Full Text (PDF) - Mississippi Library Association

Page 2 Vol. 75, No. 1, Spring 2012 Mississippi Libraries
Back to School with Information Literacy:
One Library’s Plan
Mantra Henderson and Lynn Varner
Abstract
The intention of this article is to
describe why and how the James H.
White Library plans to integrate an information
literacy program with embedded
assessment into the academic curriculum
at Mississippi Valley State University
(MVSU). It is not meant to be a blueprint
or standard on how to implement an
information literacy program. It will, however,
focus on how and why the library
plans to implement their information literacy
program by providing a definition of
information literacy and discussing the
information literacy standards for higher
education, the history of information literacy
at the James H. White Library, and
the library’s information literacy program.
Introduction
Academic libraries and librarians suggest
that the primary function of an academic
library has a significant impact on
the educational value of fulfilling a student’s
academic experience and on the
mission and goals of a university. Knowing
how to use a library can provide students
with a sense of confidence in learning, and
provide them with a concrete foundation
for retaining knowledge and transferring
learning from one experience to another
(Rockman 2002). Thus, to emphasize the
importance of the James H. White
Library’s role to MVSU’s mission and
goals, the library staff developed an information
literacy program with embedded
Mantra L. Henderson is the director of James
H. White Library at Mississippi Valley State
University and a doctoral student at Delta State
University. Dr. Lynn Varner is an associate
professor of educational leadership and
research at Delta State University. Correspondence
concerning this article may be sent to
mlhenderson@mvsu.edu.
assessment. This article focuses on the
library’s plans to implement the information
literacy program by providing a definition
of information literacy and discussing
information literacy standards for higher
education, the history of information literacy
at the James H. White Library, and the
library’s information literacy program.
What is Information Literacy
The Association of College and
Research Libraries (ACRL) states that information
literacy is a group of skills that
make it possible for individuals to have the
ability to find, critically analyze, and effectively
use information and to know when
that information is needed. However, information
literacy includes more than just
library skills. It also includes media and
technology literacy. Consequently, information
literacy works best when implemented
across an academic curriculum
through collaborative efforts of both librarians
and university faculty.
Information Literacy Standards
The James H. White Library utilizes
ACRL’s Information Literacy Competency
Standards for Higher Education (2000) as
the basis for assessing the information literacy
skills of an individual. The standards
are utilized to determine whether an information
literate MVSU student is able to:
determine the extent of information
needed,
access the needed information effectively
and efficiently,
evaluate information and its sources
critically,
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.
History of Information Literacy
Instruction at James H. White
Library
Bibliographic instruction has always
been the primary methodology utilized by
the James H. White Library to convey
library skills to students of MVSU. This
was done primarily via instruction at the
reference desk, one-to-one librarian consultations,
and library tours. In 2001, the
library established a User Access Education
Program. The James H. White Library
has many resources, tools, and services
that are helpful in completing assignments
and conducting research. Many of these
print and electronic sources are arranged
and used differently; therefore they can be
intimidating to the unfamiliar user or anyone
who has not received proper or formal
instruction. Both graduate and undergraduate
students at MVSU are introduced to
various research sources through User
Access instruction sessions. These sessions
are arranged by faculty to enhance
the instruction they provide in the classroom.
University faculty members are encouraged
to schedule a user access session by
contacting the Reference Department. The
librarians, in conjunction with the Reference
Department, will develop a session to
accommodate the students’ research
needs based on the information given by
the course instructor. The James H. White
Library offers three levels of library instruction:
basic introduction to the library, information
literacy, and research 101. Basic
introduction is designed to introduce students
to the James H. White Library and its
resources. The information literacy level is
designed to empower students to determine
the nature and extent of information
needed. Research 101 is designed to provide
guidance in the preparation of short
and long research papers and other forms
of writing. This level may also require critical
evaluation of journals, books, and
Internet resources, assistance with the cor-