Why schedule library instruction?
You may think that library instruction is something only for freshmen and College Writing courses or that "digital natives" already know how to do research. However, in a 2016 study released by Stanford History Education Group, researchers found a consistent, “dismaying inability by students to reason about information they see on the Internet" from middle school to college. Library instruction encourages students to think critically and understand the complexity of research in today's rapidly changing information landscape.
What do librarians teach?
Librarians teach information literacy concepts for academic and everyday use as a means of empowering the university community to be reflective users and creators of information. Our instruction goals align with the Institutional Learning Outcomes. Examples of common library instruction topics include:
- Developing a strategic research process
- Evaluating all types of information for currency, accuracy, authority, and bias
- Searching Cofrin Library resources and other sources of information
- Using citations and avoiding plagiarism
What is information literacy?
Following the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education definition, “information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.”