"Information Literacy," Standards and Outcomes for Students:
As defined by the Association of College and Research Libraries, "Information Literacy " is the ability to recognize when information is needed and to locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed information (Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. ACRL: Chicago, 2000 http://www.ala.org/acrl/ilcomstan.html.) It is a component of lifelong learning, and one of the competencies acquired in a liberal arts education. The concept is an outgrowth of "computer literacy," but in the era of exploding digital information sources, students who may be very capable technology users can struggle with finding, critically evaluating, assimilating, and communicating information. If students lack critical thinking and writing skills as well as information literacy skills, carrying out college-level assignments can be very difficult.
Since 2000, UNE Librarians have been monitoring incoming undergraduates' experience with library research. We find that students are writing fewer papers and relying on the Internet for most of their research. Although in 2005 they are more wary of Internet sources, they are not skilled in using libraries or in critically evaluating sources of information for accuracy or appropriateness. (See UNE Freshman Survey Report, 2004-2005.) Collaborative effort between faculty and librarians can address information literacy concerns in simple, constructive, and measurable ways, and also address some of the "Common Institutional Student Learning Outcomes" identified by UNE's Institutional Assessment Committee, such as critical thinking, lifelong learning, and research skill.
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges' (NEASC) Standards for Accreditation have been revised to add information literacy as an expected outcome of undergraduate education, and to emphasize the expectation for student use of library resources (See Standards Four, Academic Program and Seven, Information Resources and Technology, http://www.neasc.org/cihe/revisions/summary_of_significant_changes.pdf.) NEASC has been slower than the other regional accrediting bodies to adopt this standard, which has been a requirement in the Midwest and West for over a decade. Although information literacy goals for specific disciplines, programs or departments are best identified by faculty, with assistance from librarians as needed, the UNE Libraries recommend that all incoming undergraduate students acquire these competencies as soon as possible within the first year on campus.
First year undergraduate students will:
* Understand how materials are organized in the UNE Libraries
* Be familiar with the UNE Libraries' Home Page
* Be able to develop and implement a search strategy
* Be familiar with the UNE Libraries online catalog
* Be able to search the UNE Libraries' catalog by keyword and subject heading
* Be able to use a general academic database, such as ProQuest
* Know how to read the most common forms of citations
* Be able to distinguish between scholarly and popular information sources
* Be able to distinguish between free Web sources and fee-based Web sources
* Be able to evaluate an information source for quality and appropriateness
* Understand how to use information ethically and document sources in an appropriate format.
Several faculty members in CAS and CHP are currently including these competencies in their 100-level classes with considerable success, finding that they do make a difference in the quality of student assignments. Please note that these skills set a clear, easily achieved and valuable set of student outcomes that will allow faculty to confidently make assignments that require library research.
As mentioned above, each academic major or degree program will have specific information competency requirements for their students that are best determined by the faculty for that department. UNE Librarians recommend the following general, nonspecific information literacy skills for students beyond the freshman level:
Advanced undergraduate and graduate students will be able t
* Define and articulate their need for information; and identify the librarian liaison for their discipline or subject area.
* Identify, access and use a variety of relevant resources within their discipline (e.g. books, journals, reference tools, government documents, primary/secondary sources, Internet resources, etc.).
* Locate information within the UNE Libraries or order it through Interlibrary Loan (ILL) as appropriate.
* Evaluate and select information for quality, accuracy, authority, and reliability, using informed judgment.
* Construct effective search strategies using Boolean Operators, truncation, controlled vocabulary, and proximity searching in the online catalog and specialized subject databases and indexes.
* Demonstrate an understanding of copyright and fair use.
* Cite information completely and accurately according to the appropriate style format.
Please consult the Library Research Instruction and Training Page for information about our services to support teaching.