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The SXU Library and Information LiteracyProfessional Development Day 2008
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Purpose of the Session
• Provide faculty with an overview of the information-literacy skills of SXU students
• Review common information-literacy problems
• Suggest improvements to assignments to raise information-literacy skills
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What is Information Literacy?
• The ability to find, evaluate, and use information
• It is NOT computer literacy
• It is NOT media dependent
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If SXU students were information literate they could…• Understand the scholarly, peer-reviewed
process
• Find and use resources appropriate for their classroom assignments
• Conduct all their academic research without using Google or Wikipedia
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What is the current state of information literacy?
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ICT
• ETS offered Information and Communication Technology exam beginning in 2005
• Library funded the exam the first two years
• Now called ISkills, and supported by SXU
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Seven ICT Proficiencies• Define: The ability to use ICT tools to identify and appropriately
represent an information need. • Access: The ability to collect and/or retrieve information. • Manage: The ability to apply an existing organizational or
classification scheme.• Integrate: The ability to interpret and represent information.• Evaluate: The ability to determine the degree to which information
satisfies the needs of the task in ICT environments. • Create: The ability to generate information by adapting, applying,
designing or inventing information in ICT environments. • Communicate: The ability to communicate information properly in its
context of use for ICT environments.
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What the ICT does
• Compares results from SXU students with those of peer nationwide
• Is not a computer-skills test
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ICT Results
SXU students performed well below the national average in three categories; just met average in the other categories
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Observations from the Library• Limited awareness of the scholarly, peer-review
process • Perceived research skills exceed actual
capabilities• Students, at all levels, have difficulties finding
– books through the catalog– journals, whether in print or online– the appropriate database to use
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Common Instructional Problems
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• We learned in an age of limited information • Students have access to levels of
information beyond anything we could dream of in graduate school
• SXU Library now has information resources impossible to obtain just a few years ago
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Common Problems…
1. Library assignments often don’t have a clear learning objective
• Students don’t know why the assignment is made
2. Assignments don’t match the research skills of the students
• Assignments are often too esoteric or too complex, especially for freshmen and sophomores
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Suggestions for Improving Information Literacy
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• Make sure your students understand why the scholarly, peer-review research process is important– (Library has a webpage on it)
• Make clear the learning objective
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Updated Library Assignments
• Make sure your Library assignments are up-to-date
• Almost all information resources and interfaces have changed in just two years
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Tell Students Where to Look for Their Information
• Specify what resource they should use– Which Library database– Use the catalog to locate books– Use Recent Additions links
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Specify What You Want• Publication type (book, journal,
newspaper, trade publication, facebook, ERIC digest, action research report, video, etc.)
• Type of document (article, case study, editorial, product review, etc.)
• Age or publication date of the document
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Have Students Locate Journals
• Use the A-Z List of Journals (Serials Solutions) to find:– Whether the Library has a journal in electronic
or print form, and dates of coverage– To find the journals in a subject area
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Suggestions for Freshmen and Sophomores
• Focus on Academic Search Premier or Opposing Viewpoints databases
• Use full-text only: Library has access to over 25,000 full-text journals
• No inter-library loans needed• No scavenger hunts
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Opposing Viewpoints
• Excellent tool for freshmen and sophomores researching popular topics
• Includes scholarly and popular press articles, statistics, multimedia, pro and con articles
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Example of a More Advanced Project…In Communication & Mass Media Complete find:• the effect of group decision making on employee
productivity• Two full-text articles each from academic journals,
trade publications, and conference proceedings• No older than February 2000• Can be in either HTML or PDF• Bibliography must be MLA• Provide persistent link to each item
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A Nursing Example…Use CINAHL to find:• Diabetes management plan for children 6-12
years old• Double blind peer reviewed case study• Published since January 2006• HTML or PDF full text• Provide persistent link or Document Object
Identifier (DOI)
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An Education Example…Use ERIC and Professional Development
Collection to find:• A poll for school administrators and teachers to
use to assess student experiences with cyberbullying
• Examples of school responses to incidents• Peer Mediation model to resolve conflicts
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A Business Example…Use the Mergent Online database to find:• four suppliers on four continents with a primary
NAICS code of 336330• 4th quarter retained earnings from 2003-2006• Standardize results in euros• Scale in thousands of euros• Export list to an excel spreadsheet
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Library is Here to Help
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• Online, interactive tutorials for many of our resources are under development
• Librarians can review Library assignments with the faculty
• Lab instruction by librarians helpful when the assignment is beginning