Information Litercay

Fatmeh CharafeddineResearch, Instruction and Public ServicesHead of DepartmentUniversity LibrariesAmerican University of Beirut

AMICAL Conference April 4-7 2012American University of SharjahACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, Revisited

1Draw the line between Information Literacy and Library InstructionCould Information Literacy be a strictly library function ? are librarians equipped with teaching skills ? given enough teaching hours ? Have access to learning outcome measurement tools?Could IL it be done without faculty cooperation and institutional support ?AUB UL as a case study.

PurposeOutlineDefinition and HistoryACRL Information Literacy Standards and GuidelinesGetting started at AUB University Libraries 10 years of IL Program at ULAre we there yet ?DefinitionTo be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information American Library Association. Presidential Committee on Information Literacy. Final Report. (Chicago: American Library Association, 1989.) 41989 National Forum on Information Literacy developed a plan to address the coming of the information age.

1989 IL was recognized by ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy as the greatest challenge to modern American society.

2000 ACRL published its Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education

HistoryGuidelines for Instruction Programs in Academic Libraries Approved by the ACRL Board of Directors, June 2003. Revised October 2011Characteristics of Programs of Information Literacy that Illustrate Best Practices: A Guideline Approved by the ACRL Board, June 2003, revised January 2012Both based on Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education and reinforce the importance of collaboration for IL among librarians and Faculty.

ACRL IL Program Guidelines6

Policy Making and Accreditation Standards Life long learning is emphasized by the Department of Education reports and Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) standards.Information literacy acknowledged as an indicator in accreditation standards. Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education:Standard 11: Educational OfferingsStandard 12: General Education

Standard 11: Educational Offerings "Evidence of information literacy incorporated in the curriculum with syllabi, or other materials appropriate to the mode of teaching and learning.Standard 12: General education "The institution's curricula are designed so that students acquire and demonstrate college-level proficiency in general education, scientific and quantitative reasoning, critical analysis and reasoning, technological competency, and information literacy.

Middle States Association Accreditation Standards

(Characteristics..., p. 35) standard 11"Collaboration between professional library staff and faculty in teaching and fostering information literacy skills relevant to the curriculum" "Evidence of information literacy incorporated in the curriculum with syllabi, or other materials appropriate to the mode of teaching and learning"Assessment of information literacy outcomes, including assessment of related learner abilities"

(Characteristics..., p. 35)

(Characteristics..., p. 35)

8How did it Start at AUB ?Expansion of e-resources, by 2002 article databases in most subject areas were part of the Library collection with low usage statistics.

Librarians are knowledgeable of online resources and research tools but are not in direct contact with students. Faculty in charge of teaching do not integrated library resources. Urgent need for e-resources marketing and information literacy program that is campus wide, resonating beyond the library.

University accreditation and strategic planning helped in recognizing the need for a campus wide IL plan.

9Information Literacy Department 2002First established in 2002 with two staff members.Principles based on ACRL standards and guidelinesMission: marketing and teaching the usage and integration of the growing number of library e-resources in the curriculum.Needs assessment survey; 65.5% of students didnt know of the e-resources collection, 75% use internet only for their research.Intense outreach activities: first 1200 students attended.

Types of Instruction SessionsThe program is composed of:English Communication Skills : introduction to Library resources, systems and services.Course or Major-related Sessions: focusing on core research sources and electronic databasesOrientation sessions, and Library Tours: are provided to new students and facultyIndividual research assistance: for faculty and for graduate students preparing theses.Special Faculty workshops: are organized to assist professors in integrating library resources in research assignments within courses. Workshops on specific resources or tools: e.g. Citation management, statistics and datasets ...Customized pathfinders : are created to suit a discipline or course and may be posted on a Moodle site in the Course Management System.

Library Instruction Objectives Ability of attendee to Identify and utilize library services and collections:Distinguish among several information formats, e.g., books, serials, microforms ...Recognize the Library's various search tools (webpage, catalog, lists) Identify and utilize databases and/or other electronic resources most appropriate to research needsChoose reference materials appropriate to specific research needs Cite used sources according to selected citation styleUnderstand and avoid plagiarism.

Mellon Fund for faculty summer institutes received and launched for three years, in coordination with Academic Computing Services and Teaching Excellence.ISD librarians gave Use of Resources in Course Design seminars.Faculty received stipends to attend the seminars and to follow up on integrating the use of library resources in their course design.

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant 200413E-Classroom, October 2004Equipped with 27 computers connected to the AUB network, a smart board and a remotely controlled LCD projection system. Online Reservation form.

Donor Arabic literature and AUB graduate the late Dr. Antoun Ghattas Karam14UL Strategic Plan 2005Strategic Objective UL-0503 Continuously develop and expand programs and workshops to optimize the use of and to integrate the resources within the curriculum at all levels, in Course Management Systems and in the General Education requirements.Initiatives:a- Expand marketing and availability of information literacy at three levels: Entry level, Junior-Senior Research and Thesis preparation.b- Continue the yearly summer faculty workshops.c- Implement two research workshops (Fall and Spring) for advanced graduate students.Assessment TestsTwo librarians attended the National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education (NITLE) workshop, Assessing Information Literacy and Fluency in the Context of the Liberal Arts Campus, 2008Tests based on ACRL standards.Iskills, commercial test.Project SAILs from Kent State University, Ohio.James Madison University Information Literacy Test (ILT)Research Practices Survey (RPS), will by adopted by NITLEISD hasnt adopted any of the above yet but has recommended SAILS and RPS for future implementations. Reintroducing the iSkills Assessment from ETSTo succeed in today's digital world, students and workers need to think critically and solve problems using a full range of information and communication technology (ICT) literacy skills. The iSkills assessment a successor to both the iCritical Thinking Certification and previous versions of the iSkills assessment helps you ensure your students are ready for success by measuring their critical thinking and problem-solving skills in a digital environment16Ten Years Later, 2012Number of students attending its sessions each year has more than tripled rising from 1200 in 2002; 2313 in 2003-04; 7263 in 2006-07 to reach to reach 421 sessions for 7849 students in 2012. Well established program in English and Communication skills and large enrollment classes in some majors.A big demand for training citation management softwareMost sessions include online assignments and outcome assessment.Use of course management software (WebCT then Moodle)Online Research guides using Libguides, 2011.IL course on Moodle, course management software.Started cooperation with the University Writing Center, 2012.Just started a Library Facebook and twitter, 2012.ABC Clio eReferences More than 145 Reference titles.ASME Online Books 1993-2011 Brill eBooks: Middle East and Islamic Studies (2007-2011) Brill e-booksCAB e-Books Full front file collection 2000 to present.Cambridge Histories Online 260 volumes from the Cambridge Histories series.CRC Sci-TECHnetBASE 6467 Science and Technology books. 1990Ebrary 46,000 975 books, 2007-Elsevier E-books 2010- IEEE-Wiley 450 IEEE-Wiley eBook titles published 1974-Knovel Engineering Library Oxford Islamic Studies Online Royal Society of Chemistry 1968 to presentSafari Technical Books Online 14,000 books from 1983 to present.Sage eReferences Eight encyclopedias in the social sciences.SIAM Springer E-books 2005-Taylor and Francis eReferences More than 107 Reference titles.

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18Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher EducationStandard I: Determine the nature and extent of information needed Standard II: Access information effectively and efficientlyStandard III: Critically evaluate information and its sourcesStandard IV: Incorporate selected information into ones knowledge baseStandard V: Use information effectivelyStandard VI: Access and use information ethically and legallyExcept for standard II and standard VI, all other standards are a qualitative shift from the traditional library instruction content and expectations.

Standard I: Determine the nature and extent of information needed Recognize a need for information and articulate this need Identify a variety of types and formats of potential sources of informationConsider the benefits of acquiring the needed information and going beyond local resources

Standard II: Access information effectively and efficientlySelect information retrieval systemsConstruct search strategies, retrieve informationExtract and manage information

Standard III: Critically evaluate information and its sources Examine and compare information, recognize prejudice Synthesize main ideas to construct new concepts Standard IV: Incorporate selected information into ones knowledge baseStandard V: Use information effectivelyStandard V:I Access and use information ethically and legallyLegally obtains, stores, and disseminates text, data, images, or sounds Demonstrates an understanding of what constitutes plagiarism

19Are we There Yet ?Information literacy is not formally institutionalized at AUB campus. IL is included as one of the competencies in General Education Requirements applicable in Communication Skills courses and others depending on faculty decision. Acquisition of the skill is not clearly defined and no explanation is given whether it is to be developed by the librarians or the faculty. The role of the library in developing research skills on campus will need to be clearly defined.Future subject specialist librarians could help moving the current ISD program towards a better Information Literacy course content by the Library

IL the Work of Faculty, Librarians and AdministratorsInformation Literacy Competency Standards for Higher EducationInformation Literacy and Higher EducationIncorporating information literacy across curricula, in all programs and services, requires the collaborative efforts of faculty, librarians, and administrators. Faculty also inspire students to explore the unknown, offer guidance on how best to fulfill information needs, and monitor students progress. Academic librarians coordinate the evaluation and selection of intellectual resources for programs and services; organize, and maintain collections and many points of access to information; and provide instruction to students and faculty who seek information.Administrators create opportunities for collaboration and staff development among faculty, librarians.

Thank You