Developing a programme of information literacy

Strategy

• Will you work at an institutional level?

• Will you work at a course level?

• Will you work at a subject level?

Write a mission statement for the IL programme

• Mission statement– What is it?– Why is it important?

Mission statement

E.g.• “The Teaching Library’s mission is to ensure

that every graduate of the University of California at Berkeley is thoroughly familiar with the information resources and tools in their major field of study, is trained to use them effectively, and is prepared to conduct a search strategy in any field”(www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/About.html)

Set goals

E.g. of an goal– Help library users acquire skills to access

information

Set objectives

• E.g. of an objective– Provide orientation sessions for all first year

students during the first week of the semester• Objectives – more focused than goals

– Specific– Contain a time line– Identify responsibility– Use action verbs e.g. to develop, establish,

improve– Language is precise, verifiable and

understandable

Set learning outcomes

• Answers the question: When the student leaves this session / course, what

do I want them to be able to do, understand, know?

• Also consider:What might prevent the student achieving these learning outcomes?

• See SCONUL (2004) Learning Outcomes and Information Literacyhttp://www.sconul.ac.uk/activities/inf_lit/papers/outcomes.pdf

Who? - Users

• Identify users– Bachelors / undergraduates

• Years 1, 2 and 3

– Masters / graduates– Researchers– Lecturers

What? – Content e.g s

• Catalogues , Online Public Access Catalogues (OPAC)– Finding resources

• Search strategies• Reference tools• Databases

– Bibliographic– Full-text

• Library web-site• Internet• Government documents• Evaluating information• Citing references• Plagarism• Current awareness services…

When – at what time in the programme?

• Beginning

• Different times

• How many sessions?

How? – methods, activities and materials• Tours of libraries

– E.g. Self guided , audio

• Talk to groups– Large number of students

• Show and Tell– Talk about resources and demonstrate

• Workshops– Hands-on training with pre-prepared training materials / exercises

• Users learn best by being active and collaborating

How? (cont.)

• Web-based activities– Web-based tutorials, exercises and guides

• For examples of web-based tutorials see

http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/infolitresources/infolitinaction/iltutorials.htm

How? – methods

• Course-related instruction

• Course-integrated instruction

• Develop an IL module

How ? - methods

• Collaboration among faculty and librarians• Programme structure

– Progression of learning outcomes:Outcomes for 1st year students…

Outcomes for 2nd year students…

For examples of successful collaboration see

http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/

infolitresources/collaboration/collaboration.htm

Challenges

• IL sessions - optional or mandatory?

• Integration of IL sessions into the curriculum

• Resources– Staffing – who in the library can become involved?– Equipment– Class-room space

• Administrative and institutional support within an institution

• How to implement IL campus-wide?

Assessment / Evaluation

• Not an easy area

• What are you trying to assess?

• What have students learned?

• How do participants feel about their learning experience?

How to assess?

• Questionnaires

• Training worksheets

• Focus groups

• Course assessment

Types of learning assessment

• Prescriptive– Assesses the skills BEFORE the learning takes place

• Formative– Assesses learning while instruction is ONGOING

• Summative– Assesses`learning at the END of the instruction

See - IFLA Guidelines for information literacy assessment

http://www.ifla.org/VII/s42/pub/IL-guidelines2004-e.pdf

Assessment can take place

• In the library

• In the class-room

• At campus level

• Beyond the campus

Plan a timetable

• Consider the academic calendar– E.g.Times of induction

• When are courses assessed?

Marketing the IL programme

• Product – What are you marketing?

• E.g. induction session for 1st year students

• Place– Where is a good place to market?

• E.g. library web-site

• Price– Will there be any costs incurred?

• E.g production of publicity materials

• Promotion– How will you promote the programme?

Finally

• Review and revise

• What can be improved next time?

New roles for librarians

• As facilitators, teachers, trainers and educators

• Opportunity to strengthen position in academic programmes and ensure that IL becomes a key strategy of the institution

Exercise

• Developing your own information literacy programme– Look at the following web-sites before you

begin the exercise. – They give you some ideas of the types of

IL programmes developed in libraries. These can help you think about what might work in your library

International Information Literacy Resources Directory• The IFLA Information Literacy Section

has created this database to record information literacy materials from different parts of the world, on behalf of UNESCO

• http://www.ifla.org/VII/s42/index.htm

Examples of information literacy programs

http://www.sconul.ac.uk/activities/inf_lit/links/prog.

html#1

Compiled by SCONUL