Study of American graduates and employers

The latest report of Project Information Literacy (PIL) is the output from interviews with 23 employers in the USA and 33 recent graduates from US universities. They were asked about the ways in which they were expected to work with information in the workplace. Similar results to some previous studies in this area emerged e.g. the need to find and present information to short deadlines and the need to work well with others to solve information problems. The graduates did feel that some of the skills the developed at university (e.g. being able to evaluate information) were valuable in the workplace and there are some interesting quotes. "This report is the first in a new research initiative at PIL called the "The Passage Studies." These studies investigate the information transitions young adults go through at critical junctures in their lives." The full report is at http://projectinfolit.org/pdfs/PIL_fall2012_workplaceStudy_FullReport.pdf
There is a prereview video about the new study http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gOtjexhyvE&feature=youtu.be
Photo by Sheila Webber: Red leaves against blue sky, October 2012

Recent articles

Journal of academic librarianship (priced publication) http://www.journals.elsevier.com/the-journal-of-academic-librarianship/
- Greer, K. et al (2012) "Beyond the Web Tutorial: Development and Implementation of an Online, Self-Directed Academic Integrity Course at Oakland University." Journal of academic librarianship, 38 (5), 251-258
- Gibbs, D. et al (2012) "Assessing the Research Needs of Graduate Students at Georgetown University" Journal of academic librarianship, 38 (5), 268-276
- Weiner, S. (2012) "Institutionalizing Information Literacy" Journal of academic librarianship, 38 (5), 287-293. [This is a slideshare of the same name, by her http://www.slideshare.net/infolit_group/weiner-13631500]
- Baro, E. and Keboh, T. (2012) "Teaching and Fostering Information Literacy Programmes: A Survey of Five University Libraries in Africa" Journal of academic librarianship, 38 (5), 311-315
Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn anemones and foliage, October 2012

Survey for academic librarians

Laura Simmons (Assistant Professor, Simmons College) is conducting a survey of reference and instruction/ information literacy librarians' approach to teaching. This survey is a follow up to a study that was recently published in The Journal of Academic Librarianship, on academics' perspectives on information literacy. "The survey should only take about 15 minutes to complete and your participation is GREATLY appreciated" she says. The survey is at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RPGQ8WL
Photo by Sheila Webber: Prizewinning striped aubergines at Blackheath Framers' market

ACRL awarded grant for project linking libraries and student success

The (US) Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has been awarded a (US) National Leadership Demonstration Grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for the project Assessment in Action: Academic Libraries and Student Success. The grant funding of $249,330 will support ACRL, in partnership with the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). The funding is for development programmes (in each case a one year programme, over three years, involving teams from a total of 300 libraries). "Librarians who participate in the program, supported by a blended learning environment and a peer-to-peer network, will lead their campus teams in the development and implementation of an action learning project examining the impact of the library on student success and contributing to assessment activities on their campus." http://acrl.ala.org/acrlinsider/archives/5817#more-5817
Photo by Sheila Webber: Pyracantha, Hailsham, October 2012

George Kuh article for discussion in October

The article which the ACRL Student Retention Discussion Group has chosen for October is:
Kuh, G. and Gonyea, R.M. (2003) The Role of the Academic Library in Promoting Student Engagement in Learning. College and Research Libraries, 64(4), 256-282. http://crl.acrl.org/content/64/4/256.abstract
To join the discussion, go to http://connect.ala.org/node/189260
George Kuh is an influential figure in US Higher Education, and I think that this article is still worth reading (whether or not you decide to join in the debate!) The authors took data from the College Student Experiences Questionnaire and compared various sets of questions including the set of questions relating to library use, some key questions to do with satisfaction, and a set of questions which they selected as being a (sort of) match with ACRL standards.
The authors make some pertinent remarks about how important variables to do with previous academic achievement, ethnicity etc. are, when trying to link library use with academic success, something which some other studies gloss over.
The evidence does not support an easy correlation between academic excellence and library use, or library use and (the authors' measure of) information literacy. The final paragraph reads:
"The findings of this study indicate that it takes a whole campus to produce an information-literate college graduate. For this reason, librarians would do well to redouble their efforts to collaborate with faculty members, instructional development staff, and student affairs professionals in promoting the value of information literacy in various in-class and out-of-class activities and to provide students with as many opportunities as possible to evaluate the quality of the information they encounter, on and off the campus."
Photo by Sheila Webber: Autumn arriving, Sheffield, October 2012

Information Literacy petition

There is an online information literacy petition from Easybib - the implication is that it is for librarians in the USA, but it doesn't actually say that, so.... This is what it is about
"In celebration of Information Literacy Awareness Month, we have set up an online pledge for librarians to sign and show their commitment to teaching these imperative skills. For each signature acquired on the pledge, EasyBib will donate $1 to the American Library Association... If you are dedicated to teaching IL skills and would like to sign our pledge, please following this URL: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/pledge-to-promote-information-literacy-awareness/ (You do not need to register for an account in order to sign.) The free service used for this campaign, iPetitions, may ask you after you have signed our pledge to provide an optional donation to them. If you see this, just close out of your browser window--your name has been recorded and you are in no way obligated to donate any money"
Photo by Sheila Webber: Autumn leaf (photoshopped) October 2012

This is Information Literacy month!

In the USA it is National Information Literacy Awareness Month. You can get the code to embed the badge on the right from here: http://www.librariesthriving.org/partnerships/2012-information-literacy-campaign If you are in the USA in one of the 13 states that has signed up to the National IL awareness Proclamation you can customise the badge to advertise that your state supports IL.
On Tuesday, 16 October 16, 2012, 10:30am – 12:00pm EST (that's starting at 3.30pm UK time, see http://tinyurl.com/9c3pmbj for times elsewhere), the National Forum for Information Literacy and Credo Reference/Libraries Thriving will host a webinar From School to Workforce: Information Literacy, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills, "focusing on the 21st century skills that all learners will need to compete effectively in today’s dynamic global economy". Panelists include: Jennifer Homer, ABC – Vice President of Communications and Career Development for the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD); William Badke, Associate Librarian, Trinity Western University, Canada; Lana W. Jackman, President, National Forum on Information Literacy. There is free registration: go to http://infolit.org/celebrating-national-information-literacy-awareness-month/

Digital Literacy Report: consultation

Consultation is open on the American Library Association's Digital Literacy Report, produced by their OITP Digital Literacy Task Force. This is an important area where it is obviously essential to stress the valuable role of libraries and librarians. You you not have to be an ALA member to comment, but you need to register with the ALA Connect system (free). Once you do that, and log in, a comment option appears at the bottom of the page. I haven't had time to look at it thoroughly, but my informal comment from a quick glance is that the definition of "digital literacy" seems too narrowly focused ("the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills") and although I can see why this happened in a library context, the digital literacy researchers I know stress the social aspect of digital literacy. I think it could be a good idea to acknowledge this, even if you go on to identify a spcial place for libraries/ librarians within that.
The report can be downloaded from. http://connect.ala.org/node/187923
Comments are open until October 19th. Thanks to Lyn Parker for alerting me to this report.
Photo by Sheila Webber: Autumn perspective, taken in Second Life, September 2012

2 short research papers: Social Media as Information Source, and; Developing an IL game

Kim, K., Yoo-Lee, E. and Sin, S. (2011) Social Media as Information Source: Undergraduates’ Use and Evaluation Behavior. In: Proceedings of the 74rd ASIST Annual Meeting Retrieved 18 September 2012 from http://asist.org/asist2011/proceedings/submissions/283_FINAL_SUBMISSION.pdf
An interesting short paper that reports on a survey of what sources students used, what they used them for and what evaluative strategies they used. For example Wikipedia was used for initially scoping a topic, and evaluated through looking at the links and sources, whereas Youtube was used for recreation and for instructions on how to do things, and was evaluated through the video quality and people's opinions.

Markey, K. and Leeder, C. (2011) The Effect of Scoring and Feedback Mechanisms
in an Online Educational Game. In: Proceedings of the 74rd ASIST Annual Meeting. Retrieved 18 September 2012 from http://asist.org/asist2011/proceedings/submissions/38_FINAL_SUBMISSION.docx

This describes the stages of piloting this information literacy game, and the changes that needed to be made as a result.

I discovered these 2 papers (and further interesting ones) as part of the October 2011 ASIST annual conference proceedings; http://asist.org/asist2011/proceedings/openpage.html.
Photo by Sheila Webber: Blackheath Farmers' Market, September 2012

The Busy Librarian’s Guide to Information Literacy in Science and Engineering

A new book published by ACRL: The Association of College and Research Libraries:
O'Clair, K. and Davidson, J. (Eds.) (2012) The Busy Librarian’s Guide to Information Literacy in Science and Engineering. ACRL. ISBN-13: 978-0-8389-8619-6
It "provides a practical guide for librarians responsible for science, engineering and/or technology information literacy instruction to understand and apply the ACRL Information Literacy Standards for Science and Engineering/Technology into curriculum design and ongoing instruction". You can get it in print, or as an e-book, or both together. Information is here: http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=3999
Photo by Sheila Webber: Ducklings, Blackheath pond, on Sunday (I'm a bit worried about them surviving this time of year!)

Pew Report: Future of Higher Education

In July, The Pew Internet/Elon University (USA) published results of a survey of about 1000 "nternet experts, researchers, observers and users". Most people thought there would be more reliance on technology (e.g. teleconferencing, more blended learning), and not everyone thought this was a good thing. “They are worried over the adoption of technology-mediated approaches that they fear will lack the personal, face-to-face touch they feel is necessary for effective education,”
Anderson, J., Boyles, J. and Rainie, L. (2012) The Future of Higher Education.
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Future-of-Higher-Education.aspx
Photo by Sheila Webber: Albert Memorial, August 2012

IFLA #wlic2012 Information literacy interconnections using a virtual learning environments

Liveblogging at the IFLA World Library and Information Conference in Helsinki, Finland. Next up is Information literacy interconnections using a virtual learning environments from David Loertscher and Blanche Woolls.
They started by giving a glimpse of their long experience in teaching, and outlined the value of a constructivist approach to networked learning. They described an approach based on learner's individual portfolios, using tools on the cloud, so students construct their own learning. Activities would include researching and teaching other learners about topics (rather than being told by teh teacher). They gave the example of using Google tools such as docs, powerpoint collaboratively during learning and teaching. They provided a link to a site where they have a template: http://www.schoollearningcommons.info/the-virtual-learning-commons.
The full paper (with useful links) is at Information literacy interconnections using a virtual learning environments DAVID V. LOERTSCHER and BLANCHE WOOLLS (San Jose State University, San Jose, California, USA). There was also a website - but I can't get the url to work at the moment so I'll add it later.

Posters at #WLIC2012 searching tutorial and course development

I will have a few posts over the next few days covering a few of the 190(!) posters at the IFLA World Library and Information Conference in Helsinki, Finland. Firstly, here is one by Terje Blasternes at the University of Stavanger, Norway: Searching scholarly information and citing sources: e-learning courses in information literacy.They cover searching and evaluation: the tutorials (in Norwegian) are at http://www6.uis.no/Fag/Learningspace_kurs/UBiS/UBiS_kildebruk/index.html

Secondly, a poster by Sarah Bordac and Carina Cournoyer of Brown University, USA: Lining up the guideposts: integrating media and information literacy frameworks for first year university students. They have examined a range of existing standards and frameworks (as listed on the poster), and found that none of them gave exactly what they wanted. However they have drawn on them to develop their own framework, and are currently at the pilot stage.

I found a libguide on searching at Brown by Sarah Bordac here: http://libguides.brown.edu/research and you may also be interested in a list of resources drawn up by an intern at Brown University.

Information literacy meets E-learning: let’s talk about interconnections and outcomes #wlic2012

At the IFLA World Library and Information Congress on 13 August, in Helsinki, is the session Information literacy meets E-learning: let’s talk about interconnections and outcomes. You have to register for the conference (11-17 August) to attend, but there are full-text papers online already here: http://conference.ifla.org/ifla78/session-93. I will be attending the conference, so I will blog the session here, too. The session is organised by the IFLA Information Literacy Section and E-learning Special Interest Group. The papers are:
- An online information literacy course for undergraduates: early experiences: ANNE WADE and JOANNE LOCKE (Concordia University, Montreal, Canada) and PATRICK DEVEY (eConcordia, Montreal Canada)
- Micro-E-Learning in Information Literacy:NICOLE KRÜGER (ZBW - German National Library of Economics, Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, Kiel/Hamburg, Germany)
- Proliferating Information Literacy - e-Learning delivery mode extends reach to IL learners in Singapore: GEE MIAW MIIN (National Library Board, Singapore)
- Embedding e-learning into Science and Engineering Graduate Information Literacy Course: WU MING, WANG CHUN, WANG LI, JIN YING and MA XIAOMIN (National Science Library, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China)
- Form@doct: quels apprentissages en ligne pour des doctorants?:MARIE-LAURE MALINGRE and ALEXANDRE SERRES (URFIST de Bretagne et Pays de la Loire, France) with ALAIN SAINSOT and HERVE LE MEN (Service commun de documentation, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, France)
- Information literacy interconnections using a virtual learning environments: DAVID V. LOERTSCHER and BLANCHE WOOLLS (San Jose State University, San Jose, California, USA)
- Designing an interactive virtual learning environment (VLE) with a learner centered approach: LI WANG (The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand)
- E-Learning in Information Management Education in Sri Lanka: discussion of the impact of information literacy: NAMALI SURAWEERA, CHERN L. LIEW and JOCELYN CRANEFIELD (School of Information Management, Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand)
The main conference website is at http://conference.ifla.org/ifla78
Photo by Sheila Webber: Hydrangea, Sheffield, August 2012.

Project Information Literacy seeks volunteers

The USA's Project Information Literacy (PIL) is seeking further volunteer colleges and universities with calls to participate in forthcoming PIL research studies. In autumn they will begin "a year-long investigation of first-time freshmen in US colleges and universities" I think you have to be located in the USA. The PIL project does the actual research, only some time acting as liaison person is required. http://projectinfolit.org/volunteer/volsample.asp
Photo by Sheila Webber: Olympic park and cable car, on Saturday, viewed from the motorway bridge.

Latest issue of Reference Services Review

Volume 40 issue 3 is the latest issue of the priced publicaion of Reference Services Review. Articles include:
- Relationship Building with Students and Instructors of ESL: Bridging the Gap for Library Instruction and Services: Julia A. Martin, Kathleen M. Reaume, Elaine M. Reeves, Ryan D. Wright
- Outreach Initiatives in Academic Libraries, 2009 - 2011: Melissa Dennis
- Reaching Out: Connecting Students to Their Personal Librarian: Cynthia L. Henry, Kimberly K Vardeman, Carrye K Syma
- Post-graduate health promotion students assess their information literacy: Catherine Hodgens, Marguerite C Sendall, Lynn Evans (there is a free pre-print version of this article archived here: http://eprints.qut.edu.au/50319/)
- "It’s Research Made Easier!" SMS and Chat Reference Perceptions: Margie Ruppel, Amy Vecchione
- A LibGuides presence in a Blackboard environment: Aaron Bowen
The home page for the journal is here: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=0090-7324
Photo by Sheila Webber: Wild rose, Hailsham, July 2012

Project Infolit: Interview with Barbara Fister

Barbara Fister is a writer, blogger and a teacher of information literacy, and she is Professor and Academic Librarian at Gustavas Adolphus College, USA. She always has interesting things to say, so it is worth reading the interview with her, just published as part of Project Information Literacy. She talks, for example, about the a Reading Workshop and "an upper-division class called Information Fluency" that she runs at the college. http://www.projectinfolit.org/st/fister.asp
Photo by Sheila Webber: George Square, Glasgow, today - I'm not sure whether this object is to do with celebrating the opening day of the Olympics or the Merchant City festival that's on at the moment.

An Essential Partner: The Librarian’s Role in Student Learning Assessment

Published in April, a 24-page booklet from the USA: Gilchrist, D. and Oakleaf, M. (2012) An Essential Partner: The Librarian’s Role in Student Learning Assessment. Champaign: National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment. http://www.msche.org/publications/LibraryLO_000%5B1%5D.pdf

Missouri is 3rd US Information Literacy month State!

Missouri has joined Massachusetts and New York as states in the USA which are supporting Information Literacy month in October. "The University of Missouri-Columbia Libraries Instruction Committee submitted the request: Goodie Bhullar (chair), Rachel Brekhus, Rebecca Graves, Brenda Graves-Blevins, and Paula Roper." More info on the initiative at http://infolit.org/2012-information-literacy-campaign/

New York State and Massachusetts support IL month!

The US National Forum on Information Literacy is encouraging all United States states and territories to submit requests to their governors’ offices to proclaim October as Information Literacy Month. Massachusetts was the first to make this declaration and now New York State is the second. Sharon Weiner, Vice-President, National Forum on Information Literacy, said that "Trudi Jacobson (U. Albany) led the NYS initiative, with the critical assistance of the President-Elect of the New York Library Association (NYLA), Carol Anne Germain. They worked with Mark McBride (Buffalo State College); Jenna Hecker (U. Albany); Michael Daly (Fulton-Montgomery Community College); Mark Lasek (Bryant and Stratton); Kim Davies Hoffman (SUNY Geneseo); Michael Borges (NYLA Government Relations Consultant); and MaryAnne Waltz (NYLA)." This is the New York State Legislation and the information about the IL month campaign is here: http://infolit.org/2012-information-literacy-campaign/
Photo by Sheila Webber: 02on the Thames, from the new London cable car, June 2012