Marywood and University of Scranton Libraries Receive Cooperative Grant

The libraries at Marywood University and the University of Scranton have been awarded a cooperative grant to conduct an assessment of information literacy skills of students entering their respective colleges. This competitive grant is designed to foster cooperation and communication among library faculty at both institutions.

 

New technologies have increased the need for information literacy classes for undergraduates and graduates students. During the past year, several local universities participated in a joint assessment tool to help evaluate what needs to be addressed in these sessions. Although the tool proved helpful, more fine-tuning is necessary. When news that a standardized assessment for information literacy from the reputable Educational Testing Services (ETS) was to become available this spring, librarians at Marywood and the University of Scranton agreed that this new test would enhance their respective assessment tools and provide us with just the necessary information to tailor our instruction sessions to what the students still need to learn.

 

Funding from the grant will allow each university to purchase the ICT Literacy Assessment tests for a representative sample of their students. Following the administration of the tests, library faculty at each school will confer about strategies to improve instruction. Betsey Moylan, Reference Coordinator at the Weinberg Library and Cathy Schappert, Director of the Learning Resources Center at Marywood University were the co-sponsors of the grant proposal.