Imagining the Future
Creating a Shared Vision
for Information Literacy in
Washington
Seattle - April 9, 2004
Carol Hansen
Professor and Instruction Services Librarian
Stewart Library, Weber State University, Ogden UT
Welcome!
Today’s Schedule
Introductions
Handouts
PowerPoint
Best Practices
Kuhlthau article excerpt (Agents)
Web Gallery
http://faculty.weber.edu/chansen/Washington/
Today’s Objectives
Participants will be able to:
Visualize goals for building information literacy
plans, outcomes, programs and partnerships
Be familiar with best practices trends and models
Be more familiar with terminology
Understand the scope and activities of the LSTA
grant
Another Important Goal:
Make it Manageable
Many models for IL programs
Each institution needs to find its own
way
All student learning and IL progress is
good
Overview
1. Visioning
2. Best Practices
3. Information Literacy Across the
Curriculum: Models and Trends
Discussion “post its” will be summarized and
added to Web Gallery
Be Thinking About…
The big picture today…
What kinds of graduates do you want?
What kinds of programs will produce
these graduates?
Be reflective
Leave your problems back on earth…
ET: Today’s Metaphor
We are all strangers
in a strange land “In
America”
Embrace our
uniqueness
With the help of a
few special
friends…
Small Group Process
At your tables, assign (and rotate) the following
roles
Facilitator
Recorder
Presenter
Artist
Don’t be afraid of new or
different ideas, terms, concepts
Ask questions, pose comments at any time
New partnerships and new
models can turn out just fine!
International Definition of IL
“Information Literacy encompasses knowledge
of one’s information concerns and needs, and
the ability to identify, locate, evaluate,
organize and effectively create, use and
communicate information to address issues or
problems at hand; it is a prerequisite for
participating effectively in the Information
Society, and is part of the basic human right
of life long learning.” - Prague Declaration
Web Gallery Exhibit
A Picture Tells a Thousand Words
What does the ideal IL program or plan for
your college look like?
Visioning Exercise
Individually draw a picture of the ideal IL plan
or program at your college
This should be symbolic, not realistic,
abstract is good, no words
Picture your graduates and your IL program
What are your inputs and outcomes
Focus on perfection, this is a fantasy!
There are no problems with funding, staffing,
etc.
Visioning Exercise
As a group, create a group drawing on the large post it
notes
Take the best ideas/elements of each individual
drawing and make it into a new big drawing
Remember, this should be symbolic, abstract is good
Picture your graduates and your IL program
Focus on perfection, this is a fantasy!
Be creative!! Let’s see IL in a new light
Group presentations – describe your ideal program
Strengths and Challenges
From the “Ideal Vision”
What are we/you already doing well?
Each group list at least 3 things
Strengths and Challenges
From the “Ideal Vision” - What are our
challenges?
List 3 items/issues
…and any thoughts
on opportunities?
Who’s on your IL team?
Who is pictured in your ideal vision?
Who might be missing or forgotten?
What are our roles and their roles?
Change agent
Collaboration agent
Kuhlthau Study
13,000 students can’t be wrong
99.4 percent of students in grades 3 to
12 believe school libraries and their
services help them become better
learners.
Library as “dynamic agent of
learning”
Web Gallery Exhibit
Kuhlthau Study
“The eight characteristics can be
used as a strategic road map for
school librarians who want to
place a stronger emphasis on
instruction and learning in their
programs.”
Kuhlthau Study
The eight characteristics include
describing librarians as:
Literacy Development Agents
Knowledge Construction Agents
Academic Achievement Agents
Technological Literacy Agents
And more…
Kuhlthau Study:
What are our roles?
Small group discussion
Review handout
How can we, working in the community
and technical college setting, use these
roles as models to expand IL learning
plans and programs?
As agents and (provocateurs?)
As collaborators?
As library faculty, directors, or as staff?
Break
After the break, please try to sit with or
very near others from your institution
Folding the Perfect Visions into
Best Practices…
ACRL Best Practices for IL Programs
Best Practices Models
Web Gallery Exhibit
ACRL IL Best Practices
Real title =
“Characteristics of Programs of
Information Literacy that Illustrate
Best Practices: A Guideline”
Web Gallery Exhibit
IL Best Practices
1. Mission
6. Collaboration
2. Goals and
Objectives 7. Pedagogy
3. Planning 8. Staffing
4. Administrative 9. Outreach
and Institutional 10. Assessment/
Support Evaluation
5. Articulation
with Curriculum
Best Practices: Mission
Wartburg’s model
IL Program Mission:
Put it on the Web
Share it widely
Web Gallery Exhibit
Best Practices:
Goals and Objectives
Weber State
The Best Practices ARE our annual
goals and Objectives
SUNY Albany
Reflects the Middle States
Commission Guidelines
Web Gallery Exhibit
Best Practices: Planning
How is
information
literacy driven
(or not) by
librarians?
How can/does
assessment drive
planning?
Best Practices: Program Planning
Plan
What is your
planning
process?
Revise Implement
Planning is
necessary for
program
evaluation
Assess & Evaluate
Student centered
Best Practices:
Administrative Support
Small group discussion
How does/will your IL program grow?
How much of your IL program
development is top down?
How much is bottom up or sideways?
How do you get and keep support?
Several groups will report out
Best Practices: Collaboration
Stakeholders
Strategies
Best Practices: Outreach
Focus on enhanced communication
Clear message defining and describing
program
James Madison
Use a variety of outreach channels
Responsibility of all members of the
institution
Seattle Central Web Gallery Exhibit
Outreach Opportunities
Small group discussion
What are some of the best ways or
strategies you have used, or could use, to
develop outreach
activities,
formal and
informal?
Best Practices: Assessment
Learning Outcomes Assessment
Many different methods and styles
Minneapolis Community College
Knowledge and attitudes
Data is good: How has learning
increased?
Web Gallery Exhibit
Best Practices: Assessment
Programmatic Evaluation
What improvements have been made?
What goals have been met?
What integrations, collaborations
achieved?
IL Across the Curriculum
Many ways to enhance learning…
Can be called other things
Many curricular strategies and models to
pick and choose from
IL, like writing, requires repeated
experiences
ILAC At Weber State
Case Study
English 2010 and FYE
General Education
Core Requirement (lower division)
Course or exam
Course integrated (lower and upper
division)
Many partners, library driven
Web Gallery Exhibit
ILAC Models
Required, librarian taught, module(s)
within
Core English or writing course - most
common
First Year Experience Course
Specific courses in major or program
Capstone course in major
ILAC Models
IL in General Education
Wartburg
The five courses in the Wartburg Plan of Essential
Education (required Gen Ed) have mandated
information literacy components
Information literacy skills are not intended to be
taught in isolation but are planned to advance the
goals each faculty member establishes for classroom
instruction
Web Gallery Exhibit
ILAC Models
Campus Wide (Computer and) Information
Literacy Requirement
Tutorial only
Tutorial and exam
James Madison University
Minniapolis Community and
Technical College
Course only
Course or Exam
Weber State Web Gallery Exhibit
IL Courses – All the options…
Required courses or elective courses
pilot and experimental options
Online or traditional face to face courses
Hybrid - in class and online
Courses taught by
library faculty
discipline faculty
library faculty/discipline faculty teams
Other teams?
ILAC Models
Departmental/programmatic IL
Discipline Faculty driven
Courses and/or programs
Defined and diffused – CSUF
Web Gallery Exhibit
ILAC Models
Portfolios
Paper and/or electronic
Zayed University
Web Gallery Exhibit
Other Models?
What other models are you aware of
or are you interested in?
The problem is…too many right
answers, lots of options! Have fun!
ILAC Models
Small group discussion
What are the advantages (and possible disadvantages)
of each curricular model ?
Librarian taught module or session(s) within a course
IL infused in/across Gen Ed courses
Gen Ed IL required course
Campus requirement (tutorial, course and/or exam)
Departmentally designed & integrated program
Portfolios
Other… Report summary to larger group
The Grant
“Through this project, LMDC will enable
librarians in the 34 community and
technical colleges in Washington State to
play significant roles in infusing
information literacy into the curriculum
and making it an integral part of the
learning process.”
In Conclusion…
We are each building our bag of treats
Each partner will add to our bag
Lunch Time