Abstract
Much of the current literature on information literacy on college and university campuses encourages instructional services librarians and departments to pursue one of two options: either integrate information literacy into the curriculum as a campus-wide initiative, or establish a forcredit information literacy course taught by librarians. For a variety of reasons, instructional programs may not be able to accomplish either of these goals immediately. Perhaps the library does not have the institutional influence to mount a campus-wide program, or maybe the library lacks the needed resources in terms of personnel or instructional facilities. Tackling the planning required for a program spanning the University curriculum may seem overwhelming. The issues of influence and resources may also be reasons why a library cannot establish a credit-bearing course. Still, we cannot do nothing.
There is a third alternative available to information literacy librarians: working with faculty within a selected department to integrate information literacy goals and instruction into that department as a whole. The whole campus may be too large; one department is not. The resources required for expanding information literacy to the entire campus are beyond the scope of overextended librarians and instructional services departments; the resources required to plan with and reach out to one department are not over-taxing. Integrating information literacy components into a department may provide a stepping-stone approach from which librarians may eventually integrate information literacy into a campuswide educational enterprise. What is required, and how should we set about integrating information literacy into one department? And, where will this strategy lead us?
Publication Date
Fall 2005
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Library and Information Science Commons