ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, Revisited

1. Fatmeh CharafeddineResearch, Instruction and Public ServicesHead of DepartmentUniversity LibrariesAmerican University of Beirut AMICAL Conference April 4-7 2012American University of Sharjah ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, Revisited

2. Purpose Draw the line between Information Literacy and Library Instruction Could Information Literacy be a strictly library function ? are librarians equipped with teaching skills ? given enough teaching hours ? Have access to learning outcome measurement tools? Could IL it be done without faculty cooperation and institutional support ? AUB UL as a case study.

3. Outline Definition and History ACRL Information Literacy Standards and Guidelines Getting started at AUB University Libraries 10 years of IL Program at UL Are we there yet ?

4. Definition “To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” American Library Association. Presidential Committee on Information Literacy. Final Report. (Chicago: American Library Association, 1989.)

5. History 1989 National Forum on Information Literacy developed a plan to address the coming of the information age. 1989 IL was recognized by ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy as the greatest challenge to modern American society. 2000 ACRL published its “Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education”

6. ACRL IL Program Guidelines Guidelines for Instruction Programs in Academic Libraries Approved by the ACRL Board of Directors, June 2003.Revised October 2011 Characteristics of Programs of Information Literacy that Illustrate Best Practices: A Guideline Approved by the ACRL Board, June 2003, revised January 2012 Both based on “Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education” and reinforce the importance of collaboration for IL among librarians and Faculty.

7. Policy Making and Accreditation Standards • “ Life long learning” is emphasized by the Department of Education reports and Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) standards. • Information literacy acknowledged as an indicator in accreditation standards. Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education: • Standard 11: Educational Offerings • Standard 12: General Education

8. Middle States Association Accreditation Standards Standard 11: Educational Offerings "Evidence of information literacy incorporated in the curriculum with syllabi, or other materials appropriate to the mode of teaching and learning”. Standard 12: General education "The institution's curricula are designed so that students acquire and demonstrate college-level proficiency in general education, scientific and quantitative reasoning, critical analysis and reasoning, technological competency, and information literacy.

9. How did it Start at AUB ? Expansion of e-resources, by 2002 article databases in most subject areas were part of the Library collection with low usage statistics. Librarians are knowledgeable of online resources and research tools but are not in direct contact with students. Faculty in charge of teaching do not integrated library resources. Urgent need for e-resources marketing and information literacy program that is campus wide, resonating beyond the library. University accreditation and strategic planning helped in recognizing the need for a campus wide IL plan.

10. Information Literacy Department 2002 First established in 2002 with two staff members. Principles based on ACRL standards and guidelines Mission: marketing and teaching the usage and integration of the growing number of library e-resources in the curriculum. Needs assessment survey; 65.5% of students didn’t know of the e-resources collection, 75% use internet only for their research. Intense outreach activities: first 1200 students attended.

11. Types of Instruction Sessions The program is composed of: English Communication Skills : introduction to Library resources, systems and services. Course or Major-related Sessions: focusing on core research sources and electronic databases Orientation sessions, and Library Tours: are provided to new students and faculty Individual research assistance: for faculty and for graduate students preparing theses. Special Faculty workshops: are organized to assist professors in integrating library resources in research assignments within courses. Workshops on specific resources or tools: e.g. Citation management, statistics and datasets ... Customized pathfinders : are created to suit a discipline or course and may be posted on a Moodle site in the Course Management System.

12. Library Instruction Objectives Ability of attendee toIdentify and utilize library services and collections: Distinguish among several information formats, e.g., books, serials, microforms ... Recognize the Library's various search tools (webpage, catalog, lists) Identify and utilize databases and/or other electronic resources most appropriate to research needs Choose reference materials appropriate to specific research needs Cite used sources according to selected citation style Understand and avoid plagiarism.

13. Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant 2004 Mellon Fund for faculty summer institutes received and launched for three years, in coordination with Academic Computing Services and Teaching Excellence. ISD librarians gave “Use of Resources in Course Design” seminars. Faculty received stipends to attend the seminars and to follow up on integrating the use of library resources in their course design.

14. E-Classroom, October 2004 Equipped with 27 computers connected to the AUB network, a smart board and a remotely controlled LCD projectionsystem. Online Reservation form.

15. UL Strategic Plan 2005 • Strategic Objective UL-0503 “Continuously develop and expand programs and workshops to optimize the use of and to integrate the resources within the curriculum at all levels, in Course Management Systems and in the General Education requirements.” • Initiatives: • a- Expand marketing and availability of information literacy at three levels: Entry level, Junior-Senior Research and Thesis preparation. • b- Continue the yearly summer faculty workshops. • c- Implement two research workshops (Fall and Spring) for advanced graduate students.

16. Assessment Tests • Two librarians attended the National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education (NITLE) workshop, Assessing Information Literacy and Fluency in the Context of the Liberal Arts Campus, 2008 • Tests based on ACRL standards. • Iskills, commercial test. • Project SAILs from Kent State University, Ohio. • James Madison University Information Literacy Test (ILT) • Research Practices Survey (RPS), will by adopted by NITLE • ISD hasn’t adopted any of the above yet but has recommended SAILS and RPS for future implementations.

17. Ten Years Later, 2012 Number of students attending its sessions each year has more than tripled rising from 1200 in 2002; 2313 in 2003-04; 7263 in 2006-07 to reach to reach 421 sessions for 7849 students in 2012. Well established program in English and Communication skills and large enrollment classes in some majors. A big demand for training citation management software Most sessions include online assignments and outcome assessment. Use of course management software (WebCT then Moodle) Online Research guides using Libguides, 2011. IL course on Moodle, course management software. Started cooperation with the University Writing Center, 2012. Just started a Library Facebook and twitter, 2012.

19. Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education Standard I: Determine the nature and extent of information needed Standard II: Access information effectively and efficiently Standard III: Critically evaluate information and its sources Standard IV: Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base Standard V: Use information effectively Standard VI: Access and use information ethically and legally Except for standard II and standard VI, all other standards are a qualitative shift from the traditional library instruction content and expectations.

20. Are we There Yet ? Information literacy is not formally institutionalized at AUB campus. IL is included as one of the competencies in General Education Requirements applicable in Communication Skills courses and others depending on faculty decision. Acquisition of the skill is not clearly defined and no explanation is given whether it is to be developed by the librarians or the faculty. The role of the library in developing research skills on campus will need to be clearly defined. Future subject specialist librarians could help moving the current ISD program towards a better Information Literacy course content by the Library

21. IL the Work of Faculty, Librarians and Administrators Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education Information Literacy and Higher Education • “Incorporating information literacy across curricula, in all programs and services, requires the collaborative efforts of faculty, librarians, and administrators. ” • “Faculty also inspire students to explore the unknown, offer guidance on how best to fulfill information needs, and monitor students’ progress. ” • “Academic librarians coordinate the evaluation and selection of intellectual resources for programs and services; organize, and maintain collections and many points of access to information; and provide instruction to students and faculty who seek information.” • “Administrators create opportunities for collaboration and staff development among faculty, librarians.”

22. Thank You