Information


 

Information:   [QEP Rubric - Critical thinking element] 

 

1.1 The information literate student defines and articulates the need for information. [ACRL IL Standard One Performance Indicator] 

 

c. Explores general information sources to increase familiarity with the topic.  [ACRL IL Standard One Outcome] 

 

Librarians refer students to reference resources when beginning their research. [General statement]

 

Examples:  [Provided by faculty librarians]

A student who is beginning research on alternative energy resources might be referred to CQ Researcher or CREDO Reference.

 

A student who is researching the Thomas Hardy novel "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" may be referred to a subject encyclopedia on The Victorian Era, such as "Encyclopedia of the Victorian era" / James Eli Adams, editor-in-chief, in order to understand the time period in which Hardy lived and wrote.

 

A student who could not find information on NLRB was asked by a librarian to explain what the initials stood for; then asked to search for the full name, National Labor Relations Board. Also at that time, the librarian referred the student to Credo Reference to find information about the Board, in addition to articles with that as a subject term.

 

........

 

 

1. 2. The information literate student identifies a variety of types and formats of potential sources for information.

a.  Knows how information is formally and informally produced, organized, and disseminated

 

Librarians explain the publication cycle and refer students to formal and informal sources of information.

 

Examples:

In a library instruction session, librarians explain the term “embargo” found in an article database, which limits access for a certain time period.

 

Students learn how the publication cycle may affect the currency of materials such as books, making articles the more up-to-date resources for research.

 

b.  Recognizes that knowledge can be organized into disciplines that influence the way information is accessed

 

Librarians familiarize students with the organization of knowledge.

 

Examples:

In SLU100, librarians teach students about the Library of Congress Classification system.

 

When I show students how to look up a topic in LeoCat and write down a call number for them to find a book, I explain that other books on that subject should be next to it, because the books are organized by subject.

 

PsycInfo has its own thesaurus of terms, which a student with a Psychology paper needs to learn to use in order to find the maximum articles related to the scientific study of "adolescent pregnancy" as opposed to searching with the vernacular term of "teenage pregnancy."

 

c.  Identifies the value and differences of potential resources in a variety of formats (e.g., multimedia, database, website, data set, audio/visual, book)

 

Librarians familiarize students with resources in a variety of formats.

 

Examples:

Librarians refer students to subject research guides that contain databases, books, ebooks, periodicals, and websites pertaining to a particular field of study.

 

Librarians explain to students that e-books are electronic forms of print books, not websites.

 

d.  Identifies the purpose and audience of potential resources (e.g., popular vs. scholarly, current vs. historical)

 

Librarians assist students in identifying the purpose of a resource.

 

Examples:

In EDU228 , students are provided with a variety of periodicals and asked to categorize them according to the “taxonomy of periodicals:” scholarly, trade, or popular.

 

e.  Differentiates between primary and secondary sources, recognizing how their use and importance vary with each discipline

 

Librarians explain the difference between primary and secondary sources in a respective discipline.

 

Examples:

In the library instruction sessions for upper level psychology courses, students are asked to identify the methodology of several articles as primary (includes method, results, discussion; e.g. empirical study, quantitative study, etc.) vs. secondary (e.g. literature review).

 

In CHE123, students are provided with a graphic organizer that illustrates the differences between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources.

 

In ENG122, the librarian clarifies the difference between primary and secondary sources and provides access to a LibGuide with additional description and

examples.

 

f.  Realizes that information may need to be constructed with raw data from primary sources

 

Librarians can refer students to primary sources with raw data.

 

Examples:

Educational leadership students seeking information on education statistics may be referred to the National Center for Education Statistics at http://nces.ed.gov.

 

2. 1. The information literate student selects the most appropriate investigative methods or information retrieval systems for accessing the

        needed information.

 

c.  Investigates the scope, content, and organization of information retrieval systems

 

Librarians provide instruction on the features of the library catalog and subscription databases.

 

Examples:

In upper level psychology classes, librarians provide detailed instructions on the use of the PsycINFO database features (full text, peer-reviewed, thesaurus, subject major headings, date, age, gender, methodology, etc.)

 

In REL 325 classes librarians provide detailed instructions on obtaining appropriate Biblical commentary in print sources by using the online catalog

and in the online source, Oxford Biblical Studies.

 

d.  Selects efficient and effective approaches for accessing the information needed from the investigative method or information retrieval

system

 

Librarians assist students in accessing and saving information retrieved.

 

Examples:

When using the EBSCO database, librarians demonstrate how to print, email, or save an article, as well as placing an article in a folder.

                       

2. 3. The information literate student retrieves information online or in person using a variety of methods.

a.  Uses various search systems to retrieve information in a variety of formats

 

Librarians assist students in retrieving information in a variety of formats.

 

Examples:

In SSC101, the librarian demonstrates how to access videos pertinent to the “friend or foe” assignment using the NBCLearn collection.

 

b. Uses various classificatin schemes and other systems (e.g., call number systems or indexes to locate information resources within the

library or to identify specific sites for physical exploration  

 

Librarians assist students in understanding classification systems.

 

Examples:

In SLU101, students complete an activity where they are asked to locate a book in the catalog and find it on the shelf using the Library of Congress call number.

 

c. Uses specialized online or in-person services available at the institution to retrieve information needed (e.g., interlibrary loan, document delivery, professional associations, institutional research offices, community resources, experts and practitioners)  

 

Librarians assist students in acquiring information through interlibrary loan, document delivery, and other resources.

 

Examples:

In upper level psychology classes, librarians explain the option of using interlibrary loan to acquire articles that are not available in full text.

 

d. Uses surveys, letters, interviews, and other forms of inquiry to retrieve primary information

 

Librarians assist students in locating primary information such as letters, interviews, etc.

 

Examples:

In FAS 100 Introduction to Dance, librarians demonstrate how to locate letters from composer Aaron Copland to choreographer Martha Graham, using the digitized collection at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

 

2. 4. The information literate student refines the search strategy if necessary.

 

a.  Assesses the quantity, quality, and relevance of the search results to determine whether alternative information retrieval systems or investigative methods should be utilized

 

Librarians assist students in evaluating the quantity, quality and relevance of the search results.

 

Examples:

In upper level psychology courses, librarians show students how to examine the detailed record of a citation (title, abstract, subject headings, source, date, etc.) in order to determine its relevance.

 

When showing students how to find books in our library catalog, librarians demonstrate how to limit their results to recent years. Exceptions would be if the history of a subject is needed and other cases where the subject content is still relevant, such as the Bible or other books on religion.

 

c.  Repeats the search using the revised strategy as necessary

 

Librarians demonstrate how to revise a search to get better results.

 

Examples:

At the reference desk, librarians demonstrate how using the advanced search option in a database can produce more relevant results.

 

 

2. 5. The information literate student extracts, records, and manages the information and its sources.  

b.  Creates a system for organizing the information

 

Librarians demonstrate how to organize search results in a database.

 

Examples:

In PSY405, librarians demonstrate how to store search results in separate folders in the database according to the topic.

 

c.  Differentiates between the types of sources cited and understands the elements and correct syntax of a citation for a wide range of resources

 

Librarians explain that different disciplines use different citation styles.

 

Examples:

In SLU100, librarians explain that English majors will use MLA citation style, while psychology majors will use APA style.

 

d.  Records all pertinent citation information for future reference

 

Librarians demonstrate where to find information on citation styles.

 

Examples:

In EDU 228, librarians demonstrate how to create bibliographies using EasyBib, an automatic citation generator.

 

Many of the LIbGuides created for individual courses contain links to various resources for citation information (e.g. EasyBib, OWL, tutorials, style guides, etc.)

 

 

 

4. 2. The information literate student revises the development process for the product or performance.  

a.  Maintains a journal or log of activities related to the information seeking, evaluating, and communicating process

 

Librarians encourage students to record their search strategies for future reference.

 

Examples:

In library instruction sessions, librarians demonstrate how to save the search history in a database.

 

In SSC102, students are asked to record the search string they used in obtaining their results.

 

b.  Reflects on past successes, failures, and alternative strategies

 

Librarians facilitate discussion on search strategies.

 

Examples:

In PSY322, students are asked to share successful search strategies for locating peer-reviewed articles in EBSCO.