Information Literacy @ Egan Library

Information literacy is one of the UAS Undergraduate Competencies: "competency in information literacy combines the skills of being able to 1) identify needed information; 2) locate and access the information; 3) analyze and evaluate the content; 4) integrate and communicate the information; and 5) evaluate the product and the process." Egan Library’s information literacy program contributes to the library’s mission > by promoting information literacy throughout the University curriculum and library services, empowering students to critically use and evaluate library and other information resources and to grow as independent critical thinkers and lifelong learners. 

Below are some information literacy instruction videos created for specific classes. If you want to use one of these videos, or have it adapted for your class, contact Kaia Henrickson, Information Literacy Librarian at Egan Library.

Here are some examples of information literacy assessment activities that librarians have created for specific courses:

Librarians provide information literacy instruction in both the face-to-face and e-Learning environments. Our course-integrated instruction is tied to a specific assignment or student need and taught in-person via a class visit or online via a variety of asynchronous or synchronous means. Examples include:

• Course-integrated instruction sessions facilitated by faculty librarians, delivered in the classroom or online by videoconference.

• Collaboration with faculty on research assignments, instructional handouts, instructional videos, and assessments. 

• Class library visits and tours.

• Instructional online research guides and print materials.

• On-demand research help through a variety of channels, including in-person, email, phone, and chat.

• Personal research consultations by appointment.

• Instruction for various groups at University events, such as Convocation and Adjunct Faculty Orientation.

• Library events and programs, like the annual Egan Library Open House.

• Professional development workshops through the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT).

• Credit-bearing courses taught by by faculty librarians (LS101 & LS220).

In addition, librarians are better able to help your students with their assignments if we know what you would like them to do. When possible, we would appreciate it if you could share your assignments with the library. Emailing assignments to uas.eganlibrary@alaska.edu or sharing them with your liaison is the easiest way to do this.

These assignment ideas and resources support information literacy concepts addressed in the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education.

Incorporate primary source material into an assignments (Authority is constructed and contextual)

• Ask students to research their local community's response to a particular political issue over time
• Have students explore a primary source on their topic, like an oral history, diary, or dataset

Students explore different types of resources and explain how different voices are represented within each (Authority is constructed and contextual)

• Compare an academic article, popular article, and webpage on the same topic
• Have students compare science research to popular science reporting

Explore the "Scholarly Conversation" (Scholarship as Conversation)

• Use high-impact articles and follow the references forward and backward
• Explore relationships between topics over time

Improve Students' Search Strategies (Searching as Strategic Exploration)

• Use professional thesauri (like those in ERIC or PsychINFO) to identify search terms
• Browse the physical library stacks to find books on a similar topic

Connect with your Librarian Liaison to share your ideas about integrating information literacy concepts into course assignments.

Egan Library faculty offer two LS credit-bearing classes with a focus on Information Literacy:

LS 101: Introduction to Academic Library Research

Introduction to the research process and information literacy skills, including strategies, tools, and techniques for locating, evaluating, and ethically using information from library collections, databases, and the internet. Students will also explore current issues in information literacy, such as mis/disinformation and algorithmic bias.

Each Fall and Spring, there are two sections offered - one asynchronous online section, and one hybrid section - on-site in Juneau and synchronous online over Zoom for students outside Juneau.

LS 220: Internet and Society

• The course will provide deeper understanding of the power structures that shape the Internet, social media and contemporary society.
• Prerequisite: WRTG S111 (C 2.0 or better) or concurrent enrollment, or instructor permission.

Check the current course schedule for the next available class. Please contact Kaia Henrickson, Information Literacy Librarian, with any questions.