Endorsed by the Dean's Council, November 1997 and by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee July 17, 1998

Mission
The mission of the library's Information Literacy Program is to develop learner expertise in searching for, analyzing, evaluating, and managing the information needed for use in academic, personal, and professional life.

Program Description
The Information Literacy Program (ILP) offers multiple learning opportunities in collaboration with experts in instructional technology and assessment.

The concepts and general processes of using information and information sources are emphasized, rather than specific tools, technologies, or information systems. In teaching processes rather than tools, it is intended that the skills will be transferable across a variety of information systems and remain effective long after current technology becomes obsolete.

Careful, thoughtful inculcation of information skills requires extended time and interaction among students, librarians, and faculty. The strategic planning documents for FGCU reveal a thoughtful approach to infusing information technology across the curriculum. The ILP librarians build on that approach by teaming with faculty to integrate information literacy skills across the curriculum as well.

The ILP employs active learning to involve students in the learning process and facilitate their ability to learn independently. Active learning can take a variety of forms including group work or collaborative learning, hands-on computer training, active learning exercises in class (cooperative learning), group projects, self-paced modules, presentations and writing. As the program develops, the diversity of learning styles can be more fully addressed through increased variety in instructional delivery methods through the strategic use of technology, from handouts and online help screens, to CAI and web-based tutorials.

Students are coached in critical thinking skills as they apply to the library and information technology environment. Critical thinking, applied to information literacy skills, can be defined as the systematic, flexible, self-aware, and self-correcting formulation of search strategies and the careful evaluation of search results.

Student learning is the centerpiece of the library's assessment efforts. The ILP defines information literacy competencies and will develop benchmarks for varying levels of expertise in the research process. The benchmarks will allow learners to self-assess, and enable the librarians to evaluate and improve the ILP's efficacy. The librarians will work collaboratively with FGCU's Office of Planning and Evaluation to develop the most appropriate assessment methods for the program. Over time, these tools may include brief surveys, in-depth questionnaires, focus groups, interviews, statistical analysis, evaluation of student research logs, or studies of student cohorts across several years.

The ILP is designed to evolve to meet the changing and growing needs of FGCU's students, but the hallmarks of this program will remain active learning, student-centered approaches, and continuous review and assessment.

While recognizing that there is necessarily, a diversity of experience and skill among FGCU students, some structural underpinnings of the program assume a general progression in student knowledge and sophistication in using information resources. The instructional objectives of the ILP are grouped into four ability components which are each designed with two levels, or tiers, of competencies. The four ability components are:

• How information is identified and defined by experts.
• How information sources are structured.
• How information sources are intellectually accessed by users.
• How information sources are physically organized and accessed.

Tier 1 of the information literacy competencies within each component corresponds with the University's general education program. It is intended to provide a foundation for more advanced competencies to be developed in the majors or in professional settings. Tier 1 focuses on basic skills and emphasizes the elements of the research process and the increasingly interdisciplinary aspects of research. Ideally, this component will be specifically tied to two of FGCU's integrated core courses, Styles and Ways of Learning, and Connections. The program plan will be submitted to the undergraduate curriculum committee for consideration as a component in those courses.

Tier 2 of the information literacy competencies focuses on more advanced research techniques and specialized resources unique to the disciplines or professions involved. It is intended to familiarize students with the research patterns of specialists in the discipline, the publication cycle, primary/secondary source distinctions unique to that discipline, and refinements in search strategies and tactics. Information literacy at this level emphasizes information in its wider context. Direct contact with experts and researchers, professional organizations and associations, and specialized terminology of the discipline may therefore comprise a portion of the information competencies in this tier. Ideally, this tier will be integrated into those courses required for the major that have a natural need for information seeking and information resources.

ABILITY COMPONENTS, OBJECTIVES & COMPETENCIES
Adapted from ACRL's Model Statement of Objectives for Academic Bibliographic Instruction

Ability Component 1: How information is identified and defined by experts.

Objective: The learner understands how information is defined by experts, and recognizes how that knowledge can help determine the direction of his or her search for specific information.

Tier 1 competencies:

• Learner knows that individuals identify themselves as belonging to specific areas and/or disciplines.
• Learner understands that individuals may combine information from information sources with original thought, experimentation, and/or analysis to produce new information.
• Learner recognizes when he or she has an information need and can formulate a search question and appropriate strategy.
• Learner knows that information can be recorded or unrecorded sources which may appear in different physical formats.

Tier 2 competencies:

• Learner recognizes how information sources are reviewed, accepted, and disseminated in the research community.
• Learner knows how scholars in his or her field of study communicate, research and publish.
• Learner can formulate a research question, recognize when the question is discipline -specific or interdisciplinary, and construct an appropriate strategy for his or her discipline.
• Learner understands that the initial question may be too broad or too narrow to investigate effectively and may require adjustment in scope.
• Learner understands that the audience, and purpose of the end product will in part determine the direction and type of search conducted.

Ability Component 2: How information sources are structured.

Objective: The learner understands the importance of the organizational content, bibliographic structure, function, and use of information sources. Tier 1 competencies:

• Learner knows how the organizational content of information sources is structured and that this can help determine the usefulness of the source.
• Learner understands the importance of the author's credentials, date of publication, and publisher's reputation in evaluating a source.
• Learner knows the difference between popular and scholarly journals, and recognizes that the editorial review process is as important as the publishing information.
• Learner recognizes the organization or arrangement of an information source may affect its value (hierarchical, alphabetical, chronological, tabular, regional, classified, schematic or numerical).
• Learner recognizes the importance of correctly identifying the source's thesis and arguments to determine whether the information provided is pertinent to the topic.
• Learner understands how information sources are bibliographically structured and how this knowledge can help determine the usefulness of the source.
• Learner recognizes that the information needed to identify information sources is manipulated into citations.
• Learner understands the relationship of citations to other information sources and can locate the title cited.
• Learner knows the difference between, and can use a bibliography, footnotes, and/or references in the appropriate style.

Tier 2 competencies:

• Learner can evaluate the usefulness of a published information source in terms of author's credentials, timeliness, scope, intended audience, structure, content, and bias.
• Learner recognizes the importance of title, thesis, preface, introduction, table of contents, appendixes, summary and abstract in evaluating the scope, limitations, and special features of the information source and thereby its usefulness.
• Learner recognizes that the amount and type of documentation used may affect the value of the information source.
• Learner recognizes that unrecorded information resources exist and can evaluate their potential usefulness.
• Learner knows that the amount of information required and the form of citations may vary among disciplines and within subject areas.
• Learner understands the significance of identifying information sources which are repeatedly cited by more than one source.
• Learner is familiar with the basic print and electronic information sources in his or her major field of study.
• Learner knows the difference between, and can create a bibliography, footnotes, and references in the style used in his or her discipline.

Ability Component 3: How information sources are intellectually accessed by users.

Objective: Learner can identify useful information from information sources or information systems.

Tier 1 competencies:

• Learner understands that although any information about an information source could be used to help identify and locate it, there are certain elements of information called access points which are accepted by the research community as the most pertinent through which to identify a source.
• Learner recognizes commonly used access points including; author, title, and subject, topic or description field.
• Learner understands that the use of additional access points depends on the structure and format of the source used to identify new information.
• Learner recognizes that information found within an abstract or summary may potentially be used as an access point.
• Learner understands that additional access may be available through key word searching, codes, categories, or mapping which may not be obvious in the information source or system.
• Learner understands the concept of Boolean logic and can construct a simple search using "and" and "or".
• Learner understands that some sources use controlled vocabulary assigned by an indexer, cataloger, or computer programmer as access points.
• Learner understands that there may be printed or online lists or thesauri which may aid in the identification of these access points.
• Learner recognizes the relationship of broader, narrower, and related terms.
• Learner recognizes that no access tool is comprehensive in scope and therefore it is important to select the appropriate access tool to identify useful information sources.
• Learner understands the concepts of fair use and plagiarism.
• Learner recognizes concepts of freedom of expression, classified information, and proprietary information.

Tier 2 competencies:

• Learner can determine what type or kind of information resources his or her research requires and is aware of the implications of using those resources.
• Learner knows when to change the topic or direction of his or her search.
• Learner understands that given insufficient information to identify a particular access point there are steps which may help identify it.
• Learner can construct a complex Boolean search including the use of proximity, key word, and truncation.
• Learner knows how to locate controlled vocabulary lists and thesauri appropriate for his or her subject area or discipline.
• Learner can select and use appropriate, discipline-specific access tools to locate information sources for his or her research needs.
• Learner can evaluate citations retrieved or information accessed and determine whether or not it is at the appropriate level of specificity.
• Learner recognizes that the absence of recorded information sources does not preclude the existence of unrecorded information sources; it may suggest the necessity of original analysis or data collection.

Ability Component 4: How Information sources are physically organized and accessed.

Objective: The learner understands the way collections of information sources are physically organized and accessed.

Tier 1 competencies:

• Learner knows that libraries and library systems may group information sources by subject, author, format, publisher, type of material, or specific audience.
• Learner recognizes that types of material may be grouped together to provide ease of use or because of preservation or maintenance concerns.
• Learner understands that classification schemes are designed to enable libraries to locate materials on the same subject in the same discipline in close proximity to each other.
• Learner understands that the library uses call numbers to assign a unique physical address to each item in the collection.
• Learner understands that individual items within a library's collection are listed in special holdings or location files.
• Learner understands that the library staff is comprised of individuals with varying degrees and areas of expertise, who provide specific services.
• Learner understands the policies and procedures used by the library and that these may vary among libraries.
• Learner understands that the campus library is not the only location through which to retrieve necessary material.
• Learner understands that libraries do not have comprehensive holdings and that libraries routinely share materials through interlibrary loan.
• Learner understands that some information sources may be available for purchase through publishers or document delivery services and that some information sources are only available on a purchase basis.

Tier 2 competencies:

• Learner knows what major institutions and collections exist in his or her discipline nationally, regionally and locally, and is aware that organization and access to these places may differ.
• Learner knows that some libraries provide separate collections for special user groups.
• Learner recognizes that many library systems are decentralized and the materials at each location may be distinguished by subject, format, publisher, type of material, or by special audience.
• Learner recognizes that personal and professional networks may be essential to retrieving appropriate information.

As classes are customized to your specifications, please be prepared to submit a copy of your class syllabus and assignment. Please be sure to make arrangements at least two weeks in advance to allow preparation time for the library staff.