JOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS EDUCATION - Naspaa

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Information Literacy in Public Affairs Curriculumcompleting a particular research project in light of available financial resources”(pp.11-12). The ACRL’s (ALA, 2000) first standard, “the information literatestudent determines the nature and extent of the information needed,” issupported with a performance indicator on whether students define andarticulate the need for information.In the Ethics and Public Decision Making curriculum, students were (a)assigned a research question, (b) given guidance on the particulars of a topic thatwill satisfy the assignment, and (c) instructed in the use of peer-reviewed journalsor similar sources to continue formulating their questions. Course criteriarequired the question to be an unresolved “dilemma” for the student conductingthe research, which meant that it generated more than one possible resolution,but it lacked a ready-made answer. The dilemma also had to be normative,as measured by the criterion that “facts” alone would not resolve it. And thedilemma had to be one that could benefit from research, based on the criterionthat it should generate 10 quality citations. To further focus their research,students received comments from each other and from the professor.The students’ perspective on the project is that this research paper is speciallydesigned to provide a skill that may be needed later in life — the ability toobjectively weigh emotionally charged, competing views. Students were obligedto select a value-laden dilemma that was related to government and definedas a “problem involving value considerations for which there is more than onecompeting solution, where alternatives appear incompatible” (Williams, 2000a,p.1). Considerable effort was put toward explaining that “value-laden” meantno amount of fact-finding was going to solve the matter. “Values” were choicesand callings to one’s ultimate beliefs. “Dilemmas” had to be situations with atleast two plausible solutions. If the student already knew which solution waspreferred, it was not a dilemma.In the final paper, not to exceed 20 pages, students had to provide “reasonsand evidence for a variety of views concerning the selected issue, and not simplyprovide a polemic in behalf of one perspective” (Williams, 2000b, 1). Furtherrequirements were a balanced discussion of the strengths and weaknesses ofrelevant points of view, followed by an attempt to resolve the dilemma. Thecourse syllabus provided topics addressed by previous students, such as whetherpublic pension plans should continue to invest in companies that manufacturetobacco products, and whether trans-national adoptions should be permitted.Ultimately, students were free to select any topic of interest, as long as they couldidentify 10 or more academic references for their research. The expectation wasthat students would find sufficient literature to assist with resolving their moraldilemmas. The objective was to build their capacity to do this again at somepoint in the future, when the dilemma was not a removed academic exercise, buta real and pressing issue in the student’s professional or personal life.As seen both from the curriculum and from student experiences, the290 Journal of Public Affairs Education
Information Literacy in Public Affairs Curriculuminformation literacy attribute is not an add-on or adjunct to the course. Instead,it is a central element of the teaching goal.Accessing SourcesThe Middle States Commission on Higher Education guidelines forinformation literacy (2003) set an expectation that, after training, a graduatestudent “understands how information is produced and disseminated; [and]develops and implements a search strategy appropriate to the discipline” (pp.11-12). The ACRL’s (ALA, 2000) second standard is that the “information literatestudent accesses needed information effectively and efficiently” (p.8). Relatedperformance indicators are• Selecting the investigative methods or retrieval systems mostappropriate for accessing needed information, and using a varietyof methods to retrieve information online or in person; and• Identifying a variety of types and formats for potentialinformation sources.In Ethics and Public Decision Making, students were instructed to useappropriate bibliographical sources, full-text sources, and databases to identifya minimum of 10 appropriate citations that related to at least two competingsolutions to the ethical dilemma. The minimum of 10 citations demonstratedthat there would be sufficient material for the report. The professor instructedstudents on searching electronic subscription resources that were availablethrough EBSCO Host databases, JSTOR databases, and ProQuest’s ABI Inform/Global. 3 Available library support included reference assistance, access to printand electronic research resources, and free interlibrary loan service.The student’s perspective of how to solve a dilemma brings us to theinformation part. Whether impartial, fair, or balanced, consideration of valueladen,competing views depends greatly on the best possible advice. Where doyou get that advice? Students do not necessarily have much insight for answeringthis question. They may well thrash about and take whatever advice they canfind. But they were advised that the final paper should be thorough.How can librarians help students find this advice? Although the MiddleStates Commission on Higher Learning goals call for students to be able todevelop a search strategy for a discipline (2003), according to Grassian andKaplowitz (2001), adult learners in the course may select research topics thathave personal relevancy, but that also are often interdisciplinary, which makesthem complex and time-consuming to research. The “information literacy”librarians can beneficially communicate about information access as it relates tomultiple disciplines. Specifically, they can show students (a) the current methodsof finding peer-reviewed journals, (b) how to distinguish levels of quality in non-Journal of Public Affairs Education 291
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