Information Literacy in the “Pathway to Success”

This presentation explored how information literacy contributes to college student success. Examples of how other universities address information literacy illustrated practical and effective strategies. Finally, the speaker suggested ways that information literacy could support strategic initiatives at Indiana State

What do Students Learn from Participation in an Undergraduate Research Journal? Results of an Assessment

Like an increasing number of academic libraries, Purdue University Libraries provides publishing support services to the Purdue community. In 2009, Purdue University Press had recently been moved into the Libraries, and there was enthusiasm about exploring new relationships which could combine the publishing skills of the Press with use of Purdue e-Pubs, the institutional repository platform that also featured powerful publishing features. Publishing an undergraduate research journal was particularly appealing because it connected the scholarly communication program of the Libraries with strategic goals around information literacy. There is evidence that undergraduate students benefit from engaging in research experiences, and writing and publishing study results is an integral part of the research process. The undergraduate research journal is a relatively new means for this scholarship dissemination. The Provost agreed to fund the journal, and the first annual volume of the Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research (JPUR) (http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/jpur/) was published in August 2011. One hundred forty-two students have authored or co-authored articles or research snapshots for JPUR. An additional twenty-nine students were members of the Student Editorial Board and mentored student authors. The Provost emphasized the need for the journal to include a strong assessment plan which would assess the degree to which the publication of the journal contributed to the success of Purdue students. The W. Wayne Booker Chair for Information Literacy was a member of the JPUR Advisory Board and developed the assessment plan. The Journal’s Faculty Advisory Board identified and implemented ways for the students who wanted to participate to be successful. These included: faculty mentors for students who submitted abstract proposals; peer mentors from the journal’s Student Editorial Board; a web site populated with customized learning resources and “Tips for Authors”; and workshops on preparing submissions. This paper reports on a 3-year assessment of the stated goals of the Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research. The primary purpose of the journal was to benefit students through gains in learning. It was also to benefit faculty and administrators by providing a tool for undergraduate recruiting, outreach, and fundraising. Students and faculty were the stakeholder groups that participated in the multi-faceted evaluation plan. The findings indicated that students did experience gains in learning as a result of writing an article, writing a research snapshot, or mentoring a student author. Because of their involvement with JPUR, student authors intended to publish articles in the future. JPUR influenced career decisions. Faculty were motivated to continue to act as mentors for undergraduate research. The journal is reaching a large and global audience. It is competitive with an overall acceptance rate of 52%. The paper concludes with recommendations for other institutions that are considering the establishment of an undergraduate research journal or that want to assess the student learning associated with one already established

Overview: The Role of Information Policy in Resolving Global Challenges

Governments in many countries recognize the importance of knowledge-based societies whose citizens are adaptable and have the means to engage in continuous learning. Information societies can address global challenges far more readily than those that do not adopt its characteristics of ICTs (information and communication technologies) and connectivity; usable content; infrastructure and deliverability; and human intellectual capability

Learning Commons and Transitions to College and Workplace

This presentation was given at the Wabash Valley Regional Library Meeting on September 30, 2014 at the Wabash Regional Education Center, West Lafayette, IN. It discusses the concept of learning commons, or spaces outside of the formal classroom setting that are conducive to learning; and the transitions of students to college and the workplace through information and libraries

Sexual Minority Health: A Bibliography and Preliminary Study of the Book Literature

The literature on the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersexual (LGBT) people appears in many types of resources and disciplines. To begin to address the need for relevant, easily accessible information for LGBT people and health care providers, this study identified popular and scholarly books published in the past 10 years and analyzed topics; number of books published per year; more prolific authors; and primary publishers. The results indicated that a relatively small number of books were published (521) by a wide range of publishers/self-publishers. Most were about mental health, relationships, or family and 24% were personal accounts

Editorial: On Information Literacy in the Library Workforce

This editorial discusses the need for the library profession to promote information literacy in the workforce of their own libraries. There are growing concerns among employers in the general public about the preparation of employees for the demands of 21st century jobs. Although the library profession has led the development and promotion of information literacy in educational settings, there is little evidence in the literature that libraries foster information literacy in their employees, If library organizations support an information literacy workforce, the library can become a model, showing parent organizations the power of information literacy in the work environment

Information Literacy:

This presentation was given at the University of South Carolina on March 22, 2013. It is a review of the state of research, policy, and practice in information literacy

Information Literacy Beyond the Library: Organizations to Watch

The need for an information-literate society is increasingly apparent to educators, employers, policy makers, and other leaders. Colleges and undergraduate libraries are well positioned to collaborate with a variety of constituencies on addressing this need. Academic librarians can benefit from an awareness of reports, conferences, and newsletters of organizations outside of libraries that recognize the importance of effectively finding, using, and communicating information. This column describes four organizations. By examining the Websites and subscribing to the online updates for each, librarians can have current information about topics that relate to information literacy and incorporate it into their libraries’ information literacy plans

Keynote Address: The State of Information Literacy Policy: A Global Priority

Access to information is important for economic development and community-based solutions to global challenges. However, access to information alone is not sufficient: people need to know how to find, evaluate, manage, analyze, and compile information and communicate the results effectively for the intended audience. This paper presents a global overview of information literacy policy. The paper discusses the meaning of information literacy and its relation to information policy. The paper proposes a role of information literacy in addressing global challenges. It gives national examples of information literacy policy. Finally, the paper identifies challenges in information literacy policy and discusses ways to address them

Setting the Stage for Success: Developing an Orientation Program for Academic Library Faculty

A multi-faceted orientation program can provide a strong foundation for self-efficacy, job satisfaction, and retention of academic librarians. At many colleges and universities, academic librarians have faculty status. Becoming a member of a faculty involves an extensive process of socialization. This paper examines the literature of higher education and library science on the topic. It identifies the characteristics of effective orientation from that literature. Incorporating an organizational socialization model with the findings from both bodies of literature resulted in a flexible, multi-dimensional model for the orientation of academic library faculty. One university library is an example that can be readily adapted in any academic library