Purpose: The purpose of the study is to highlight the need for academic librarians to incorporate effective methodologies in their delivery of information literacy instruction. Design/methodology/approach: The researchers conducted a qualitative research using a case study approach. A nonprobability or purposive sampling method was employed in this research to select five participants. Semistructured interviews and observation were used to garner data from the sample. Findings: The findings of the study revealed that the support required by distance education and face-to-face students is typically the same. An examination of the findings pointed to the fact that some students may be demotivated in information literacy instruction sessions because of an overload of information, which leads to frustration and poor performance. Practical implications: The findings of the study highlight the need for Caribbean academic librarians to incorporate effective methodologies in their delivery of information literacy instruction and provide an analytical view of how these methodologies may impact performance, understanding and the overall work produced by both students and faculty. Originality/value: Research on the topic specific to the Caribbean is limited; therefore, research of this nature provides useful strategies that academic librarians may use in developing stellar information literacy programs in the Caribbean to help both students and faculty members achieve excellence.