ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries J u n e 1 9 9 3 /3 2 5 Information literacy competencies By D en n is Isb ell and Carol H am m ond A curricular building block a n d m arketing tool f o r libraries T he librarians at A rizona State U niver­ sity West, a new campus in the metropoli­ tan Phoenix area established in 1984, have had the uncommon opportunity to work with fac­ ulty in developing curriculum and supporting library programs from the ground up. The li­ brary was the first building constructed and oc­ cupied on the campus, making development of the library and its services high on the list of institu­ tional priorities. The campus continues to experi­ ence rapid growth both in the size of the faculty and the student population. A strong partnership between the library and the faculty has been fostered, which facilitated the growth of an ac­ tive library instruction program. Bibliographic instruction efforts in this environment concen­ trated on building a course-integrated program that w ould promote effective use of a highly electronic library. Even though both student and faculty opin­ ion surveys indicated high levels of satisfaction with the library, librarians in the course of pro­ gram review identified areas in library instruc­ tion that could be improved. Some of the pro­ gram weaknesses identified w ere the number of students reached, which was not as great as it might be; a continuing reliance on the indi­ vidual faculty mem ber for including (or not including) library instruction in their courses; a growing inability to cover everything in one- hour classes; a desire to teach not just sources, but strategies—including database design and structure, and critical evaluation of information and sources; and the need to make library in­ struction more relevant to the needs of mod­ ern information users. In other words, w hat w e w anted to accomplish was more successful marketing and a program that focused on the elements of Information Literacy. Student lib ra ry competencies and inform ation literacy To reach these two goals, our objectives were to revise and improve library instruction to make it more relevant, market the program to growing numbers of new faculty, and promote inclusion of an information literacy com ponent in the curriculum development plans of each academic unit. As a strategy to get started, a task force developed a list of student informa­ tion literacy competencies. Using the list, a one- page handout was designed featuring the li­ brary logo and the title Inform ation Literacy Competencies f o r Students. This docum ent is used as a focus for the program as well as a major marketing tool. The list of competencies has served to give all the librarians, each of w hom is responsible for in­ struction in different assigned disciplines, an outline for structuring their classes and lectures. It has also been used as an effective tool for marketing information literacy to the faculty at ASU West. Librarians w ho speak with faculty use the sheet as the vehicle for marketing the concept and promoting the instruction goals we identified. It serves as a fact sheet, goal statement, outcome measurement tool, and re­ minder that can be left with groups or indi­ viduals at the end of a discussion. The competencies developed are purposely broad. Keeping them broad initially more eas­ ily captures the interest of faculty w ho are in­ trigued with the concepts, but less so with the details. They are flexible enough to cover all disciplines, and yet, w hen used within a par­ D ennis Isbell is research support services librarian, bitnet: icdhi@asuacad, a n d Carol H a m m o n d is head o f research a n d information access services a t A rizo n a State University West, Phoenix. 3 2 6 / C&RL News ticular departm ent or unit, can be adapted to include specific skill- and know ledge-based competencies developed from the broader com­ petency goals. They are easily understood and translated into program goals. They capture all the important aspects o f information literacy that can be used in the further developm ent of a library instruction program. The lib ra ry competencies document as a m a rke tin g tool Some of the ways that Inform ation Literacy Competencies fo r Students has b een used to market and prom ote instruction are: • Presenting the list to the campus Library Committee, an advisory group com posed o f faculty. The committee endorsed the competencies and distributed a recommen­ dation to all departm ent heads that a li­ brarian be included o n each curriculum committee. This encouraged library par­ ticipation in academic planning at the cam­ pus level and was a first step towards build­ ing the program into the curricular plans being developed by each unit. • Distributing the docum ent to new faculty during orientation to describe the goals of the program and how it can benefit and en h a n ce th e stu d e n t’s ex p erien ce in a course. This emphasizes to new faculty the importance that is placed in information literacy as a com ponent of the education that students receive, and its link to their o w n teaching. H anding out one single important page has an impact, especially since orientation is a time o f information overload for most new faculty. A hand­ book with detailed information, the Library G uide to Programs a n d Services fo r Fac­ ulty, is distributed later. • Using the list as part of the docum enta­ tion for the development of new courses and the revision of others. Librarians have participated in team-teaching courses that have incorporated the competencies, and h elp ed design courses to include these goals. A new credit course, Using the Li­ brary for Teaching, has b een approved and will be taught by a librarian and offered through the Education Department. An­ other credit course on using electronic re­ sources is in development. Both w ere mar­ keted using Information Literacy Competencies. • Incorporating the concept as part of the goals for the developm ent of the w hole curriculum in some academic units. Librar­ ians w ho serve on curriculum committees have the opportunity to present informa­ tion literacy to faculty in an especially ef­ fective and receptive environm ent and to contribute to plans being made. In one unit, an entire information literacy proposal is u n d er consideration that will build the concepts into courses. Faculty have indi­ cated they w ould not have thought of it o n their own, but strongly su p p o rt the objectives w hen they have been presented in this format. By building information lit- . eracy into the curriculum, instruction be­ comes less reliant on the inclinations of individual faculty and more an expected part of course development. • Identifying targets and goals for strategic planning and other kinds of long-range planning both within the library and on campus. The competencies have been sub­ mitted in response to environmental scan­ ning underw ay in academic units. • Encouraging faculty to provide more class tim e for library instruction by show ing them a larger picture of w hat is being p ro­ vided for students. The competencies have b ee n a useful tool for presenting this con­ cept with successful results. The list has also been used to establish com­ m on goals with faculty derived from shared experience in the classroom and joint respon­ sibility for student outcomes. • Including the list along w ith the course syllabus distributed to students. Faculty have v oluntarily d istrib u ted the list to classes, w hich has served to underscore library instruction as an integral and ex­ pected part o f the course, and to identify for the students the short- and long-range objectives. An additional and important outcome within the library is that the task force initially estab­ lished to develop Inform ation Literacy Compe­ tencies f o r Students has continued to meet and has taken responsibility for finding additional n ew directions for the instruction program. Using information literacy as a starting point for discussion within the library itself, the staff has taken a new look at how instruction is pro­ vided and w hat can be done to m eet more of the identified goals and outcomes. The task force is n ow planning w orkshops on electronic sources for students and faculty, creating a team- J u n e 1 9 9 3 / 3 2 7 taught credit course on using electronic re­ sources, devising ways to incorporate more active-learning and critical-thinking techniques into course-based instruction, and preparing a pilot program for measuring student outcomes based on the competencies. The task force and individual librarians con­ tinue to find additional uses and strategies for using the document. The positive responses and results achieved so far, in a relatively short period of time, is convincing evidence that In ­ fo rm a tio n Literacy Competencies fo r Students is an effective marketing tool that can produce significant results. References For additional information on information lit­ eracy in the curriculum, see: American Library Association Presidential Committee on Information Literacy. Pinal Re­ port. Chicago: LA, 1989. Susan N. Bjoner, “The Information Literacy Curriculum—A Working Model,” Iatul Quarterly 5 (1991): 150-160. Patricia Senn Breivik, “Information Literacy: An Agenda for Lifelong Learning,” A AH E Bulle­ tin (March 1992): 6-9. Lawrence J. McCrank, “Academic Programs for Information Literacy: Theory and Structure,” RQ 31 (Summer 1992): 485-497. Marilyn Naito, “An Information Literacy Cur­ riculum: A Proposal,” College & Research Librar­ ies News 52 (May 1991): 293-296. H annelore B. Rader, “Information Literacy: A Revolution in the Library,” RQ 31 (Fall 1991): 25-30. ■ INFORM ATION LITERACY COMPETENCIES FO R STUDENTS Information or library literacy centers on three broad abilities: • the ability to access information • the ability to evaluate information • the ability to synthesize information O nce these are mastered, the potential for lifelong learning is in place. Conceptual Competencies: • Understand: the difference betw een information and know ledge (know ledge as a synthesis of information). that the framework of know ledge is constantly shifting; that information and knowledge in a discipline is a social construction, an ongoing dialogue among scholars. the basic organization of a library and the different types of access tools to a library’s collections. the links am ong information centers and the access points available through technology a nd reference sources. the differing information structures in the disciplines and the stages of growth of the literature and information within a discipline. the criteria used to evaluate information for its content, source, quality, and relevance, that there are a num ber of different research strategies and models that can be em ployed to structure a research project in each discipline, and that one needs to remain flexible while doing research. the basic structure o f electronic databases and the strategies used to access information from them. the conventions of scholarly research, such as proper citation and intellectual property rights. • Recognize the different levels, types, and formats of information and their appropriate uses. • Develop an awareness o f the relevant issues affecting information access policy, such as copyright, privacy, privatization o f governm ent information, electronic access to information, and the exponential grow th of information.