KWC Library Learning Center

INFORMATION LITERACY AT KWC

The Library Learning Center serves as a partner in the educational mission of the college. Within the context of that partnership, the goal of the LLC Information Literacy Program is to empower students in the pursuit of knowledge and encourage life-long learning.

Information Literacy Defined
“Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information…. Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning. It is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education. It enables learners to master content and extend their investigations, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their own learning. An information literate individual 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 one’s knowledge base
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”

Association of College and Research Libraries. Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.

LLC Information Literacy Program
The LLC Information Literacy Program includes sequenced library experiences linked to general education courses and courses within the major. The program is designed to ensure that first semester freshmen acquire the basic skills needed to meet the technology-use expectations of general education courses. Second-semester freshmen begin to develop basic research and information gathering skills, as well as the ability to analyze findings. During the sophomore and junior years, students build on these basic skills and move into developing familiarity with subject-specific resources and tools. During the senior year, students work extensively with resources and tools specific to their major. Learning outcomes associated with each experience focus on the competencies students must acquire to become capable, knowledgeable information gatherers and users. Librarians and faculty collaborate on the development of assignments which form the basis of course-embedded, performance-based assessment.

Information Literacy Learning Outcomes

KW1101 Introduction to Kentucky Wesleyan College
Students will be able to
- use an Internet browser to access and navigate the PantherNet portal and Learning Management System (LMS)
- demonstrate awareness of LLC collections and services (e.g. Reference, Circulation, Reserves, ILL)
- use an Internet browser to access and navigate the LLC Web site
- use KWCat to find resources in various formats and locations in the LLC
ENGL 1302 Writing Workshop Session I
Students will be able to
- select topic concepts and keywords
- construct a search strategy using concepts and keywords
- use the LLC Web site to access databases
- implement a search strategy in appropriate databases(s)
- review search results and refine (broaden/narrow) search strategy
- select relevant resources from results
- identify parts of citation to determine availability of resource
- use various options for retrieving resources
ENGL 1302 Writing Workshop Session II
Students will be able to
- conduct a refined search on the WWW
- recognize the complexity of today's information environment
- distinguish between library catalogs, proprietary databases, and the WWW
- evaluate Web resources using established criteria (e.g., relevancy, authority, date, objectivity, and accuracy)
Upper-level courses within the major
Students will be able to
- develop a basic level of proficiency using the technologies specific to the discipline
- identify the controlled vocabulary appropriate to the discipline and use appropriate terms to construct and refine search strategies
- select databases appropriate to the discipline
- conduct a refined search in the databases selected
- conduct an advanced search on the WWW
- distinguish among various categories of information resources (e.g., scholarly, trade, popular, primary sources, technical reports)
- demonstrate awareness of the scholarly communication process
- recognize the necessity of life-long learning.