courses. The following schedule is just a snapshot and abbreviated sample of the mock hybrid course. I included annotations for the research lab components to further illustrate the integration of information literacy instruction:
The remainder of the course continued the "building block" approach of information literacy, including one additional research lab that focused on Web searching ("Trash vs. treasure: Finding the needle in the cyberhaystack"). The purpose of demonstrating this hybrid course was to illustrate the potential for integrating information literacy in this new environment. Librarians planning the transition to hybrid should carefully consider effective modes of collaborating with faculty and information technology (IT) designers, allow ample time to plan and participate in the redesign of existing courses or in the creation of new courses, determine the need for complementary library tutorials, and incorporate existing library instruction components into the hybrid environment. Although the focus of my presentation
was specific to Women's Studies, the basic strategies for teaching information
literacy within a hybrid setting applies to all disciplines. Regardless
of the subject area, these strategies involve a building block approach
that begins with basic information literacy competencies and then advances
to the stage of evaluating, integrating, and synthesizing information. |
Further Reading (a short list)
Books
Grassian, E. S., & Kaplowitz, J. R. (2001) Information Literacy Instruction:
Theory and practice. New York: Neal-Schuman.
Bopp, R.E., & Smith, L. C. (2001) Reference and Information Services: An Introduction (3rd ed). Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. (179-182).
Articles
Christe, K. B., Glover, A., & Westwood, G., (2000). Infiltration and Entrenchment:
Capturing and Securing Information Literacy Territory in Academe. Journal
of Academic Librarianship, 26 (3), 202-208.
Farmer, L.S.J., (2003). Facilitating Faculty Incorporation of Information Literacy Skills into the Curriculum through the use of Online Instruction. Reference Services Review, 31 (4), 307-312.
Halverson, A. L.,
Volker, J. (2000). Information Literacy in the Electronic Arts Library: Strategies
for the Hybrid Professional. IFLA Journal, 26 (2), 120-122.
Iannuzzi, P., (1998). Faculty Development and Information Literacy: Establishing
Campus Partnerships. Reference Services Review, 26 (3-4), 97-116.
Maughan, P.D., (Jan. 2001). Assessing Information Literacy among Undergraduates:
A Discussion of the Literature and the University of California-Berkeley Assessment
Experience." College & Research Libraries, 62 (1), 71-85.
Nichols. J., Shaffer, B., & Shockey, K. (Sept. 2003). Changing the Face
of Instruction: Is Online or In-Class More Effective? College & Research
Libraries, 64 (5), 387-88.
Norgaard, R. (Winter 2003). Writing Information Literacy: Contributions to a Concept. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 43 (2), 124-130.
Shapiro, J.J., & Hughes, S. K. (March/April 1996). Information Literacy as a Liberal Art. Educom Review, 31. Retrieved 12/22/03 from http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/review/reviewarticles/31231.html
Ward, D., (Oct. 2001). The Future of Information Literacy: Transforming the World. College & Research Libraries News, 62 (9), 922-5.
Information Literacy
Standards and Competencies (National & State)
Objectives for Information Literacy Instruction: A Model Statement for Academic
Librarians
American Library Association - ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries)
http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ACRL/Standards_and_Guidelines/
Information Literacy
Competencies and Criteria for Academic Libraries in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Association of Academic Librarians
http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/waal/infolit/ilcc.html
Web Sites
Information Literacy
overview - ALA/ACRL
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/infolitoverview/introtoinfolit/introinfolit.htm
Collaborating with
faculty - ALA/ACRL
http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ACRL/Issues_and_Advocacy1/Information_Literacy1/
Resources_and_Ideas/Collaboration/Collaboration.htm
Creating faculty/librarian
connections - Portland State University
http://www.lib.pdx.edu/instruction/connections.html
Principles of online
design - Florida Gulf Coast University
http://www.fgcu.edu/onlinedesign/
Five Colleges of Ohio
for Information Literacy - Women's Studies initiative
http://www.denison.edu/collaborations/ohio5/grant/development/kozol.html
Information Literacy
for Women's Studies - Deborah LaFonde, Social Sciences Bibliographer
http://www.albany.edu/~dlafonde/women/infolitwss2.htm
Information Literacy
for K-16 Settings - Dr. Lesley Farmer, California State University
http://www.csulb.edu/~lfarmer/infolitwebstyle.htm