Reference Librarian’s Meeting August 1, 2003

Jeanine Akers, Instructional Service Librarian, U of M

Mary Ellen Pozzebon, Reference & Instruction

Librarian, JSCC

WeTALC

Information Literacy Consortial Models

• Shared Values• Shared or Similar Resources• Shared or Similar Challenges• Varied and diverse abilities, ideas,

expertise

Shared Values:Information Literacy

“Information Literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to ‘recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.’”

Shared Values:Guiding Principles

• ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards

• ACRL Guidelines for Instruction Programs in Academic Libraries

• Institute for Information Literacy Characteristics of Programs of Information Literacy that Illustrate Best Practices

The ACRL Competency Standards

Guidelines for Instruction Programs in Academic Libraries

Characteristics of Programs of Information Literacy that Illustrate Best Practices: A Guideline

Characteristics of Programs of Information Literacy that Illustrate Best Practices: A Guideline

Common Tutorial Components

• Choosing and refining topics• Using reference materials• Using library catalogs• Using periodical indexes• Using the WWW• Creating search strategies• Evaluating information• Using information legally and ethically• Others?

Shared or Similar Challenges

• Many of us have distance education students who never set foot in the physical library building

• Many of us are unable to reach all or even a majority of our students via traditional bibliographic instruction methods

• Many of our students would benefit from a self-paced tutorial

• Many of us need to look at new ways of assessing our students’ learning in regards to information literacy

• Many of us are overwhelmed by the idea of creating and maintaining a web tutorial on our own (time, technology, etc.)

Shared or Similar Resources

• Some of us share catalogs• TEL Databases• Reference Resources• Web Resources

Varied and Diverse Abilities, Ideas, Expertise

• Varying technology skills• Varying writing strengths• Varying pedagogies• An automatic editorial board• Strength in numbers!

Cooperatively Created Tutorials

Process, Problems, Possibilities

• TILT http://tilt.lib.utsystem.edu/

• Internet Navigator (course)http://medlib.med.utah.edu/navigator/

• CSU Information Competence Projecthttp://www.lib.calpoly.edu/infocomp/modules/index.html

• ALICE (material repository)http://alice.acaweb.org/

• Reports of projects currently underway in Illinois and Rhode Island

• Possibility of upcoming TEL tutorials

Online Tutorial Technology

• Various software exists for developing online tutorials

• ACRL’s internet Education project has many good examples: http://cooley.colgate.edu/etech/iep/

• Design can be as important as content in getting your message across

Online Tutorial Technology

• Most tutorials use html, java scripts, and various graphics, menus, and buttons

• A few good ones use Flash• Assume different skills by the users;

some explain basic pc skills, some jump right into advanced concepts and strategies

• Let’s look at a few examples:

• This tutorial provides some basic instruction and just uses html

• This University library explains the use of resources using Java Script

• This librarian has created a series of instructional videos in various formats

• These two excellent plagiarism tutorials use Flash and are very effective.

• http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/douglass/sal/plagiarism/intro.html

• http://library2.fairfield.edu/instruction/ramona/

plugin.html

New Technologies

• There are some new tools in the shed.

• Today we’ll look at:

– Dreamweaver/Coursebuilder– WebCT– Camtasia/SnagIt

Dreamweaver/Coursebuilder

• Dreamweaver is part of the Macromedia suite of web development softwarehttp://www.macromedia.com/

• Coursebuilder is a free extension of Dreamweaver

• Coursebuilder is a web based training program

Dreamweaver/Coursebuilder

• Allows you to create tutorials with quizzes and other interactions that are tracked and compiled for grading

• Used with Macromedia’s other web development tools, it can create effective tutorials that do not require log-in

• This tutorial uses Coursebuilder to provide a quiz at the end of the section

WebCT

• WebCT is used by many school to provide instruction electronically

• WebCT course tools include communication tools (discussion, mail, chat), quizzes & results, syllabus, and modules, among others

• Some libraries use WebCT to create stand-alone courses

• This library is using WebCT to create information competence modules and quizzes.

WebCT Course Features

• This course, at CSU, Sacramento includes:– Survey, pre-test, modules, post-test,

quizzes

• Scores are reported to course instructor and included in final grade

• A stand-alone course is in development, reflecting the system’s emphasis on information competence

Camtasia and SnagIt

• Camtasia is a tool to create PC video presentations www.techsmith.com

• Can be used to create video demonstrations of search actions

• SnagIt allows you to incorporate screen shots and other graphic material into your web pages or power points

• Useful because they help reach visual and auditory learners

Camtasia and SnagIt

• Good compression• Highly regarded for software training• Works with PC’s and Macintosh• Quality, clarity• Highly regarded as tool for streaming

video• Works with Macromedia’s Flash• Output can be in several formats: AVI,

Flash, QuickTime and others

• This library has enhanced their tutorial with Camtasia videos in RealPlayer format.

Access Issues

• Information literacy tutorials must address issues of access to materials

• Issues are multi-faceted– Shrinking materials budgets– More reliance on various kinds of

electronic materials– Retrieval options are more complicated

Access issues

• Number one reason that access issues should be part of information literacy is the prevalence of off-campus programs.– RODP or other online programs– Distance Centers– Students in multiple categories

• Discussions about resources and access to resources should be integrated.

Brainstorming

• What we would like to see• Roles of each institution