final version of the self-study document - Keuka College's Middle ...

Assessment of information literacy within English 112 relies in part on a required information
literacy test. Instructor and librarian dissatisfaction with the test, perceived to be outdated with
regard to library resources available as well as with the skills students need to know, led to a
complete redesign of the exam with new questions geared toward each of Keuka’s four
information literacy outcomes. The new exam was piloted in Spring 2011 in 3 sections of
English 112 (n=82 students) and has yielded useful information about areas of weakness which
has helped librarians design library instruction that focuses on those areas where students need
the most help (Appendix 6.15 Information Literacy Exam Spring 2011).
In alignment with Standard 3.1 of the new Association of College and Research Libraries
Standards for Libraries in Higher Education, adopted in October 2011 – “Library personnel
collaborate with faculty to embed information literacy outcomes into curricula, courses, and
assignments”—Keuka’s librarians have spearheaded the following initiatives:
Working with several of the English 110 and 112 faculty to integrate more intentionally
into the students’ research experiences by coming into the classrooms while students do
their research and being able to answer students’ questions in real time
Working with two regularly employed adjunct composition faculty to meet with each
English 112 student in a mandatory conference to discuss possible topics and resources
for their research paper
Fall 2012 feedback from participating composition faculty has been very positive, noting that
fewer students have changed their topics at the last minute because they were unable to locate
sufficient resources, students were more excited about their topics, and students reported being
more comfortable seeking assistance from the reference librarians. Participating composition
faculty indicated they will continue with the actions noted above.
Within the academic majors, the development of research skills is explicitly identified as a
program outcome (e.g., program goals for political science/history, social work, English) or
explicitly through capstone expectations, such as the completion of a research project (e.g., ASL
and ASL-English interpreting, business, psychology, nursing, criminal justice, biology,
biochemistry). A number of program faculty collaborate with librarians who design library
instruction that focuses on the subject-specific information literacy needs of the major and also
directly relates to the assignment students are or will be working on. Librarians have also
provided information literacy instruction for upper-level courses in sociology, occupational
therapy, biology, humanities, and business. Librarians have also prepared both discipline-specific
as well as course-specific LibGuides (http://libguides.keuka.edu/index.php) which provide
instruction on how to access library resources and use information resources for assignments.
As underscored in the Lightner Library Mission and Vision Statements (Appendix 6.16 Lightner
Library Mission and Vision Statements), the library will “play a pivotal role in information
literacy instruction for traditional and nontraditional students.” As illustration, a dedicated ASAP
librarian travels to meet with cohorts across New York State to provide instruction and an
overview of using resources appropriately. At ASAP Instructor Workshops, librarians discuss
copyright, fair use, and plagiarism issues and direct faculty to resources to use with their
students. ASAP professional writing specialists regularly teach COM 320 Business and
Professional Writing, required as an entry course in the ASAP curricula for Social Work,
Page 23 of 39 Chapter 6: Faculty, Ed Offerings & GenEd