Patterns of Undergraduates' Use of Scholarly Databases in a Large Research University

Authentication data was utilized to explore undergraduate usage of subscription electronic databases. These usage patterns were linked to the information literacy curriculum of the library. The data showed that out of the 26,208 enrolled undergraduate students, 42% of them accessed a scholarly database at least once in the course of the entire semester. Despite their higher levels of learning and expected sophistication in informa- tion seeking skills, juniors and seniors used databases proportionately less than freshmen and sophomores. The University Library conducts a variety of introductory seminars that introduce freshmen to databases in the Fall semester. There was no evidence that this momentum is sustained in the subsequent years when higher-level more sophisticated skills are needed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95700/1/Patterns-of-Undergraduates-Use-of-Scholarly-Databases-in-a-Large-Research-University.pd

Building the Games Students Want to Play: BiblioBouts Project Interim Report #2

The University of Michigan’s School of Information and its partner, the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, are undertaking the 3-year BiblioBouts Project (October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2011) to support the design, development, testing, and evaluation of a computer game to teach incoming undergraduate students information literacy skills and concepts. This second interim report describes the project team’s 5-month progress achieving 2 of the project’s 4 objectives, designing the BiblioBouts game and engaging in evaluation activities. It also enumerates major tasks that will occupy the team for the next 6 months. Appendixes A and B describe the game’s design and include pedagogical goals and how the game scores players.Institute of Museum and Library Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/64293/1/bbInterimReportToIMLS02.pd

Building the Games Students Want to Play: BiblioBouts Project Interim Report #3

The University of Michigan's School of Information and its partner, the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, are undertaking the 3-year BiblioBouts Project (October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2011) to support the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the web-based BiblioBouts game to teach incoming undergraduate students information literacy skills and concepts. This third interim report describes the BiblioBouts Project team’s 6-month progress achieving the project's 4 objectives: designing, developing, deploying, and evaluating the BiblioBouts game and recommending best practices for future information literacy games. This latest 6-month period was marked by extensive progress in the deployment and evaluation of the alpha version of BiblioBouts. Major tasks that will occupy the team for the next 6 months are applying evaluation findings to game redesign and enhancement. For general information about game design, pedagogical goals, scoring, game play, project participants, and playing BiblioBouts in your course, consult the BiblioBouts Project web site.Institute of Museum and Library Serviceshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/69157/1/bbInterimReportToIMLS03.pd

A Content Analysis of Information Literacy Courses in Mater's Degree Programs of Library and Information Studies

DissertationA content analysis of textbooks used for instruction of information literacy courses in Masters in Library and Information Studies programs was conducted. The hypotheses was that these courses identified specific competencies of information literacy at various stages of learning and differentiated between lower-level basic skills from upper-level more sophisticated skills. This paradigm was exemplified by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (2003). Chi-square (χ2) analyses of the frequencies with which educational levels starting from K-12 through graduate school occurred were conducted. Textbooks that contained any of the following information literacy themes met the selection criteria: (a) determining information needed, (b) accessing the information, (c) critically evaluating and synthesizing retrieved information, (d) integrating and applying knowledge, and (e) understanding the economic, legal, and social implications of information production and dissemination. Contrary to the hypotheses, the results revealed that emphases were on grouped competencies such as K-12 or undergraduate, rather than on graded incremental proficiencies. Educational levels K-12 were found to have significantly more citations than expected. Frequencies of references to college levels decreased as the learning levels advanced. There was no mention of the junior level. Emphases on lower-level basic information literacy skills were revealed by higher frequencies of references to sophomore than those of senior. Moreover, graduate level had only eight mentions out of a total of 361 observations. Taken as a whole, these courses fell short of the scholarly expectations of clearly identifying between lower-level basic skills from upper-level more sophisticated skills.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/64005/1/Dissertation.pd

LIS Curricula Introducing Information Literacy Courses Alongside Instructional Classes

Library and information studies (LIS) programs have commonly used the terms bibliographic instruction, information literacy, and user education interchangeably for courses on instruction. Some of the shared topics in these courses have been teaching and learning theory, instructional design and techniques, and program management. This study reviews LIS curricula available publicly on the Web for programs accredited by the American Library Association (ALA) and finds that, for the first time, three programs are offering information literacy as distinctive separate courses alongside other instructional courses. Moreover, course descriptions for these courses indicated that instructional theories still featured prominently in them. The article discusses the implications of these developments and reiterates that user instruction alone provides learners only with the lower-level aspects of information literacy. Higher-level competencies are obtained in the process of learning. It concludes that LIS courses on in formation literacy ought to present it within the larger context of student learning.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/64003/1/JELIS.pd