Library Information Literacy Tables

Table 1
. Information Literacy Framework

The following information literacy concepts and skills provide a framework for library instructors and teaching faculty to address during each of the indicated class levels.

100-level

200-level

300-level

400-level

Graduate

The role of students as scholars; discourse communities inside and outside the university

Developing research questions and relevant keywords

Critical evaluation of information; value and distinctness of information resources (e.g., data sets, finding aids, Internet, library catalog, librarians, subscription databases, etc.)

Citing research sources of all types formats; academic honesty and plagiarism

Information production and organization; copyright and fair use

Ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information

Choosing and stating a research topic; using research to refine topic

Keyword and subject searching; broadening and narrowing search terms

Value and distinctness of general and subject-specific information resources

Value and distinctness of information sources (e.g., popular, trade, and scholarly; primary and secondary; current and historical, etc.)

Tracing citation data back to original source

Interdisciplinary research

Repeated content:
Critical evaluation of information

Citing research sources of all types formats; academic honesty and plagiarism

Information production and organization; copyright and fair use;

Ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information

Choosing the appropriate resources, sources, or investigative methods based on research need

Research ethics

Incorporating new information into knowledge base and value system

Combining new and prior knowledge to create original scholarship

The ways in which sources are utilized by different disciplines

Identifying gaps in research; comparing and contrasting research arguments, data, studies, and methodologies

Discipline-specific citation styles

Information management

Repeated content:
Ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information

Critical evaluation of information

Citing research sources; academic honesty and plagiarism

Identifying important associations, publications, and scholars in the discipline

Scholarly publication processes

Economic, legal, political, and socio-economic impacts on information access and use

Knowledge of discipline-specific information resources and their organization and use

Advanced search strategies (e.g., use of controlled vocabularies, Boolean operators, cited references)

Repeated content:
Research ethics

Incorporating new information into knowledge base and value system

Combining new and prior knowledge to create original scholarship

Identifying gaps in research; comparing and contrasting research arguments, data, studies, and methodologies

Choosing the appropriate resources, sources, or investigative methods based on research need

Information management

Information production and organization; scholarly publication processes, inclusive of publication models and authors’ rights; copyright and fair use

Ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information

Critical evaluation of information

Research ethics

Economic, legal, political, and socio-economic impacts on information access and use

Literature review process

Incorporating new information into knowledge base and value system

Combining new and prior knowledge to create original scholarship

Identifying important information associations, publications, and scholars in the discipline

Knowledge of discipline-specific information resources and their organization and use

Advanced search strategies (e.g., use of controlled vocabularies, Boolean operators, cited references)

Discipline- and journal-specific citation styles

Citing research sources of all types formats; academic honesty and plagiarism

Information management

Table 2
. Information Literacy Rubric

The following Information Literacy Curriculum rubric identifies information literacy learning outcomes for students to complete at the end of each of the indicated class levels.

100-level

200-level

300-level

400-level

Graduate

Identify and explain discourse communities

Identify research questions; translate questions into keywords for searching

Recognize different information resources and explain the value and differences between them (e.g., finding aids, library catalog, subscription databases)

Construct in-text citations and a bibliography, inclusive of all source types and formats (e.g., articles, images, music; print, electronic)

Explain the importance of citing research sources and academic honesty

Describe how information is produced and organized, as well as the role of copyright and fair use

Recognize ethical, legal and social issues surrounding the use of information (e.g., academic freedom, right to privacy, free and fee-based information, intellectual property)

Assess the reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, timeliness, and point or view or bias of information sources

Identify and describe a research topic

Recognize that, based on research, an initial topic may need to be refined

Confer with instructors and librarians about appropriate research topics, information resources and search strategies

Execute both keyword and subject searches; execute revised searches to refine results

Explain why there is usually not “one” source that will meet all research needs

Recognize and explain the value and differences between general and subject-specific information resources

Recognize different information sources and explain the value and differences between them, including their scope, audience and intent (e.g., archival collections; government information; popular, trade, and scholarly publications)

Trace source citation to original material, regardless of citation style and source format

Categorize research topics by discipline; explain what constitutes an interdisciplinary topic

Implement a research strategy appropriate to research need

Explain the role of ethics in research

Combine, relate, and reconcile new information with prior knowledge and beliefs

Compare and contrast research from various sources to create an holistic analysis of a topic

Recognize the value of original scholarship; construct an original argument or position based on research findings

Compare the use of information sources by discipline

Identify gaps in research findings and modify research strategies accordingly

Recognize that different disciplines have different citation styles and style guidelines

Apply discipline-specific style guide to research productions

Document and organize personal research process and information sources

Identify important associations, publications, and scholars in the discipline; explain the role of these resources in the discipline; explain the contributions of individual scholars to the discipline

Describe the scholarly publication process

Explain the economic, legal, political, and socio-economic impacts on information access and use (e.g., censorship, constraints, costs, funded research, policies, scholarship)

Describe key discipline-specific information resources and how they are organized and used

Construct advanced searches using controlled vocabularies and Boolean operators;
execute cited reference searches

Recognize and explain the value of tracking citations forward and backward

Describe how information is produced and organized, as well as the role of copyright and fair use

Describe the scholarly publication process, inclusive of publication models and authors’ rights

Assess the reliability, validity, accuracy, authority, timeliness, and point or view or bias of information sources

Explain the role of ethics in research, including the role of Institutional Review Boards

Recognize ethical, legal and social issues surrounding the use of information (e.g., academic freedom, right to privacy, free and fee-based information, intellectual property)

Explain the economic, legal, political, and socio-economic impacts on information access and use (e.g., censorship, constraints, costs, funded research, policies, scholarship)

Distinguish between and explain the steps of a literature review