Faculty Orientation

Faculty Orientation
Building Information Literacy into the Curriculum

Presented by Kim B. Cullinan, M.Ed., MLIS
Head of Public Services

Introduction

One of the missions of the Rockhurst University librarians is to collaborate with faculty so that information literacy competencies are incorporated into each college course at the appropriate level so that students learn the skills to become lifelong learners.

Standards and Guidelines

Information Literacy competencies, as described in the Association of College and Research Libraries Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education enable the student to:

Determine the extent of information needed
Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
Evaluate information and its sources critically
Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base
Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally

Faculty are encouraged to collaborate with librarians so that their students are able to successfully use the collection of the Greenlease Library. The document Information Literacy for Faculty and Administrators gives a good overview of how to approach information literacy.

Resources Currently Available at the Greenlease Library

Librarians qualified to teach information literacy skills.
Computer lab equipped with instructor's station, projector, screen and 20 workstations.
Face-to-face instruction about various topics, including but not limited to the use of databases, print and e-reserves, Online Catalog to locate items within reference and circulation collections in Greenlease Library and other MOBIUS consortium libraries, citation styles, and evaluating World Wide Web and print sources. Complete a Library Instruction Request Form to start the collaborative process with a librarian.
Course Assignments pages developed specifically for the Information Literacy instruction given to a specific class.
RockIT: Rockhurst Information Literacy Tutorial for credit within a course OR for the public version that does not have module quizzes and can be used for reinforcement of research concepts by any faculty.
Pre-Instruction, post-instruction and other assessment tools to ascertain student information skills using survey software; the results are shared with faculty requesting instruction.
Information and links to assist faculty with information literacy on the Faculty Resources section of the library website.
Research Guides and Internet Sources lists developed specifically for the needs of Rockhurst University students and faculty to assist patrons in identifying the key research materials available in the library collection and the best World Wide Web sources available for free use.
Librarians or Public Services Assistants available every hour the library is open to give one-on-one assistance.
Ask-A-Librarian 24/7 online virtual reference assistance through the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities Virtual Reference Project.
Ask-A-Librarian Chat/text and email services limited to the library's open hours.
Docutek ERes electronic reserves system for faculty to provide students materials to supplement coursework.
Print Reserves for students to access during the library's open hours.
Frequently Asked Questions regarding Greenlease Library's services and resources.

Benefits for all