Changing Technologies in Canadian Academic Library User Education

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Julien ◽  
Gloria J. Leckie ◽  
Roma Harris
Keyword(s):  
Information Retrieval ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Information Literacy Skills ◽  
Electronic Technologies ◽  
Library User ◽  
Tremendous Impact ◽  
User Education

The traditional academic library is changing rapidly. The widespread use of electronic technologies has had a tremendous impact upon information retrieval within the library. As well, there is increasing awareness of the need to develop information literacy skills in graduates. This research was undertaken to determine how library user education in Canadian academic libraries. . . 

scholarly journals Information literacy and open access in Croatian academic libraries

2016 ◽  
Vol 65 (4/5) ◽  
pp. 255-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivana Hebrang Grgic
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Library Users ◽  
Almost All ◽  
User Education

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present results of a survey of Croatian academic libraries’ user education about open access (OA)-related issues. The concept of OA literacy will be explained, and the term will be put in the context of information literacy (IL) and scholarly communication. Design/methodology/approach An anonymous online questionnaire was sent to all the Croatian academic libraries with the aim to find out if libraries are involved in OA and to learn about plans for user education about the aspect of IL that is important for using OA information. Findings Almost all the libraries are involved in OA publishing, either through OA repositories or through OA journals. However, 22 per cent of the libraries do not educate their users about OA. Two most important IL skills in the context of OA are finding OA information and understanding OA citation advantage. Academic libraries in Croatia mostly recognize the questionable publishers as a threat for OA. However, 40 per cent of libraries do not plan any form of education about OA literacy. Practical implications The results of this research can be a basis for creating programmes of user education in academic libraries. Some problems are recognized, some skills are identified and further steps could be undertaken to improve academic library users’ OA literacy skills. Originality/value The research results contribute to understanding the importance of academic libraries in developing OA literacy of their users. The paper gives results of a survey of Croatian academic libraries and some new perspectives for authors, readers and libraries on how to evaluate OA sources using OA literacy skills.

Evaluating the Quality of an Online Course in Information Literacy Applied to Engineering Students

2021 ◽  
pp. 79-117
Author(s):  
Teresa Oliveira Ramos ◽  
Carla Morais ◽  
Cristina Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Independent Learning ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Information Literacy Skills ◽  
Online Assignments

An academic library created an online course in information literacy skills in 2007 for engineering students. This chapter reports the evaluation of the course's effectiveness in developing those skills. In the academic year 2015/2016, a case study with a mixed-methods approach was applied to 5th-year students (N=91) enrolled in a course unit for Master Dissertation's preparation in the informatics and computing engineering programme. Students showed high confidence in their information literacy skills. Online assignments' performance was good, but activities revealed quality issues. Performance in the course unit's assignments reveals a poor application of acquired skills. But satisfaction is high: students value independent learning and online access to resources and content. Despite evidence of some positive impact, the course lacks effectiveness due to issues in the course unit's assignments. Needed improvements include a better realignment with students' needs and a redesign with an instructional model to assure the promotion of students' success.

scholarly journals Courseware in academic library user education: a literature review from the GAELS Joint Electronic Library Project

2011 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Joint ◽  
Bob Kemp ◽  
Susan Ashworth
Keyword(s):  
Information Retrieval ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Electronic Resources ◽  
Electronic Library ◽  
Culture Shift ◽  
Library User ◽  
User Education

The GAELS project (Glasgow Allied Electronically with Strathclyde) is a library-based project intended to promote a culture shift among engineering researchers at Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities. Our intention is to decrease researchers' dependence on separately held local print collections in favour of collaboratively held networked electronic resources. To support this aim, GAELS (1999) has created a courseware package to teach researchers the different information retrieval skills required to use such networked resources.DOI:10.1080/0968776010090304 

An assessment of academic library services: international and domestic students perspectives

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (8/9) ◽  
pp. 631-653
Author(s):  
Sanaz Soltani ◽  
Shahrokh Nikou
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Domestic Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Literacy Skills

PurposeInformation literacy is defined as discrete abilities that a person requires to have in order to find, assess, use and share information. As information literacy skills play a prominent role in the students' academic achievement, students and in particular international students coming to continue their postgraduate studies in other countries may face problems in finding and using library services. The purpose of this paper is to explore and investigate the information literacy skills, challenges and needs of international and domestic students at the Finnish universities.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected through an online survey (82 respondents) and qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 10 international and 10 domestic students.FindingsAcademic library services are used but in different ways. The findings indicate that international students have a relatively low level of information literacy skills compared to domestic students and faces various challenges, especially in the beginning of their studies.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was exploratory, and data were collected from limited number of Finnish universities and may not be representative of the underlying population.Practical implicationsAcademic libraries should provide effective courses on research methods and library services to the international students while keeping in mind the international students language and cultural barriers.Originality/valueThis is one of the first attempts in information literacy research that focusses on international and domestic students' information literacy skills at the higher education environment. As such, the results provided in this paper can help librarians and decision-makers at the higher education environments to plan better and become more efficient in delivering information services meeting students' information needs and expectations.

Are transfer students lagging behind in information literacy?

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 286-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Tong ◽  
Carrie Moran
Keyword(s):  
Sample Size ◽  
Transfer Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Library Instruction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Literacy Proficiency ◽  
Information Literacy Skills

Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the information literacy proficiency of transfer students. This assessment of skills was undertaken to improve the services provided to transfer students in academic libraries, with a particular focus on information literacy instruction. Design/methodology/approach The Project Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) test was administered to assess the information literacy proficiency of a cohort of undergraduate students taking courses on two regional campuses of a four-year institution. In total, 114 students participated, and SAILS test scores were compared to several demographic characteristics using one-way and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings Results showed that undergraduate students generally lack information literacy skills, even at the junior and senior levels. Previous library instruction had a positive impact on scores for two of the Association of College and Research Libraries information literacy standards, suggesting that library instruction programs can be effective at improving these skills. When examining performance across the board on the various information literacy skills, there was no significant difference between transfer and native students in this result set. Research limitations/implications This study had a limited sample size, and only tested students taking courses from two regional campus locations. Follow-up studies could broaden the scope to include main campus transfer students to form a larger sample size. Originality/value It was difficult to find original research within the library literature that directly addressed information literacy skills in a mixed population of transfer and native students. Further research in this area can serve to improve the services offered to all students within academic libraries.

Visual literacy: academic libraries address 21st century challenges

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 479-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Visual Literacy ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Academic Librarians ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Academic Communities

Purpose This paper aims to explore a study that examines the role of academic librarians who teach visual literacy within their information literacy curricula. Design/methodology/approach The author developed a survey that was distributed to five listservs during a three-week period, generating 118 responses from academic libraries. The author subsequently interviewed 16 participants. Findings The findings reveal that visual literacy is important across all disciplines. However, a majority of academic librarians who replied to the survey stated that they do not teach visual literacy. Only 37.3 per cent of the respondents indicated that they or their institutions include a visual literacy component in their sessions. Practical implications The paper identifies the most relevant visual literacy trends, and it includes examples of visual literacy skills and concepts being taught in academic libraries. It provides ideas to develop marketing strategies to increase student enrollment in library workshops. Originality/value This study has expanded librarians’ awareness of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. In addition, it explores the teaching of multiliteracies such as visual literacy within the information literacy framework in the academic library. The survey data demonstrate that academic librarians are slowly embracing visual literacy and including it in their information literacy instruction across all disciplines. The study recommends that librarians work on their professional development to become multiliterate to remain relevant within their academic communities.

scholarly journals Evidence vs. Anecdote: Using Syllabi to Plan Curriculum-Integrated Information Literacy Instruction

2008 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 566-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy VanScoy ◽  
Megan J. Oakleaf
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Common Sense ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Academic Departments ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Information Literacy Skills

Many academic library instruction programs seek to integrate information literacy skills into the curriculum of academic departments. Previous literature on this topic generally recommends a “tiered” approach to curriculum-integrated instruction (CII); these tiered approaches suggest teaching basic skills to first- and second-year students and advanced skills to third- and fourth-year students. Many authors identify skills to teach at each level; however, their recommendations appear to be based on anecdote and common sense. While both anecdote and common sense are useful as starting points, librarians who plan CII programs should use evidence to make instructional decisions. To provide evidence for CII planning, this syllabus study investigated the research skills required of first-year students in their first semester at college. The results demonstrate that most first-semester students are required to find articles and Web sites to support their assignments, and many students are required to find books. Some must also find reference books as well as data and statistical sources to complete their course assignments. These results suggest that previous recommendations regarding tiered instructional approaches should be investigated further and revised.

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