Presented at LILAC 2016

1. Exploring the need:
Re-examining our information
literacy offer
Kaye Towlson
Academic Team Manager
(Information Literacy)
De Montfort University

2. Our journey ahead…
• Starting point
• Historical note
• Lay of the land
• Road ahead
• Points of interest
• Which way now?

3. The Whys and wherefores
• What we did and why
• How did we do this, who did we consult?
• What does this mean? Who do we need to tell
and how?
• Lessons learnt and where are we headed?

4. What is it we do?
• Long legacy of teaching information literacy
• Complex picture
• Many Librarians involved
• Pockets of practice
• Slippery overview
• Impact of change: People, technology, HE
landscape

5. We thought about what we do….
• Pooled our thoughts to form a “standard”
student learning journey for all levels
• Acknowledged discipline differences
• Our Information Literacy offer to promote to
academics

6. But what do the Academics think we need to do?
Information Literacy Survey
• Responses revealed that academics agreed students required
information literacy skills:
The ability to differentiate
between different types of
information: professional,
promotional, research
Reminders of how to
find what they need,
expand a search, find a
range of journals
Evaluating the quality of
different sources
Better use of digital
sources, realise what’s
available and how to
search

7. What do our students think?
• Self Assessment Exercise: 2014/15:
• Information (Library) Skills:
– 66% Students said they were “Quite confident”
– 26% Confident
– 8% Not confident
Digital Literacy: 62% Confident, 38% quite Confident
1% Not confident
Interpretations……….

8. So What?
• Academics agree information literacy is
needed
• ULTAS 2020: digital literacy, an enabler
• Promote understanding of what we do, the
need and fit
• Hurdle: Students’ perceived skills level,
curriculum needs, opportunities and
engagement

9. Promotion
• Articulated our offer: paper to the FLTCs
• Presented at DMU L & T Conference plus
shared survey results
• Shared survey results with academics
• This will be followed up by comment at PMBs
• Underpinned by ongoing liaison activities

10. IMPACT
• Better understanding of what we do
• Activity that pulled Librarians from different faculties
together
• Made them think about demands of different
disciplines
• Helped to identify elements for e-learning bites
• Created another area for consultation with Faculties
• Reminder of what we do…for all
• Help impact on student experience…retention

11. Where to now?
• Starting to think about future demands and
changing landscape
• H E Changes: UDL, No DSA, TEF?

12. Information Literacy Teaching
Coverage: Undergraduate
•Induction: Library “housekeeping”, access to library services and e-resources, using an HE library, how to use the
library, role of library in your study (library use boosts academic success), library physical orientation, help and
support, web page navigation and coverage. Confidence boosting, removing the fear factor
•In curriculum: Library search and catalogue, journals, subject guides, referencing and good academic practice ,
keeping track ( Flow/ Refworks) , evaluation. Different types of information, role and function, information cycle,
benefit of using a range of different types of material. How to access material.
Year 1
•Refresher of above and focus on subject specialist databases, search strategies, Refworks, good academic practice.
Pre-dissertation/final year report or project support. Literature search and review, evaluation, referencing. Peer
review journals.
•Google Scholar, Systematic Review, Evidence based/Critical appraisal (Medicine etc)
Year 2
•Planning and managing your search/research: Selection and evaluation. Dealing with too much or too little
information . Subject databases and more advanced searching, Refworks: keeping track, referencing, good academic
practice, journal discovery, citation searching. Literature search and review. Dissertation/final year project support.
•Information literacy beyond University: Employability, Lifewide and independent learning
Year 3

13. Information Literacy Teaching Coverage:
Postgraduate (Taught)
• Getting started, Library Search and Libguides, refresher for some (recent DMU
graduates).
Induction
• Advanced Literature searching, specific discipline databases, citation
searching, evaluation, referencing, good academic practice and Refworks. Peer
review
• Google Scholar, Systematic Review, Evidence based/Critical appraisal
(Medicine etc)
In curriculum
• Information literacy beyond University: Employability, Lifewide and
independent learning
Beyond University

14. Information Literacy Teaching
Coverage: Researchers
•Induction: Library e-induction
REST7001
•E-learning module: Enables students to effectively explore the available resources
for their research topic and to demonstrate that they have done this. This offers a
variety of resources that guide students through key aspects of literature searching,
and helps build confidence in working independently.
REST7001
•Advanced searching, conducting a comprehensive literature review. Database usage,
selection and evaluation, referencing , good academic practice, Refworks and other
bibliographic management software, keeping up to date/current awareness,
bibliometrics, open access, Social Media. Obtaining material (ILL, British Library,
theses etc).
Face to Face

15. About me……