Guide to Library Research in Science
Information Literacy | Scientific
Communication | Reference
Sources | Organization
of Library Materials
Search Strategies
and Techniques | Searching
Library Catalogs | Finding
Citations to Articles in Periodicals
Understanding
Citations | Finding
Full Text of Journal Articles | Searching
the World Wide Web
Borrowing from
Other Libraries | Evaluating
Information | Ethical
Use of Information
Lesson 1: Information Literacy
Many faculty members at the College of Wooster work closely with librarians to integrate information literacy into individual courses and the departmental curriculum, with the goal of having students achieve increasing fluency and confidence during their college career and beyond. Information literacy encompasses both print and electronic forms of information and consists of the ability to:
- Understand in a basic sense how resource information is produced, disseminated, and organized, including differences among primary, secondary, and tertiary literature, and the distinction between popular and peer-reviewed literature;
- Understand basic tools for accessing information, including catalogs, indexes, and bibliographies, in both print and electronic format, and particularly the structure of electronic databases;
- Learn basic search strategies for accessing information, including how to determine the nature of information needed and how to formulate and refine questions throughout the search;
- Learn to evaluate the quality and appropriateness of information, including the ability to question the place, context, and time in which information was produced; the reliability and potential biases of the original source of the information, and whether the information has been reviewed by trustworthy referees; and
- Understand how to make effective and appropriate use of information, in light of issues of intellectual property and copyright in the electronic age; the need to synthesize and reconcile differences in information obtained from varying and sometimes conflicting sources; and protocols for properly citing sources and avoiding plagiarism.
- • TILT: Texas Information Literacy Tutorial
- This interactive tutorial, sponsored by the University of Texas System Digital Library, is designed to help students to explore and research online resources.
- • Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education
- These standards were approved in January 2000 by the Association of College and Research Libraries.
- • Information Literacy Standards for Science and Technology
- This document details recommended competency standards for information fluency in science and technology.
