Information Literacy Program Update 2003

Information Literacy is Academic Literacy

Students are more computer literate than ever. But just because they know how to use a computer to search the Internet doesn't mean they're equipped with all the skills they need to be competent researchers. Because research necessarily informs writing, entire papers - beginning with ill-defined theses and followed by unsubstantiated claims - will stand together as incontrovertible proof that many students lack the essential research skills they need for academic success. And, as they soon discover, research skills do not accrue to students by a recondite form of academic osmosis: they will never learn how to search for and retrieve high quality scholarly materials simply by breathing in the rarefied air that circulates between the stacks of our collections.

If your students are expected to write a research paper as part of their course requirements, do them a big favour: invite one of our librarians to give a class on library research methods within your discipline. Your students will thank you for saving them needless frustration - and for helping them get more out of your course. To find out more, please contact the Information Literacy Coordinator at the appropriate library - a list of coordinators and their contact information is available at http://www.library.yorku.ca/Home/ResearchAndInstruction/AttendLibraryWorkshops.htm.

Interested in booking a Scott Library research class? You can make your request online at http://tel.library.yorku.ca/faculty/booking.asp.

	And we can now accommodate more students in our workshops: we've doubled our hands-on capacity in the library instruction rooms, now located in rooms 530 and 531 5th floor Scott Library, in the former CAWC space.
New Scott Library instructional space on fifth floor

Measuring Learning Outcomes: We Need Your Help!

This year the Libraries are piloting an assessment project which will help us to measure the performance of the Scott Library Information Literacy program. Participation would involve having your students complete a confidential survey about 2-3 weeks after having a library tutorial. The survey, which we would send you, would take your students about 10 minutes to complete. You would then collect the survey and return it to Janet Cheng, Scott Reference, Scott Library via inter-office mail.

If you are willing to participate in this project and/or have any questions please contact Scott McLaren at scottm@yorku.ca.

Thanks for considering it!

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