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The aim of this study is to contribute to a pragmatic understanding of critical information literacy (CIL) by positioning it as a context-specific interpersonal practice. Using phenomenography to explore how information work is experienced by social workers in social and health care settings, this paper provides an example of critical information practice that can be used to operationalise and activate CIL as a theory and inform approaches to critical pedagogy. CIL as a concept is generally theorised, practiced, and taught in academic contexts, and relatively few examples of how theory can be defined and put into practice outside a classroom setting are available. This study builds on our understanding of CIL by exploring professional information practice and suggests a model for teaching to engage learners in connecting information to action in social systems.

Supported by institutional commitments to community engagement, undergraduate students at universities across North America are participating in community-based research projects. These experiential learning activities allow students to collaborate with community partners to address issues in their communities, often resulting in co-creating research products that seek to have a real-world impact. This article reports on ways that academic librarians can support students engaged in these activities, informed by interview data gathered from university administrators and faculty members from across Canada with expertise in conducting and overseeing students' participation in research connected to university--community partnerships. This growing area of scholarly activity in higher education provides instruction librarians with unique opportunities to teach students valuable information literacy skills tied to knowledge equity, representing a threshold concept that recognizes students' abilities to create new knowledge that strives to be accessible, inclusive, and done in an ethical manner that serves community interests.

This qualitative study examines how academic librarians understand, conceptualize, and describe their teacher identity. The role of the academic librarian has greatly changed due to the advent of information technology. Traditionally, they were generalists, who were responsible for selecting and maintaining library collections. Academic librarian roles have evolved into web developers, information literacy (IL) instructors, emerging technology innovators, marketing and outreach coordinators, open education resources (OER) advocates, and scholarly communication experts. This research investigates the academic librarian as teacher phenomenon, how they describe their professional identity as teachers, the skills, knowledge, and competencies they teach, and their beliefs of how they are perceived by faculty. The author conducted interviews with six participants via Zoom. Using in vivo and descriptive coding, the author analyzed the interview data and three broad themes emerged: philosophy, identity, and perception. This study contributes to the literature of the importance of IL as a key facet of academic librarians' professional identity, their instructional role on campus, the increase in their teaching responsibilities, and how they describe their professional identity as teachers. Further, this research contributes to academic librarians' teaching practices and may inform LIS program administrators to update their curriculum and offer more courses on instruction, pedagogy, and learning theories. The study also illustrates a disconnect between academic librarians' lack of instructional preparedness and an increased demand for teaching among academic librarians.

This study examines undergraduates' research practices, as described in reflective essays submitted in applications to a library research award. Thematic analysis of 24 student award essays identified three strong themes in student reflections about their research experiences. Students experienced research as a social process, made meaning closely tied to disciplinary ways of knowing and practicing, and underwent a transformative process from beginner to apprentice researchers. Through a discussion of these themes, the authors highlight implications for information literacy instruction and suggest this instruction be closely connected to disciplinary practices.

The current political climate is characterized by an alarming pattern of global democratic regression driven by authoritarian populist leaders who deploy vast misinformation campaigns. These offensives are successful when the majority of the population lack skills that would allow them to think critically about information in the political sphere, to identify misinformation, and therefore to fully exercise democratic citizenship. Political science has theorized the link between information and power and information professionals understand the cognitive decision-making process involved in processing information, but these two literatures rarely intersect. This paper interrogates the links between information literacy (IL) and the rise of authoritarian populism in order to advance the development of a new transtheoretical model that links political science (which studies power), information science, and critical pedagogy to suggest new paths for teaching and research. We call for a collaborative research and teaching agenda, grounded in a holistic understanding of information as power, that will contribute to achieving a more informed citizenship and promoting a more inclusive democracy.

This article uses the theoretical perspectives of critical discourse analysis (Mayr, 2008; Fairclough, 1992) and critical pedagogy (Pagowsky & McElroy, 2016; Accardi, et al., 2010) to explore how language is a socially regulating structure used to represent and maintain power within the academic context. These perspectives are applied to two case studies of library terminology used in the authors' library orientation sessions to examine how language reinforces Western academic ideologies and structures of power in the information literacy (IL) classroom. This analysis facilitates an exploration of how language used in these contexts can both alienate and empower students within the IL classroom. In addition, other aspects that are explored include power dynamics and student voice within the classroom, critical discourse analysis as a tool for IL instruction reflection, and how these are connected to critical pedagogy. The authors also provide questions regarding privilege and power in IL to support library professionals in fostering meaningful reflections and dialogue, challenging their status quo and exploring new approaches to using critical IL in teaching.

This study was undertaken to learn about the impact of using the web-based Inquiry Strategies for the Information Society of the Twenty-First Century (ISIS-21), software developed by the authors, to improve the information literacy (IL) skills of late elementary students (10-12 years). Using a series of multi-media and learning strategies design principles, ISIS-21 was designed to be used in late elementary classrooms given the gap in children's IL skills and the increasing importance for individuals to be critical consumers of information, particularly when using Internet-based environments. An exploratory, two-phase field trial was conducted in English schools in a central province of Canada. In both phases the research design was a one-group, pretest-posttest where data were collected from 150 students at the baseline and after the use of ISIS-21 for completion of an inquiry project. Teacher self-reports were also collected. The results were encouraging as we were able to establish the feasibility and importance of using ISIS-21 in classrooms to promote the development of IL skills in late elementary students.

This study assessed the influence of information literacy training on graduate students' self-rated ability to search using academic databases and the internet to find information, as well as their objective information literacy skills through a survey in 2017 at the University of Windsor. After controlling for a comprehensive set of covariates, there was not a statistically significant difference in self-rated searching ability between students with training and those without any training. However, the trained students' average objective assessment scores in the five dimensions of information literacy were significantly higher than those of students without any training at the significant level [alpha]=0.05.

This study presents a critical exploration of one of the "ACRL Framework" concepts by examining it in the context of professional practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with health and human service professionals at a community health centre to explore how information literacy (IL) is experienced in the workplace. Value emerged as the dominant theme in participants' descriptions of their information practices. This concept was conceived of predominantly in the context of personal and professional relationships that existed within the systems and structures of the physical workplace, professional practice and the health and social care system. Using phenomenography as a methodological approach, this study presents a lens through which to see the nature and significance of information value in various contexts beyond academia, and invites librarians to consider how evidence from workplace and professional settings may inform IL instruction to students, especially those entering health and human service professions.

Librarians are stretched thin these days--budget cuts and decreasing numbers are forcing us to look at new ways of doing things. While the embedded information literacy model has gained popularity in the past number of years, it may be time for a new model of information literacy. We must arm teaching faculty with the tools they need to teach information literacy to their students. Ideas and examples of how academic librarians can weave information literacy into the teaching culture on campus, and provide instruction to faculty members on how to teach research and information skills to their classes, are explored. By meeting faculty members in their usual "learning spheres" we can show them a more holistic perspective on information literacy and give them examples of how libraries can help them in their own teaching and research, thus encouraging them to transfer some of that knowledge to their students.

This article reports on an exploratory study that examined bilingual/multilingual university students' perspectives on how language affects their information searching and use. The study also examined instruction librarians' perspectives on information literacy instruction in general and their approaches in providing information literacy instruction to international students and English as a Second Language (ESL) students. A qualitative research approach using focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews was used in the study. Nineteen (19) international and ESL students participated in the discussions while 8 instruction librarians were interviewed. Fifty-six (56%) of the students were aware of information literacy instruction as a service that was offered by the University library but only 37% had used this service. Only one of the librarians had had a significant encounter where language issues closely intersected with information literacy instruction. This study makes a connection between language and information literacy and reports on perspectives from both librarians and students' point of view. While proposing a possible working definition of Multilingual Information Literacy (MLIL), the study makes the case for MLIL as a necessary skill for the twenty-first century. The study also proposes ways in which Library and Information Science (LIS) professionals could be involved in promoting and enhancing multilingual information literacy and further suggests Specialized Information Literacy Instruction (SILI) and Personalized Information Literacy Instruction (PILI) as suitable models for providing instruction to Limited English Proficient (LEP) users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to understand how preservice programs prepare future teachers to use ICT to develop students' information literacy skills. A survey was conducted from January 2014 through May 2014 with 413 future teachers in four French Canadian universities. In the spring of 2015, qualitative data were also collected from 48 students in their final year of an initial teacher training program. Our findings suggest that although future teachers receive formal ICT training as part of their program, information literacy is not formally addressed. Nevertheless, information literacy is perceived to be an important skill. In addition to a lack of formal training, future teachers perceive that barriers such as time constraints and lack of access to necessary technologies in the classroom will prevent them from helping students develop information literacy skills. Based on these results, we propose some practical implications and recommendations for preservice programs and education policy makers.

Learning essential information literacy skills through the use of mobile phones is an innovative m-learning pilot project that was collaboratively undertaken in a Canadian university college over the course of two academic terms by faculty and the library staff. The research pilot project involved ninety one undergraduate students in five different classes majoring in psychology, social work, education or social development studies in an attempt to determine the effectiveness of using mobile technology to enhance students' information literacy skills and learning experiences. Pre and post-test measures, and survey questionnaires generated quantitative and qualitative data that was analyzed to determine the degree of changes in frequency of mobile device information literacy access and fluency in digital literacy skills. The article highlights the Mobile Information Literacy innovation and includes the development and design of the mobile lessons, interactive exercises, and its applications. The study's main results and conclusions are also discussed. Additionally, the successes and challenges of the pilot to support anytime, anywhere student mobile information literacy eLearning training that engages mobile learners and enhances their learning experience are identified and critically reflected upon to improve the innovation for stage two of the project.

In response to the rapid advances in information technology, greater pressure has been placed on academic libraries and teaching faculty to incorporate information literacy skills into the curriculum. Although these skills have been taught for decades, the principles and concepts of information literacy have taken on new urgency as they are increasingly seen as essential "new economy" skills. This article argues that to reach the goals of creating a generation of truly information-literate students, academic librarians need to assume the leadership role. With their multidisciplinary understanding of technology and information management, in addition to their deep understanding of the issues and commitment to the cause, librarians are at a distinct advantage. A discussion of best practices, followed by three case studies of institutions where libraries have developed very different and innovative approaches to reach faculty and students, and an evaluation of the literature on information literacy will demonstrate why libraries are uniquely situated to ensuring that the critical thinking and evaluative skills of students are developed and become an integral part of their learning environment.

In an attempt to expand Information Literacy (IL) instruction beyond the one-shot, the Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Library established the English Library Instruction Pilot (ELIP) in 2023- 2024. Students involved in the project participated in a series of three tutorials. The outcomes of the tutorials were aligned to both their Introduction to Academic Writing (English 1100) class and the "ACRL Framework for Information Literacy." In experimenting with the new model, we asked the following questions: (1) did the ELIP programme help students succeed in their associated English 1100 courses?; (2) does more integrated instruction aid in relationship-building between the library and the TRU community?; and (3) how can we improve our instruction practices to better meet student needs? This paper discusses the formation of the programme, the results from our evaluation of it, and reflects on future directions and improvements. Through an examination of student assignments, a faculty feedback survey, and reflective journaling of librarian instructors, we conclude that the programme helped students complete the outcomes of their associated English 1100 class. It also contributed to relationship-building between the library and the university community and helped significantly improve existing teaching practices and materials in the library. The ELIP programme is unique in its departure from both the one-shot and credit course IL models, and we hope that our reflections will encourage other librarians to reflect and experiment with their instructional spaces.

The reference librarians of Trinity Western University have a strong mission-driven commitment to teach information literacy, but there is a significant contrast between the amount of instruction they can provide and the demanding task of developing all students as skilled researchers. The growing teach-the-teacher model suggested an option to enlist faculty in providing a larger portion of information literacy instruction themselves. With strong support from academic administration, three librarians devised an initial faculty workshop as part of the university's faculty professional development series, followed by four detailed weekly sessions. They based their activities on several factors: first, faculty members would need to be invited into a shared concern about student research; second, the librarians would not call for significant disruption of current curricula and teaching practices; and third, the workshops would focus on one basic idea--turning the assigned research project into a vehicle for developing students as researchers--rather than overwhelming faculty with multiple options. Faculty responded positively to the workshop series, and there are initial signs that faculty members are embracing the promoted concepts.

Chemical information literacy is an essential skillset for navigating, evaluating, and using the wealth of print and online information. Accordingly, efforts are underway to improve students' acquisition and mastery of this skillset. However, less is known about students' abilities related to finding and using chemical information to solve problems. We studied students' abilities in one area of chemical information literacy: finding, estimating, and using pK[subscript a] values in organic acid-base problems. We identified areas of student difficulty related to these skills, implemented instruction aligned with desired learning outcomes, and then studied students' success rates after instruction. Our results revealed improvements in some areas but not in others. In particular, students still struggled when the desired information was not directly available in the literature (i.e., data had to be estimated) or when students had to use the information in more complex contexts.

This study investigates the relationship between students' use of information and communication technology (ICT) for social communication and their computer and information literacy (CIL) scores. It also examines whether gender and socioeconomic background moderates this relationship. We utilized student data from IEA's International Computer and Information Study (ICILS) to build multivariate regression models for answering the research questions, and accounted for the complex sample structure of the data by using weights for all statistical analyses, employing jackknife repeated replication for variance estimation. Students who frequently use the internet for messaging and participation in social networks (i.e., at least once a week) scored on average 44 points higher than those who use ICT for the same purpose only less than once a week or never. The direction of this effect was the same in all 21 participating educational systems, the difference ranging from 19 to 75 points (always statistically significant). We continued the analysis by testing whether the relationship is moderated by gender; as girls use more often ICT for social communication and have higher CIL scores on average. After controlling for the gender effect the CIL scores between the two examined groups decreased only by 2 points on average. Even after including students' socio-economic background into the model, the difference in CIL between the two groups of interest declined only little-to 32 points on average across all countries. The difference remained to be statistically significant in all countries but one. The results suggest a strong relationship between students' CIL proficiency level and the frequency of their use of electronic devices for social communication; hence, respective skills needed at schools and later on at the workplace are reflected in their use outside of school and for socializing.

Supported by institutional commitments to community engagement, undergraduate students at universities across North America are participating in community-based research projects. These experiential learning activities allow students to collaborate with community partners to address issues in their communities, often resulting in co-creating research products that seek to have a real-world impact. This article reports on ways that academic librarians can support students engaged in these activities, informed by interview data gathered from university administrators and faculty members from across Canada with expertise in conducting and overseeing students' participation in research connected to university--community partnerships. This growing area of scholarly activity in higher education provides instruction librarians with unique opportunities to teach students valuable information literacy skills tied to knowledge equity, representing a threshold concept that recognizes students' abilities to create new knowledge that strives to be accessible, inclusive, and done in an ethical manner that serves community interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines undergraduates' research practices, as described in reflective essays submitted in applications to a library research award. Thematic analysis of 24 student award essays identified three strong themes in student reflections about their research experiences. Students experienced research as a social process, made meaning closely tied to disciplinary ways of knowing and practicing, and underwent a transformative process from beginner to apprentice researchers. Through a discussion of these themes, the authors highlight implications for information literacy instruction and suggest this instruction be closely connected to disciplinary practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the merits of employing active learning strategies in the delivery of information literacy instruction (ILI). Traditional approaches to the teaching of information literacy skills--where students are passive recipients of the information they receive--are challenged. Rather, methods that encourage students to actively engage themselves in the learning process are posited to yield heightened student learning outcomes. To test this assumption, a survey was administered to 372 undergraduate students who experienced both passive and active learning ILI opportunities. Results indicate that passive instruction is not an effective style of teaching in yielding positive student psychological, behavioural or benefit outcomes. Rather active instruction yields more positive effects. Importantly, the amount of active ILI received does not matter; a single active learning instructional session may be sufficient to yield significant and sustaining student learning outcomes. This is particularly good news for ILI practitioners working in resource-constrained higher educational environments. (Contains 8 tables and 1 figure.)

Librarians know that collaboration with faculty is crucial when developing effective information literacy initiatives. Our case study, based on the ADDIE model of instructional design, set out to determine if a collaborative approach between faculty and librarians could effectively support students in a distance education course. Set in a small university, our study details how two librarians, embedded within a distance education course, teamed up with the course's faculty member to deliver research and citation help to students at their point of need. This collaboration extended from the planning stages to implementation and evaluation, to the identification of future research goals.

This article investigates the intersection between the in-school information literacy practices and out-of-school (i.e. home and community) information literacy practices of a third grade student and examines how this intersection may be contributing to his overall literacy learning. Data collected from field notes; observations of in-school and out-of-school information literacy practices; video-tapings of the home and classroom domains; drawings and writings from the home and the classroom; and interviews with the focal participant were analyzed and organized into recursive themes illustrative of in-school and out-of-school information literacy practices. Analysis revealed that the out-of-school and in-school information literacy practices of the focal participant ran parallel to each other and only intersected in ways in which school practices took precedence. The participant's out-of-school information literacy practices were not strongly recognized or valued in the classroom. (Contains 4 figures.)

About a decade ago, a team of librarians and technologists at the University of Texas at Austin began development on a Web-based tutorial for undergraduate students. The tutorial used a range of technologies--HTML, Flash, javascript--to create four modules that emphasized information literacy concepts by using a mix of text, images, interactive activities, and quizzes. Libraries across North America took note of the Texas Information Literacy Tutorial, or TILT, because of its innovative approach to teaching information literacy--it taught information literacy concepts without relying on resources specific to any one library, and as a result could be adapted to almost any library environment. A decade later, many libraries have followed the example set by TILT in adapting new technologies in promoting information literacy. This article highlights four case studies that have very effectively done just this: (1) "The Information Literacy Contest" (Joan M. Hopkins); (2) "Promoting Information Literacy through LCD Screens" (Eric Frierson); (3) "Collaborating for Online Learning: Promoting Academic Integrity" (Diane Clark); and (4) "Clickers in the Classroom: Is That Your Final Answer?". (Contains 1 table.)

The purpose of this study was to explore the current state of information literacy (IL) training and to identify the strategies and methods used by Canadian public libraries in improving IL skills for their staff and patrons. Also, the study sought to identify problems associated with the development of IL training. This study employed document analysis, observations, and focus group interviews to collect research data. The focus group interview consisted of six library staff members. The research findings revealed that Canada's public libraries valued their roles as IL training providers and paid careful attention to staff development by offering various training approaches in order to provide efficient IL instruction for the public. Another issue explored in this study is that Canadian public libraries build partnerships with other organizations to extend their IL teaching responsibilities. In addition to the financial concern, a major challenge, based on the research findings, is that public libraries need to let their staff understand the learning theories associated with IL education and adult learning in order to enhance the quality of this training. This study also proposes four guidelines for developing effective IL trainings at public libraries. (Contains 2 figures.)

Information literacy has been a popular slogan in the education sector since it was first used in the 1970s. Despite extensive recognition of the importance of information literacy in education and learning, its importance in the school curriculum has not yet been fully recognized. This paper discusses the importance of information literacy and the major standards and guidelines that have shaped its implementation in the school curriculum. Traditional methods of teaching information literacy through directed instruction, and sporadic or discrete school library workshops, have not been very successful in entrenching the necessary skills. This paper proposes a dynamic information literacy pedagogy that identifies and harnesses learners' interests (in this case, with the use of the Theory of Multiple Intelligences). By identifying students' dominant intelligences and thus their abilities, it can help ignite their interest in learning something new and unfamiliar. This in turn, can bring about a more effective erudition and prolonged retention of information literacy skills amongst learners. An introduction to an on-going experimental-action study that utilises this approach within the context of secondary school students (aged 14-15 years old) is also presented. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

Geographic information literacy (GIL) is defined as the possession of concepts, abilities and habits of mind that allow an individual to understand and use geographic information properly. This paper reports the results of an online survey undertaken to get expert input into specifying the concepts and abilities associated with GIL that should be in the K-12 curriculum to ensure coverage of geographic information skills required to be literate in an information society. The survey differentiates traditional geographic information literacy, general information literacy, and digital geographic information literacy. Replies from respondents (N = 80) were used to classify and rank GIL concepts and abilities. (Contains 6 tables and 2 figures.)

The purposes of the study were to explore the role of Canada's public libraries in developing the public's information literacy (IL) skills, to explore current IL training practices, and to explore the perspectives and IL experiences of individuals who visit public libraries to access the Internet. This article documents the second phase of a larger study, which included semistructured interviews of library staff (n = 28) and customers (n = 25) as well as site observations conducted at five public libraries. Analyses were conducted qualitatively within a phenomenological framework. Results show that the primary use of the Internet in public libraries is communication. Customers reported confidence in using the Internet, while library staff indicated that customers' IL skills were poor. Greater attention needs to be paid to connecting to customers who believe they are highly information literate yet may lack sufficient skills.

This paper presents the Mindfulness Framework for implementing mindfulness into Information Literacy instruction. The Mindfulness Framework is informed by findings from an original survey of the most preferred Information Literacy teaching strategies deployed by nearly 600 academic librarians in the United States and Canada, and grounded in the relevant literature from library and information science and education. Survey responses show that library instructors use a broad variety of teaching strategies, and the authors attempt to demonstrate how these strategies can support the integration of mindfulness into IL instruction. Using mindfulness strategies in other pedagogical contexts has been shown to improve learning and retention. This is the first paper to explore and discuss how librarians can use familiar strategies to integrate mindfulness into information literacy instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Augustana (located in Camrose, Alberta, Canada, and formerly known as Augustana University College) is an undergraduate liberal arts and sciences faculty of the University of Alberta with an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students. The fall of 2001 marked the inception of for-credit discipline-specific information literacy (IL) course offerings at Augustana. At that time, Augustana librarians began teaching two IL courses that were required for graduation for students in the relevant degrees (Bachelors of Music, Arts in Music, and Arts in English). Since that time, for-credit discipline-specific IL courses have been added in nineteen disciplines, bringing Augustana's total number of IL courses to twenty-one. This paper will give an overview of the development and implementation of these IL courses and will focus on the assessment practices to date. Specifically, data gathered from pretests and post-tests will be analyzed and results from a separate follow-up survey conducted of current students and graduates will be reviewed. In addition, an in-house Web-based assessment tool will be introduced and discussed. (Contains 17 figures.)

Associated Canadian Theological Schools is a graduate seminary consortium affiliated with Trinity Western University. Since its beginning in 1988 it has had a required one credit research course as a prerequisite for all programs. Several factors demanded the creation of an online version of the course as an alternative to the ongoing live course, but the literature on graduate level for-credit information literacy courses was sparse, and for online courses of this type was virtually non-existent. A process of trial and error since the online course's inception in 2000 has created a more mature offering that now meets the desired criteria for education that is learner-focused and interactive, with a priority on skill development through assignments using student-selected topics. While several hard lessons have had to be learned, the course is achieving its desired ends.

Describes the integration of information literacy pedagogy into the literacy curriculum of a teacher education program in Canada. Highlights include constructing a framework of information literacy pedagogy; collaboration with teacher librarians; revising a language arts methods course to include information literacy instruction; and what students learned from these experiences. (LRW)

Reports on data from an ongoing study of information literacy and bibliographic instruction in Canadian academic libraries whose goal is to identify instructional outcomes and characterize successful instruction. Focuses on the current practices of librarian-instructors teaching bibliographic instruction in Canada and suggests implications for training future instructional librarians. (Author/LRW)

A national survey of information literacy instruction in Canadian academic libraries revealed that trends in teaching objectives, methods, and content have changed little in the past five years. Instructional librarians continue to face numerous challenges, particularly with regard to limited resources and faculty and student attitudes. (Contains 7 references.) (Author/MES)

Background: Previous studies have shown that there is a complex relationship between students' computer and information literacy (CIL) and their use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for both recreational and school use. Methods: This study seeks to dig deeper into these complex relations by identifying different patterns of students' school-related and recreational computer use in the 21 countries participating in the "International Computer and Information Literacy Study" (ICILS 2013). Results: Latent class analysis (LCA) of the student questionnaire and performance data from the ICILS 2013 study, revealed different patterns of use of ICT; these patterns could be related to differences in students' CIL scores. These analyses support the conclusions of previous studies, which found, in many cases, a 'hill shape' in the data, suggesting that both low and extended use of computers may be correlated with lower scores on the CIL scale, while intermediate use is correlated with higher scores. Conclusions: The study identifies interesting differences between countries, and, in addition to the hill shape, both a 'plateau shape' and a 'hill-valley shape' were apparent in the data, raising important questions about differences in contexts.

Discusses results of a survey and interviews of science and engineering faculty at two Canadian universities regarding their perceptions of students' information-literacy skills and their own pedagogical practices. Faculty awareness of, and support for, bibliographic instruction methods and the perceived role of science and engineering librarians were also investigated. (Author/LRW)

A symposium explored recent public policy trends related to Canadian school libraries; the position of the school library as part of the educational process; and the school library's current and future roles in using old and new technologies to enable students to develop their information skills, ability to conduct research, problem-solving skills, and literacy. (SAS)

"Embedded" librarian programs can take many different forms. At Royal Roads University, librarians embed asynchronously in research-intensive courses via a hosted online forum. Over three to five days, the embedded librarian presents a series of posts on key information literacy topics and invites students' questions and comments. This research project undertook to investigate both the general effectiveness of this embedding approach (in terms of student learning and engagement) and the relationship that may exist between instructors' promotion of the forum and student engagement and/or learning. Quantitative data on student learning and engagement was collected through a pretest/post-test and qualitative data was collected from instructor comments within the LMS course shell. The results of this study indicate that embedding is moderately effective at increasing student knowledge, and that robust instructor encouragement of student participation correlates positively with both student engagement and student learning. We conclude that embedding is an effective information literacy instruction method that can be made more effective through increased relationship-building with faculty and program staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to highlight the importance of the term "information literacy skills" on the educational system in developed countries. This study was conducted by comparing the adopted standards of information literacy skills between the United States of America, as represented by the state of Nebraska state, and Canada, as represented by Transcona state. The current study might contribute to the development of the Arab intellectual production, which lacks studies and standards that deal with the specific terminology involved in the development of teaching methods. Such methods are highlyessential for the educational process and the scientific community as a whole.Therefore, setting up information literacy skills, Such as intellectual property protection, must be instilled in the minds of students since childhood, especially in our Arab societies. The main results of the current study have shed the light on the similarities and differences between the adopted standers in both student information literacy programs as well as two importance of teaching elementary students. The respect for copyrightbased on simple examples, In conclusion, this study reached a set of recommendations that we hope to contribute to and to enhance understanding of the importance of information literacy skills, thus enabling students to become successful future independent researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding of the alignment of key concepts in both evidence-based dentistry and information literacy could lead to greater collaboration between librarians and dental faculty. To identify these areas of partnership, a group of dental librarians from across North America created a rubric aligning information literacy concepts with competencies from dental education groups in the United States and Canada. The process included identifying relevant competencies, determining information literacy concepts for each competency, and adding learning outcomes scaled by Bloom's Taxonomy. The resulting rubric is useful for advocating librarian involvement in dental education curriculum, communication with dental faculty, and instruction planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Future Voices in Public Services column is a forum for students in graduate library and information science programs to discuss key issues they see in academic library public services, to envision what they feel librarians in public service have to offer to academia, to tell us of their visions for the profession, or to tell us of research that is going on in library schools. We hope to provide fresh perspectives from those entering our field, in both the United States and other countries. Interested faculty of graduate library and information science programs, who would like their students' ideas represented in these pages, are invited to contact Nancy H. Dewald at nxd7@psu.edu. Samantha Sinanan is an MLIS candidate in the School of Library, Archival and Information Studies at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Here she proposes that librarians should seek to understand the Net Generation searcher's perspective in order to teach information literacy most effectively. Accredited by the American Library Association with the Canadian Library Association, SLAIS is an internationally recognized graduate school at The University of British Columbia, in beautiful Vancouver. At SLAIS we are in the business of preparing professionals to exercise leadership in planning, implementing, and promoting the preservation, organization, and effective use of society's recorded information and ideas. We offer the master's degree in Library and Information Studies (MLIS) and the master's degree in Archival Studies (MAS). In addition, we sponsor a multidisciplinary Master of Arts in Children's Literature (MACL) with five other departments. Opportunities are also available for post-master's study, including a Ph.D. program in library, archival & information studies. For more information, visit www.slais.ubc.ca.

This study employed a novel user experience method, the love/breakup letter, to evaluate the usefulness of an online information literacy (IL) tutorial for students writing assignments with research requirements. Thematic coding of the letters showed that this method elicited revealing responses from students about their confidence in doing library research, preferred learning styles, and intentions to use such a tool again. In contrast with highly-favourable prelaunch user testing results, the majority of students wrote breakup letters to the tutorial and several bypassed it altogether despite their explicit assignment instructions. The findings have implications for librarians exploring new research methods and investigating practical applications of online IL teaching tools designed for self-directed learning.

Purpose: This paper is a qualitative study of how social sciences faculty construct their research workflows with the help of technological tools. The purpose of this study is to examine faculty scholarly workflows and how both tools and practices support the research process. This paper could inform academic libraries on how to support scholars throughout the research process. Design/methodology/approach: This is a qualitative study case study of ten faculty members from six research universities from the United States and Canada. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and recorded. Atlas.ti was used to code and analyze the transcripts; each participant was a separate case. Descriptive coding was used to identify digital tools used for collaboration; process and descriptive coding was utilized to examine practices in scholarly workflows. Findings: Through case study analysis the results of this study include the role of technology in faculty research workflows. Each workflow was grouped into four categories: information literacy, information management, knowledge management, and scholarly communication. The findings included scholars creating simple workflows for efficiency and collaboration and utilizing workarounds. Research limitations/implications: The study did not observe faculty in the process of doing research and, thus, only reports on what the researchers say that they do. Originality/value: The research is unique in that there is almost no research on how social scientists conduct their research workflows and the affordances/impasses of this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]