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Information Literacy

“Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.”
— Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)

Mission of the Weinberg Memorial Library

"The Weinberg Memorial Library provides superior resources, services, and programs that meet the dynamic and diverse scholarly, cultural, and social needs of the University and our community. We value teaching, research, and lifelong learning, and we are committed to intellectual freedom, preservation, accessibility, and sustainability."

The Information Literacy Program

The Information Literacy Program supports the learning needs of students as well as the teaching and research needs of faculty and staff.

Faculty

Faculty can request to schedule information literacy instruction so that the students in your courses will become familiar with the Library’s resources and services. Library faculty will customize instruction to meet individual needs, focusing on the resources for your subject area. Your students will be introduced to strategies for searching and learn how to critically evaluate the results of their searches. They will become proficient in using catalogs, databases, and the Internet, which in turn will reduce their library anxiety.

The Library offers Information Literacy Stipends to faculty to facilitate the integration of information literacy into academic courses. Stipend recipients collaborate with a faculty librarian to develop assignments that integrate information skills and concepts into student learning outcomes.

In 2016, the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) adopted the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, which provides approaches for how faculty can integrate information literacy into their courses. To learn more, read excerpts from the Framework. 

Students

Students (individuals or groups) can use our Ask a Librarian research services to make an appointment with a librarian to help them develop their search strategies. The Library awards the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize annually in three categories: Undergraduate Foundational (100-level courses), Undergraduate Upper-level (200- to 400-level courses), and Graduate. The purpose of this prize is to recognize excellence in research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge in the methods of research and the information gathering process, and use of library resources, tools, and services.

How is Information Literacy Being Assessed?

The Weinberg Memorial Library has developed an Assessment Plan in order to measure the quality and the effectiveness of its Information Literacy Program and the contributions that this program makes to enhance student learning.

Information Literacy Faculty

The Library faculty who teach information literacy have subject area expertise and will tailor information literacy instruction to the needs of your courses and students.

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