Information Literacy is the term used to describe the ability to effectively locate, evaluate, and communicate information. This skill set is critical not only in the realm of academia, where it is necessary for proper research and writing, but outside of academia, where it is necessary to navigate the constant flood of information (and mis/disinformation) that characterizes life in the 21st century. The Association of College and Research Libraries identifies six important concepts that compose a successful understanding of information literacy:
Some or all of these may sound familiar to you as concepts that you already include in your instruction; intentionally weaving information literacy into your curriculum can assist in reinforcing those concepts. For more details on each of these points and on information literacy in general, see the "Helpful Resources" tab.
The teaching materials on this page (see the "Teaching Materials" tab) are designed to be presented to students in order to help cultivate the skill of information literacy. Ideally, the lessons you choose to implement should precede students' research projects, so that students are able to properly benefit from developing these skills. The instructor is encouraged to modify the lessons as necessary in order to fit them into the course.
If you have questions about any of the assignments or activities or how to embed them into your course, please contact Kristin Leaman: leamankb@purdue.edu
The Information Literacy Toolkit was developed by Dr. Kristin Leaman and Dr. E. C. McGregor Boyle at Purdue University to provide tangible materials and guidance for instructors. Dr. Leaman was the instructor of record for an introductory composition course (English 108) at Purdue University and piloted materials from the Information Literacy Toolkit during Fall 2022 and 2023. Based on the feedback from students and assessments by Dr. Leaman and Dr. Boyle, this Information Literacy Toolkit has been developed and refined based on students’ needs for navigating their information landscape, critical thinking, and critical writing. Furthermore, the Information Literacy Toolkit moves instructors away from the idea that a one-time visit from a librarian fulfills information literacy goals for their students and demonstrates how they can embed these practices themselves with scaffolded assignments and activities.
Dr. Leaman and Dr. Boyle also encourage instructors to make use of Foundations of the Research Process, short video tutorials created by Sarah Reifel at Purdue University. Link: https://mediaspace.itap.purdue.edu/media/Selecting+a+Research+Topic/1_ymrbr7zo These video tutorials pair nicely with many of the assignments and activities and provide further context and repetition for students. For example, students can watch the “Selecting a Database for your Research Topic” video tutorial before they come to class to for their “Database Exploration Activity.”
An Archival and Primary Source Literacy Toolkit created by Dr. Leaman and Professor Adriana Harmeyer was also developed and employed during Dr. Leaman’s Fall 2022 and 2023 introductory compositions course. This toolkit can be accessed via Purdue ePubs here: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/alt/
Dr. Leaman and Dr. Boyle would like to thank Professor Melissa Chomintra for her expertise and time in designing the lesson plan and activity on mis/disinformation in this toolkit. Introductory composition instructors at Purdue University and beyond are encouraged to explore and employ this Information Literacy Toolkit. Please reach out to Dr. Leaman at leamankb@purdue.edu with any questions about the Information Literacy Toolkit.
Access the Information Literacy Toolkit here: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/ilt/
Below are archival and primary source literacy activities designed by the Purdue Libraries. If you have questions about implementing these activities into your course, please email Kristin Leaman: leamankb@purdue.edu and Adriana Harmeyer: aharmey@purdue.edu.
The documents in this section are helpful examples of AI/ChatGPT and Information Literacy Statements that can be embedded into a Cornerstone course syllabus. While these materials are centered for Cornerstone, they can be utilized for other courses.
The Association of College and Research Libraries has provided a detailed framework regarding the nature of information literacy and how to implement it in higher education. That framework can be found here. Above is a PDF version.
The Society of American Archivists has prepared guidelines for primary source literacy -- i.e., information literacy skills and knowledge as applied specifically to primary sources. Their work is likewise intended for educators to use in teaching their students these skills; if you intend to ask your students to use archives, databases that contain primary sources, or primary source documents in general, you should consider using this resource to instruct them on how to do that. Information about the guidelines can be found here, and you can read the document itself in PDF form above.
The tutorials found at the above link include content in both text and video forms. Topics covered include how to identify whether an article is scholarly, how to do effective research, and how to navigate aspects of the Purdue Libraries system.