Getting Started: Where to begin.
Determining Your Need: Choosing a topic to formulate a thesis statement or question.
Selecting and Accessing: Tips on selecting and accessing appropriate resources for your research. Learn how to read Library of Congress call numbers.
Evaluating Information: Tips for evaluating information.
Organizing Information: Tips for synthesizing the information into a research paper.
Citing Sources: Links to citation styles.
Copyright and Research: The legal and ethical responsibilities of using information resources.
Important Links and Lists: Access to databases, tutorials, websites and other educational resources.
Frequently Asked Questions: Answers to questions frequently asked by students, faculty and community users.
Readings for Success: Recommended readings to help undergraduate and graduate students succeed.
Need help with your research? Call or email one of the reference librarians. They are available Monday through Friday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and Saturday 10:00am-3:00pm
Welcome to the LibGuide for Library Instruction Basics!
This LibGuide was created to assist you with your "information literacy" needs. The maroon tabs on the top will help navigate you through the process as you begin the task of thinking about choosing a topic for research. You will need to ask these questions: "who", "what", "when", "where", and "how?" With the right answers, you will be able to move from a broad topic to a more specified topic and create your thesis statement or question.
This is a work in progress. Please send me ideas or suggestions for improving the LibGuide.
"Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding." (Proverbs 3:13)
According to The American Library Association (2000), "Information Literacy" is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and can locate, evaluate and use the needed information effectively." To learn more about the standards of information literacy, please visit at http://www.ala.org
The standards were also adopted by the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) in 1999, including the Council of Independent Colleges in 2004. Below are the five basic tenets of Information Literacy Standards:
Standard One - The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
Standard Two - The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
Standard Three - The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
Standard Four - The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
Standard Five - The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.
For additional information, including a PDF file on Information Literacy, visit the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) website by clicking on the link below:
Which literacy(s) is interrelated to "information literacy"? Two, three, or four? Take the poll, then visit the "Are you information literate" tab listed under the "Information Literacy" tab.
The University Library offers orientation tours and library instruction presentations. Email the College of Arts and Sciences Instructional Librarian (linked above) or your school's Liaison Librarian.
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