ERIC Number: EJ810887
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Apr
Pages: 28
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1551-2169
EISSN: N/A
Collaborating with Librarians to Develop Lower Division Political Science Students' Information Literacy Competencies
Stevens, Christy R.; Campbell, Patricia J.
Journal of Political Science Education, v4 n2 p225-252 Apr 2008
Studies suggest that course-integrated information literacy instruction is an effective way to enhance the quality of student research. However, many political science professors are unfamiliar with the growing information literacy movement in higher education today, with strategies for integrating information literacy into their courses and assignments, and with opportunities to collaborate with librarians beyond requesting a 50-minute library instruction session for their classes. This paper addresses these issues, beginning with a discussion of the emergence of information literacy as an important discourse in higher education today and a description of the Association of College and Research Libraries' "Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education." It then reviews relevant literature on library instruction and librarian/course faculty collaboration, illustrating that effective information literacy instruction requires that librarians and course faculty work together beyond "one-shot" library instruction sessions. Collaboratively developed research assignment sequences are posited as an effective way for librarians and political science professors to work together to enhance lower division students' information literacy competencies. Finally, the paper provides a practical example of a collaboratively developed assignment sequence for a lower division American Government class that is mapped to the "Information Literacy Competency Standards." (Contains 6 tables and 10 notes.)
Descriptors: Student Research, Political Science, Research Libraries, Information Literacy, Librarians, Library Instruction, Competence, College Students, Role, Computer Uses in Education, Librarian Teacher Cooperation, College Faculty, Cooperative Planning, Academic Standards, Assignments, Periodicals, Annotated Bibliographies, Library Materials, Journal Articles, Student Projects
Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: Media Staff; Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A