Madonna University Library Lijun Xue Reference librarian

1. Introduction to Information Literacy Madonna University Library Lijun Xue Reference librarian

2. What is information Literacy? • 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."American Library Association. Presidential Committee on Information Literacy. Final Report. (Chicago: American Library Association, 1989.)

3. Why is information literacy important? • Information literacy is the survival skill of the 21st Century • College students who are information literate are more likely to be successful in school. • More competitive in the future workforce • Make right decisions in your life • Become “wise information consumers” and lifelong learners

4. What will you learn ? You will be able to: • understand and follow the key steps in the information seeking process • understand the differences between popular magazines and scholarly journals, library online catalogs, databases, and the World Wide Web • know how to conduct a effective search within these resources • know how to distinguish different kinds of resources • evaluate information resources critically • acquire critical thinking and problem-solving skills for further studying and learning

5. What is the Big6 for research ? The Big6 is the most well-known and widely-used model for teaching information literacy. It was developed by Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz. 1. Defining a research topic 2. Developing information seeking strategies 3. Locating and accessing the resources 4. Using information 5. Synthesis 6. Assessment

6. Step 1. How to define a research topic: • Use the Library Subject Guidesand Resource Pathfinderson library home page • Use web directories to browse the possible subject areas • Think about what interests you, and how that can be related to your paper • Talk to your instructors and reference librarians about the possible topics • Look over reference books or general collection of specific subject areas at the library For example: most literature books are in the P section. And most of biography books are in the CT section – both in the reading room and reference room

7. Step 2. How to develop information seeking strategies • Phrase the topic as a question • Brainstorm the various aspects of your topic • Break down your research topic into concepts and keywords • Think of as many terms as you can to describe your topic • Find out all the possible synonyms of the terms

8. Step 2. How to develop information seeking strategies Knowing different resources: • Encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, atlases, and handbooks -- are great for background information or quick facts. • Books -- cover a topic thoroughly, though they may not be as current as other sources. • Magazines and newspapers -- are reader-friendly and good for current events. • Scholarly journals -- are more academic in nature. Scholarly journals vs. popular magazines

9. Step 2. How to develop information seeking strategies Knowing different resources: • Library online catalog - The publicly searchable computer system that stores the bibliographical records for a library's materials. • Database - A collection of information or data stored in machine- readable form and accessed by a computer. • Internet resources – The information on the web that is free to the public.

10. Step 3: How to locate and access the information • Finding Books: 1. Madonna University Library Online Catalog (MAC) • Basic search • Power search 2. WorldCat 3. Other Library Catalogs 4. E-books

11. Step 3: How to locate and access the information (continue) • Finding Articles: 1. Database : • ProQuest • Thomson Gale • Wilson Web • Credo Reference

12. Step 3: How to locate and access the information (continued) 2. Central Search 3. Full-Text E-Journals • How to access databases off- campus

13. Step 3: How to locate and access the information (continued) Tips for searching databases: All the databases are constructed differently, but there are some of standard research techniques that you can use to search almost all the databases, such as: • Always use advanced search • Boolean operators: And, Or, Not • Truncation: Truncation=rootword + *

14. Step 3: How to locate and access the information (continued) • Finding Information on the web: • How to search Internet resources 1. Search Engine – Yahoo, Google, Ask.com 2. Web Directories – Yahoo Directory Librarians’ Internet Index

15. Step 3: How to locate and access the information (continue) • How to evaluate Internet resources: 1. Accuracy – 2. Authority – 3. Objectivity – 4. Currency – 5. Coverage –

16. Step 4: How to use information • Engage in the sources: -- read, view, listen, or interact with information • Extract relevant information: -- taking notes, making copies and citations

17. Step 5: How to synthesize information A synthesis is a written discussion that draws on one or more sources. It is the “ability to infer relationships among sources” and come up your own conclusion. • Organize the information • Present the information in an effective form (paper, PowerPoint, or multimedia) • Cite information correctly and avoid plagiarism – visit Library home page(Plagiarism Information)

18. Step 6: How to assess information seeking process To determine how effectively and efficiently the information seeking process was conducted • Assess the outcome Does the paper/project meet the requirement? Was the information need met? Was the problem solved? • Assess the process How could you improve? What would you do differently next time?

19. Contact Information: • Personal contact information Lijun Xue Reference librarian Phone #: (734) 432-5683 Email: lxue@madonna.edu • Library reference desk Phone #: (734) 432-5657 • Library circulation desk Phone #: (734) 432-5657 • On the library home page Ask a Librarian – Email reference service Staff directory – contact any librarian