Notes & Quotes
Information Literacy
by Mary Beth Parkinson, Information Literacy Librarian
Are You Being Over-Googled?
Students want to use the speediest and easiest way to find information. They often believe that all they really need to know, regardless of the information need, is how to search the Internet. While the Internet is often a terrific resource and one that most of us use on a daily basis, it is rarely the best source or the first source students should consult when seeking information to expand their understanding of a topic or to complete an assignment, paper, or project.
Surviving in this information age requires information literacy skills, and these skills encompass a much more sophisticated approach to information gathering, especially for the college student. Since information appears in a number of formats, the term information literacy applies not just to textual data, but also to visual, media, and aural sources of information. Certainly, part of being information literate means acquiring adeptness with online research and Internet searching. Being information literate, however, demands so much more than this, as information accessible from the Internet is but one format within a universe of information. As defined by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), information literacy encompasses a familiarity with information in all formats – print and electronic, free and fee-based. Academic libraries have budgets to acquire authoritative resources in formats that students should also be knowledgeable about using, formats such as books including subject encyclopedias, newspaper, magazine and journal articles, government documents, and audio-visual materials, the vast majority of which are under copyright protection. Information literacy demands that students know how to locate appropriate information from a variety of formats, assess it for its authority, reliability, objectivity and completeness, and then use it ethically.
Faculty can help their students to become information literate by requiring that students locate and use information representative of a variety of formats, having evaluated the information for its authority and suitability to the information need. Students should learn to ask themselves if they have conducted a thorough search and if the information and resources they have gathered are the most relevant and authoritative for the information need. This is not an easy task, but developing these skills is critical not only for academic success, but in making job-related and even personal decisions as well.
So, don’t let the students over-google you! Make sure they learn how to effectively and efficiently learn to locate and use the most appropriate resources. You will help them to strengthen their information literacy skills!
Information Literacy Instruction
The librarians at The Brendlinger Library and West Campus Library offer assignment-related classes focusing on library research strategy and information literacy. Class sessions cover pertinent sources of information, both print and electronic; search strategies; and a demonstration of the electronic reference sources and databases.
My regular teaching colleagues at The Brendlinger Library include Robert Erb (evening only), and Ruth McNaught. Gretchen Keer, Electronic Resources Librarian; Lisa McColl, Database Management Librarian; and Lawrence Greene, Archives and Special Collections Librarian, also participate in library instruction. Teaching librarians at the West Campus Library include Margaret Forbes, the new Manager of the West Library, Terri Sharif, and Kevin Strunk. The librarians are also happy to offer one-on-one sessions with faculty to provide a personal orientation to our electronic resources.
To schedule daytime classes at The Brendlinger Library and/or discuss instruction, please email or call me at 215-619-7480. To schedule evening instruction at The Brendlinger Library, please email or call Robert Erb at 215-641-6622.
To schedule daytime instruction at West campus, please email or call Margaret Forbes at 610-718-1867, or Kevin Strunk at 610-718-1912. For evening instruction at West Campus, please email or call Terri Sharif at 610-718-1820.
When scheduling instruction, please send a copy of the assignment. If you are designing a research assignment and have any questions concerning its appropriateness in terms of available resources or requisite skill level, please contact me. I would be happy to offer helpful suggestions.
We look forward to working with you to support and encourage the information literacy and academic success of our students!
