Information Literacy & Instruction

Every WNE undergraduate participates in information literacy instruction through their First Year Seminar courses. This instruction addresses the Information Literacy General University Requirement (GUR) by providing a foundation for all incoming students to understand how to use the library's information resources, develop strategies for evaluating information for reliability and creditability, and use information in an ethical and legal manner.

As information literacy is a critical thinking skill that spans all disciplines and develops over time and through multiple exposures, the information literacy program for first year students is an interdisciplinary effort to lay a foundation of basic skills and concepts which students will build upon throughout college.

In the Fall semester, all students receive an introduction to the library and its resources in their LA100, LA110, BUS101 or ENG102 course. These sessions teach students to evaluate popular and scholarly information, and to use library resources to find scholarly materials.

In the Spring, students participate in a focused lab as part of their ENGL133 course, which teaches students to evaluate and find primary and secondary sources.

In addition to the library instruction sessions provided during the First Year Program, D’Amour Library offers curated instruction services in a variety of formats to upper-level and discipline-specific courses.

Topics that can be covered include:

• Research using subject-specific library databases
• Strategies for completing literature reviews or systematic searches
• Primary source research
• Finding data and statistics
• Research organization and citation management
• Media literacy
• And more!

Instruction sessions have the most impact when pared with an authentic assessment. Instruction can take form of in-person classes, use of online learning objects and tutorials, or one-on-one appointments with students. To discuss the best format for your course, get in touch with a librarian today!

The following practices have been found by D'Amour librarians to result in increased success of library instruction sessions:

• Library instruction should complement defined learning objectives and course outcomes.
• Pair instruction with an assignment that represents a performative or authentic assessment. Students should be given the assignment in advance of the session.
• Timing of an instruction session is important - 'just in time' not 'just in case.' Don't schedule too early in the semester, as later sessions can have a bigger impact.
• The instructor should attend the library session - your presence is necessary to answer questions about the assignment, syllabus, or course policies.
• Set clear expectations for citation and plagiarism.
• Be aware of the cognitive load that library work can place on students - it's best to focus sessions on the important concepts. Students don't need to know everything at once!

The following resources may be helpful for faculty who wish to learn more about information literacy and its benefits:

• ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education