This guide offers tips for evaluating the quality of content on the Web. In recent years, the Web has become a rich environment of Web pages, blogs, wikis, social networking sites, free research services, media types and more. It can be a challenge to figure out which content to trust. This page will help you to identify the type of site you are visiting and to evaluate its content.
"This Libguide contains a list of websites and applications to enhance projects. Please contact the Learning Technologies Librarian for additional help or questions."
"The traditional library space packed with stacks and carrels does not serve today's library users well whether they are scholars, students, or the public visiting a library for research, study, or leisure reading. As more and more library resources are moved to the fast and convenient realm of the World Wide Web, libraries have been focusing on re-defining the library space. Now, many libraries boast attractive space almost comparable to trendy, comfortable, and vibrant coffee shops. The goal of these new library spaces are fostering communication, the exchange of ideas, and social learning."
This is a great video introduction to the concept of library databases which I used for a recent class I’m teaching on Reference Librarianship. I found it to be very helpful for students.
"This paper describes the process whereby a university library investigated the value of its subject guides to its users. A literature review and surveys of library staff, library users and other libraries were carried out. Existing library subject guides and those of other higher education libraries were evaluated. The project team reported regularly to the wider library team throughout the year long investigation and made recommendations. The project served to develop the professional skills of the project team, to expand the knowledge of the wider library team and encouraged new ways of thinking about guide provision to users."
"Welcome to the IL OER wiki! This wiki was set up by Nancy Graham and Jane Secker as part of our attempts to build a community of practice for sharing information literacy teaching and learning materials as open educational resources.
The site includes:
A list of OER initiatives
Information about recent and past events on this topic
Details about how to get involved
We have also set up a JISCMAIL list (IL-OERS@JISCMAIL.AC.UK) to support this work, so please do consider joining the list."
"The exponential increases in the number of information resources and technology tools available today have made libraries more complex than ever. This phenomenon of "information overload" has led to the increased importance of Information Literacy and critical thinking skills on the part of today's college students. An information literate student is able to recognize their information need and then locate, evaluate, and use effectively and ethically the needed information. Enabling students to go beyond the confines of an assignment and focus on the process of seeking solutions to their information needs is crucial. Information literacy enables students to recognize the value of information and use it to make informed choices in their personal, professional and academic lives. An important first step in laying the foundation for an information literate student body is the collaboration between faculty and librarians in creating effective research assignments."
| Library | Pace University
"A well designed resource-based assignment can develop students' research and information skills, critical thinking abilities, and subject knowledge. Liaison librarians are available to collaborate with faculty to design assignments that promote information literacy and subject learning at the same time."
Gettysburg College -
Designing an Effective Library Research Assignment
Project Information Literacy (PIL) is a public benefit nonprofit dedicated to conducting ongoing, large-scale research about early adults and their research habits. We are currently collecting data from early adults enrolled in community colleges and public and private colleges and universities in the U.S. Our goal is to understand how early adults conceptualize and operationalize research activities for course work and "everyday life" use and especially how they resolve issues of credibility, authority, relevance, and currency in the digital age.
"Following discussions with First Term Seminar faculty, we have the following specific ideas for tackling common areas of confusion."
"Students need to acquire the ability to find, evaluate, and use information. But the skills required to find the best information, and in the most efficient manner, are ones that must be taught and practised - and practised - and practised. The term/research paper has been the most commonly used method of evaluating whether or not students can successfully apply information seeking skills - but there are other ways. Often the library has been the place where they did their research - and it still should be. "
: Memorial University Libraries
Students often have a difficult time finding relevant information, understanding expectations about what constitutes a scholarly source, and thinking critically about the varieties of information they encounter in the course of a research project. Even when students have experience with specific library tools, they still may struggle to navigate the academic research process without guidance. Here are a few suggestions to help you design assignments to address these issues.
-The Library-University of California, Berkeley
Chad Boeninger at Library Voice has a two-part post detailing the process of creating library screencasts and videos. The first is How I make instructional library web videos and screencasts and how you can too, and the second is How to make library instructional (or other educational) videos and screencasts.