Information literacy
Information literacy (IL) is the ability to efficiently access, evaluate, contextualize and effectively communicate information. It is a skill integral to achieving the highest goals of a university education and imparts a lifelong habit of inquiry and reflection that is supported by efficient, transferable skills in conducting information research.
Library Information Literacy Program
The Vaughan Memorial Library's mission statement states that the Library is "committed to providing the highest standard of programs, services, and resources in support of learning, teaching, research and scholarly communication." Librarians are dedicated to helping instruct students, faculty, staff, and community patrons in achieving all levels of information literacy.
One-on-one or group instruction
As a student at Acadia, you have a librarian to assist you with research in each of your courses. Librarians can show you how to navigate through library resources and will help you to find, organize, and cite information for your assignments and papers. Contact your librarian in person, by phone, or by email to set up an appointment for one-on-one or group instruction.
Guided tours of the Library building and virtual tours of the Library website are offered upon request. Please don't hesitate to contact your Librarian to set up a time to explore what is available to you!
Not sure where to get started on your research? Need to find a book or journal article? Librarians have created subject guides for browsing and accessing information in your program or course subject areas.
Don't hesitate to contact your Librarian or visit the Reference and Information Desk for help with any of your research information needs.
Integrating information literacy into the curriculum requires a collaborative effort and leadership by faculty, librarians and administrators to develop and promote information literacy instruction programs. Acadia librarians hope to forge relationships throughout the academic community to support the teaching of information literacy skills, knowledge, and attitudes for our students to thrive in our information environment.
Librarians are available to teach classes within courses on a variety of information literacy topics, including:
- searching library catalogues
- searching subject specific journal indexes
- strategically searching the web
- evaluating a variety of information resources
- finding statistics and data sources
- citing sources and using citation styles
- writing literature reviews and annotated bibliographies
- using bibliographic management software such as Endnote
Librarians can provide your students with introductory orientations to the library as well as workshops to teach research skills for specific assignments. Librarians are also available to help design course units or assignments for a more in-depth coverage of library research.
Examples of courses and programs that integrate information literacy into the curriculum at Acadia University include:
To discuss request a class, please contact your Liaison Librarian and he or she will be happy to help you with your teaching needs.
Acadia's 'Information Literacy Online' Project
Acadia librarians have created a number of interactive tutorials to help introduce students to basic research skills:
- Credible Sources
Count!
Teaches students how to evaluate the information they find on the web. - Research It Right!
Describes the steps of the research process from finding a topic to the final product. - Searching With
Success!
Teaches students better approaches for searching the web. The tutorial also provides an introduction to the difference between the 'surface web' and the 'deep web'. - You Quote
It, You Note It!
Teaches students the basics of avoiding plagiarism by learning why, when, and how to cite information sources.
The following section contains a list of information resources to support the teaching and learning of information literacy. If you would like to recommend a useful link to add, please email with your suggestion(s).
S.O.S. For Information Literacy
A web-based, searchable database of resources to support the teaching of information literacy skills.
Classroom
Activities
A list of classroom activities compiled by the Dalhousie
University Libraries from a variety of sources and organized by ACRL Standard.
Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)
Association
of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Site
The
central web site of the ACRL dedicated to providing information and resources
for the teaching and learning of information literacy.
Information
Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education
A quick link to the
information literacy standards framework (including performance indicators and
outcomes) recognized and promoted by the American Library Association's
Association of College of Research Libraries.
9
Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning
Good
practices for student assessment written by the American Association for Higher
Education.
Assessment
Plan for Information Literacy
Indiana University Bloomington Libraries'
Assessment Planning Committee's final published document of their work.
Australian
and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework
Adapted from the ACRL
Standards by the Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy
(ANZIIL), these are currently being used by many institutions across Australia
and New Zealand.
Basics of
Conducting Focus Groups
Carter McNamara's online resource which
outlines the basics for anyone interested in conducting a focus group.
Rubrics
for the Assessment of Information Literacy
Example of a detailed
information literacy rubric based on Colorado State's adaptation of the ACRL
standards.
Information Literacy in
Canada
Created by members of the Information Literacy Interest Group of
the Canadian Library Association (ILIG), the blog is a forum for anyone
interested in promoting national information literacy theory and practice.
Information Literacy
Weblog
Keep up to date with information literacy around the world with
this popular information literacy blog.
Schoolge Blog
A blog spot
that offers current news and information about Google Scholar™ for
teaching and research purposes.
Library
Orientation Exchange (LOEX)
Link to the LOEX site, a non-profit
organization dedicated to promoting information literacy and library
instruction. LOEX has an annual conference located in the United States.
Workshop on Instruction in
Library Use (WILU)
WILU is Canada's national conference for librarians
and other educators to come together and share best practices in the area of
library instruction and the broader area of information literacy. The 2006
conference was hosted by the Vaughan Memorial Library.
Promoting
Information Literacy Through Class Assignments
Tips offered by the
Meriam Library at California State University (Chico) for designing information
literacy-friendly assignments.
Writing
Learning Objectives
An excellent .pdf guide to the basics of writing
learning objectives from the University of Tennessee
Learning
Styles
A good introduction with resources and supporting documents
about learning styles from the University of Guelph's Teaching Support
Services.
VARK: A Guide to
Learning Styles
Introducing different approaches to learning, VARK is
a brief survey that profiles a person's preferences for how they take in and
give out information.
CORIL
Listserv
A listserv established to encourage communication among
Canadian instruction librarians and others interested in information literacy.
ILI Listserv
A moderated listserv and online discussion forum for professionals
interested in the instruction of information literacy. Hosted by the American
Library Association and sponsored by the Instruction Section of the Association
of College and Research Libraries.
CARL
Information Literacy Portal
A multi-purpose, information literacy portal
of interest to research libraries. The section entitled Information Literacy
Instructional Resources includes a selective list of instruction resources and
a variety of web sites for further information.
CORIL
An online teaching resource repository that includes both an open and peer
reviewed collection of resources created and submitted by librarians and other
educators. A resource and service of the Ontario Scholars Portal.
International Information
Literacy Resources Directory
A web portal created for UNESCO by the
Information Literacy Section of the International Federations of Library
Associations (IFLA). Includes a searchable database of related resources
contributed from professionals around the world. Free registration is required.
MERLOT
An online
teaching resource repository created by educators to provide freely available
instructional materials for students and faculty in higher education.
PRIMO:
Peer Reviewed Instructional Materials Online
A searchable database of
online instructional tutorials to teach a variety of research skills. All
contents of the PRIMO database have gone through an application process and
peer reviewed by members of the Association of College and Research Libraries'
Emerging Technologies in Instruction Committee before being accepted.