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Mission Statement
Information literacy is an essential part of a twenty-first-century university education. It is a complex mixture of practical and analytical skills that carry over from the academic setting into professional and personal life. The mission of the information literacy program at Carnegie Mellon University is to insure that students develop fluency in obtaining, evaluating, and using information in an effective and socially responsible manner.
The University Libraries share responsibility with teaching faculty throughout the university to define the curriculum that teaches each student to define an information need; to find, evaluate, interpret and document a variety of information sources; and to understand principles of intellectual property and academic integrity. Learning will take place in stages, beginning with general and interdisciplinary knowledge and progressing on to mastery of the information environment specific to the student's area of concentration.
Rationale
Faculty and librarians are increasingly concerned that students rely on Google for all their information needs and are unaware of print resources, licensed databases and journals, archival resources, and other important research materials. They also need to become more effective and efficient searchers and evaluators of information found on the Internet. Librarians are ready and willing to work with faculty to provide the guidance and supporting materials needed to teach students to be information literate and successful in graduate school and careers.
Learning Objectives
The information literate student:
- Is familiar with a range of information sources appropriate to the discipline (e.g. electronic and print periodicals, books, government documents, archival material, technical reports).
- Has a knowledge of appropriate information-seeking behavior.
- Conducts electronic database searches effectively.
- Knows how to evaluate information sources, including the Internet.
- Has learned how to cite material appropriately and develop a bibliography.
- Understands plagiarism, the ethical use of information, and intellectual property.
Carnegie Mellon Approach
At Carnegie Mellon, we are using an integrated approach for our information literacy program. We will document existing instructional programs and activities such as the Computing at Carnegie Mellon (C@CM), library user education and outreach (tours, workshops, class visits and guides, tutorials, publications), and learning that takes place within existing courses. We will also identify an upper-level undergraduate course within each department where information literacy is or can be an instructional goal.
Information Literacy in the Curriculum
Computer Skills Workshop: For many years, Carnegie Mellon students have begun their studies with a Computer Skills Workshop mini-course. That program was recently rewritten to integrate computer, library and information ethics skills into a holistic model of information fluency. It is required for all freshmen.
- Credit course: Music Research Seminar. Offered for Music graduate students.
- Courses identified as possible for upper undergraduate major studies:
- Intro to Professional & Technical Writing (English)
- Historical Evidence and Interpretation (History)
- Research Methods in Cognitive Psychology (Psychology)
- Mapping the Terrain: Environmental Thinking and Art Practice (Art)
- Business Communications (Business)
- Junior Projects Course (Civil and Environmental Engineering)
- Emerging Trends in Electrical & Computer Engineering (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Assessment
There are already numerous assessment activities going on at Carnegie Mellon related to information literacy. The primary means of student learning assessment in terms of information literacy skills is embedded in the traditional evaluation venues of a course, such as examinations, research papers, presentations or projects. We will continue and expand this integrated assessment model to evaluate student information literacy skills through course assignments and examinations. In some cases, liaison librarians will help faculty to develop information literacy-related assignments in selected courses, and participate in evaluating that part of the assignment. In other cases, librarians may administer their own assessments.
In fall 2006 we will administer three pilot assessments targeted at students tacking required courses for their majors. These assessments will measure the students' information literacy skills specific to their discipline.
The SAILS standardized test will be administered as a diagnostic tool in fall semester 2006. This test will be voluntary for all undergraduates. More information about our administration of the SAILS instrument can be found here.
Eden Hall Grant
The Eden Hall Foundation has awarded a $180,000 grant to the University Libraries at Carnegie Mellon to promote information literacy region-wide.
The foundation's support--for the development of tools to assess and teach information literacy and for outreach partnerships between Carnegie Mellon and several regional libraries--will help a broad population of students and library patrons become skilled and successful life-long learners. "It is a great honor to embark on this work on behalf of our own students and for the benefit of the many students and patrons of the academic and public libraries with which we are creating an important new partnership," Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon wrote to the foundation in acknowledgment of this gift.
Community Outreach
PCHE Swaptalk
On November 9th, 2007 we hosted a Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education “Swaptalk” session on information literacy assessment. This was a loosely structured information-sharing session and an opportunity for local academic librarians to learn what peers at neighboring institutions were doing to assess students’ information literacy skills.
August 8, 2007 Workshop
Guest speaker Anne Betts will discuss information literacy and collaboration with faculty from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the University Center, Download a flyer and an agenda. This workshop is full. Thanks to everyone who rsvp'd.
Working with Local Middle/High School Librarians
We're currently working with Local Pittsburgh area Middle/High School Librarians. We want to open a line of communication between them and the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries with regards to information literacy. We recently had a focus group to discuss our different information literacy expectations for our students. The output from this focus group is being analyzed and will serve to fuel future outreach efforts.
The Sister Libraries Pilot Project grew out of ideas generated at the abovementioned focus group. The idea is to test new forms of communication between academic and school librarians in Western Pennsylvania with regards to information literacy. Six academic and six school librarians are participating with guidance from the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries. A formative assessment of the program and participants' experiences will help shape a permanent program starting in fall 2007.
New Ways of Doing Research On the Internet
This class was offered for senior citizens through the Academy of Lifelong Learning in spring 2005 and again in the Spring of 2007. We are committed to fostering lifelong information literacy skills.
CSW
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