Beyond Wikipedia: Exploring a Research Agenda in Information Literacy

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Beyond Wikipedia Exploring a Research Agenda
in Information Literacy

• Julie Gilbert
• Assistant Professor Academic Librarian
• Faculty Shop Talk
• October 24, 2008

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Overview

• Photo from www.gustavus.edu/library
• Explore the results of two information literacy
  research projects Ive conducted in the library
• Identify ongoing initiatives and possible future
  research projects in information literacy

Examine the nature of information literacy,
including definitions and approaches
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Information Literacy Defined(by the Association
of College and Research Libraries)

• An information literate person is able to
• Determine the extent of information needed
• Access the needed information effectively and
  efficiently
• Evaluate information and its sources critically
• Incorporate selected information into ones
  knowledge bases
• 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
• From ACRLs Information Literacy Competency
  Standards for Higher Education,
  http//www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/i
  nformationliteracycompetency.cfm

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Information Literacy Interpreted

• Thinking critically about information
• Whats out there?
• How do I access it?
• How do I evaluate it?
• How do I use it?
• Considering the larger framework of world of
  information
• How information is produced, disseminated,
  accessed, used
• Entering the scholarly conversation
• In other classes projects
• In lifelong learning

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POL 200 Analyzing Politics

Measure the impact of multiple library sessions
on the information literacy skills of students in
a single class
Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library Reading Room,
c. 1950s.Image P-3357, Gustavus Adolphus College
Archives.
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POL 200 Analyzing Politics

• POL 200 Analyzing Politics Project
• Longitudinal study
• Fall 2006 control group (0 library sessions)
• Spring 2007, Fall 2007, Spring 2008 experimental
  groups (3 - 4 library sessions each)
• Fall 2008 Spring 2009 experimental groups (15
  week library lab component)
• Data collection
• Survey measures student research behaviors and
  confidence levels
• Citation analysis of annotated bibliographies

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Survey instrument
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Insights into research process

• Experimental students were 2 1/2 times more
  likely than the control group to consult a
  reference librarian (43 vs. 17)
• Almost 1/3 (32) of experimental group used 3 or
  more sources of assistance compared to a fraction
  (11) of control group
• Experimental group spent approximately 10 less
  overall time than control group finding sources
  for bibliographies (2.7 hours v. 3 hours)

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Confidence Levels

• Students rated their confidence levels in their
  own research abilities
• Control Group 44 very confident, 53 confident
• Experimental Group 47 very confident, 51
  confident

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Source Quality

• Spring 2007 students used more high quality
  sources on both annotated bibliographies (AB),
  more so on AB2 (6.0 HQ sources vs. 5.2 for fall)
• Spring 2007 86 of sources classified as high
  quality, vs. 80 for fall
• Spring 2007 students used fewer web resources in
  AB2 (14) compared to AB1 (21)

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Summary of Results

• Did multiple library sessions have an impact on
  research process, skills, and confidence levels?
• Students in the experimental group report
  increased levels of information literacy skills
• Citation analysis upholds findings that students
  demonstrate increased levels of research
  sophistication

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FTS Pilot Program
Revisions of FTS program led to conversations
about how we teach information literacy skills to
first year students
Recruited 9 FTS sections (n159) 5 experimental
groups met more than once with librarian 4
control had traditional one shot session
Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library, c.
1950 Nicollet County Historical Society Archives
Changes in information literacy skills measured
by pretest, posttest and citation analysis on
final papers
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Survey Instrument
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Reference Desk Visits
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Finding Information Sources
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Variety of Sources
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Summary of Results

• What is the effect of multiple library sessions
  or librarian interactions on FTS student learning
  outcomes?
• Experimental group demonstrated small but
  consistent levels of increased skill confidence
  levels regarding library research
• Final product will also include citation analysis
  of final papers to evaluate source content
• Provides a critical reality check on perceptual
  data

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Ongoing Initiatives

• Research Practices Survey
• POL 200 Analyzing Politics Library Lab
• Information Literacy Pilot Program

Julie Gilbert personal photograph