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Information Literacy: Home

Mission Statement
In support of the College curriculum, the Library recognizes the need for undergraduate and graduate students to learn library research skills as an ongoing part of their education.  Therefore, we have worked to integrate the Library’s Information Literacy Program into the College’s undergraduate liberal arts and graduate curricula. The Library provides customized information literacy sessions for any class at the request of faculty. We embrace the critical role played by the Library in the College’s educational mission and participate in this mission as a teaching library.

Overview

The Library staff works with individual faculty members to customize each library session to the subject matter and research needs of each course.  The success of the Information Literacy Program has been demonstrated by our students’ ability to conduct research comfortably and effectively.  During the 2019-2020 academic year, the Library taught a total of 159 sessions at the request of individual faculty members.

Undergraduate

The information literacy program includes face-to-face and virtual workshops customized to the needs for the specific class and in alignment with both the Colleges General Education Requirements and the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education,

  • Collaboration with Introduction to Academic Writing (IAW) Program
    The information literacy librarians collaborate with the faculty of the IAW program to provide an orientation to the library resources along with introducing the concepts of search strategies and evaluation.
     
  • Basic/Intermediate Sessions (1000 except for IAW and 2000 level courses, including ones fulfilling the Domains of Knowledge requirements)
    Basic/Intermediate Library sessions focus on search strategies, refining research topics, creating effective search strings, and evaluating retrieved material within specific fields of study. The content of these sessions are customized to the specific course assignments and learning objectives.
     
  • Advanced Sessions (3000 and 4000 level courses)
    Advanced Library continue to focus on search strategies, refining research topics, creating effective search strings, and evaluating retrieved material within specific fields of study as the students advance in their research skills.
     
  •  Senior Seminar
    The instructional librarians support the students in senior seminars through focused information literacy sessions and one-on-one reference meetings.

Graduate and Professional Programs (GPP)

The information literacy teams work with the students in the GPP program individually and during faculty requested sessions.

ACRL Framework:

  • Authority Is Constructed and Contextual
    "Information resources reflect their creators’ expertise and credibility, and are evaluated based on the information need and the context in which the information will be used. Authority is constructed in that various communities may recognize different types of authority. It is contextual in that the information need may help to determine the level of authority required."
    (See Knowledge Practices and Dispositions)

    Student learning objects upon graduation:
    • Identify the different types of authority and the factors that influence levels of authority including positions of privilege.
    • Acknowledge their potential to become an authority within disciplines.
    • Critically evaluate content based on the authority of the contributors.
       
  • Information Creation as a Process
    "Information in any format is produced to convey a message and is shared via a selected delivery method. The iterative processes of researching, creating, revising, and disseminating information vary, and the resulting product reflects these differences."
    (See Knowledge Practices and Dispositions)

    Student learning objects upon graduation:
    • Understand their role in both the process of information creation and its dissemination.
       
  • Information Has Value
    "Information possesses several dimensions of value, including as a commodity, as a means of education, as a means to influence, and as a means of negotiating and understanding the world. Legal and socioeconomic interests influence information production and dissemination."
    (See Knowledge Practices and Dispositions)

    Student learning objects upon graduation:
    • Respect other's original works through appropriately crediting.
    • Understand their role as creators of information.
       
  • Research as Inquiry
    "Research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers in turn develop additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field."
    (See Knowledge Practices and Dispositions)

    Student learning objects upon graduation:
    • Understand the need to explore all aspects of an issue.
    • Seek help to further their research goals.
    • Use legal and ethical means to gather research.
       
  • Scholarship as Conversation
    "Communities of scholars, researchers, or professionals engage in sustained discourse with new insights and discoveries occurring over time as a result of varied perspectives and interpretations."

    Student learning objects upon graduation:
    • Understand their role in scholarly conversations.
    • Understand how scholar conversations change over time.
    • Understand the need to promote credible information.
       
  • Searching as Strategic Exploration
    "Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring the evaluation of a range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as new understanding develops."
    (See Knowledge Practices and Dispositions)

    Student learning objects upon graduation:
    • Understand the iterative process of searching for information on a topic or issue.
    • Employ search strategies such as the use of Boolean operators along with limiters/filters.

See further information through Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (ACRL)

Requesting a session

Diane Zydlewski

Diane Zydlewski
Associate Librarian for Reference, Instruction, and Outreach
zydlewsd@emmanuel.edu | 617-735-9927
Schedule an Appointment

 

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