INFORMATION COMPETENCY PROJECT
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Transcript INFORMATION COMPETENCY PROJECT
INFORMATION COMPETENCY
PROJECT
Presentation by
Teresa Ojezua, Head Librarian
Katie Davis, Reference / Instruction Librarian
Philander Smith College Little Rock, AR
Outline of Presentation
Summary of Project
Introduction
Project Goal
Structure
Process
Outcomes
Key Breakthroughs
Project Review
Challenges
Stakeholders
Key Change Issues
Insights from Leadership Institute
Goals Not Met
Relationship to College Strategic Plan
Summary & Conclusions
Questions
Immunity to Change
Immunity Map
Summary
Our project focused on establishing information
literacy competencies to enhance students’
development, curriculum redesign and campus
collaboration.
With funds from the office of Title III, we
expanded the Library Committee and held a
series of discussion meetings to develop a set
of IL competencies that all students should
have before they graduate from the college.
The result was a motion by the Faculty Senate
adopting the proposed IL competencies.
Introduction…
Information explosion—radical change in the
way information is stored, organized, and
retrieved
To equip students for lifelong learning in an
evolving information universe
To help students use relevant information for
informed decision making
To discourage reliance on internet for “copy &
paste” research activities
We are seeing students…
Failing to evaluate sources or their relevance
to assigned projects
Clicking and not reading
Engaging in rampant plagiarism
Regurgitating ideas of others—no original
thought
Hitting the print button and thinking they’ve
accomplished their research
Definition of Information Literacy
Information Literacy is the set of abilities
requiring individuals to “recognize when
information is needed and have the ability to
locate, evaluate, and use effectively the
needed information.” (Information Literacy
Competency Standards for Higher Education,
ALA 2000)
Project Goals
To provide faculty and staff with a better
understanding of information literacy
To develop outcomes based guidelines
for information literacy for all PSC
students
To disseminate the PSC guidelines on the
Worldwide Web (via the library webpage
and in other sources)
Structure
Expanded the Library Committee to include an
extra faculty member from each Division,
administrators, computing staff, and two student
representatives
Wrote a Grant for funds from the Director of Title
III
Held 4 discussion meetings—Dec. 2009, Jan.
2010, Feb. 2010, Mar. 2010
Invited Consultant & HBCU Mentor to address the
group
Consultant at IL Discussion Forum
Another IL forum in session
Process
Create a vision for the project
Tie aim to personal concerns / observations
Build and empower a team (Stakeholders)
Demonstrate commitment
Use standardized tools to demonstrate
benchmarks (ALA, ACRL)
Utilize Faculty Senate to institutionalize
proposed IL standards and competencies
Develop strategies for future implementation
Outcomes
Promoted a discussion on student information
literacy in academia
Worked toward changing the library’s role on
campus and in the larger community.
Built partnerships within the library and campus
wide
Proposed five I.L. competency standards
Proposed framework for implementation and
assessment that was accepted by Faculty Senate
Key Breakthroughs…
Acceptance of information literacy
competency standards in faculty members’
class objectives
For librarians and library staff, this project has
led to increased communication and improved
services.
Making connections and sustainable
relationships on campus
Developed a formal professional relationship
with our HBCU Mentor
Key Breakthroughs…
Affirm librarians as key players in the
institution and important role of the library in
enhancing teaching and learning
Changing IL competency as a “library thing” to
literacy skills into classroom instruction
Funding can be obtained for professional
development of faculty
IL connects all the stakeholders (students,
faculty, librarians, computer staff, student
services, campus administrators)
Project Review—Challenges
Faculty resistance—fear of losing control
over subject matter and lack of time to
incorporate IL objectives into classroom.
Convincing faculty of shared
responsibility and collaboration in
executing the proposed I.L.
competencies.
Establishing buy-in among the library
staff
Meeting the challenges
Established trust and communicated our
vision with persistence.
Positive reinforcement for participation
Inclusion of all library staff in library
planning meetings
Monthly professional development
exercises for library staff
Stakeholders
Administrators
Librarians
Faculty
Student Reps
Computing Staff
HBCU Mentor
Key Change Issues
To Raise the bar on student research
competence and confidence
To Establish lasting collaborative relationships
To Empower Library staff
Helpful Insights from Leadership
Institute…
Create a vision that is relevant to the
institution’s strategic plan
Stakeholder analysis
Develop strategies (communication,
funds, change management, staff etc.)
Develop a project plan
Execute (take action)
What goals were not met?
One goal is still in progress:
to disseminate the IL guidelines on
the WWW via the library website
Anticipated completion: Summer
2010
Relationship of Project to College
Strategic Plan
I.L. is essential to achieve the College’s
strategic goal #2: “to strengthen it’s
academic profile, programs, and
performance.”
Provides skills for life-long learning
Prepares students for post-college work
environment.
Helps to create student motivation and
engagement
Summary and Conclusions
Library vision is translated into executable
actions.
Librarians play a vital and evolving role in
collaborating with campus stakeholders to
implement the changes necessary for an
effective I.L. program.
From workshop presentations, to one-on-one
consultations, faculty see the library as more
than a collections-related resource, and more
of a service and training-centered resource.
Immunity to Change
Time to think outside the box!
Immunity Map
Visible
Commitment
Doing/ Not Doing
Instead
Hidden Competing
Commitments
Big Assumptions
Improve Customer
Service Quality
through:
Innovation
Prompt Delivery of
Service
Excellence
Customer service
doesn’t go far
beyond traditional
in-person
transactions.
Library staff feel
that patrons are not
self-reliant enough,
and the staff do not
want to “do
students’ work for
them.”
That improved
customer service
will not increase
patrons’
understanding of
information
retrieval and library
resources.
Library staff
sometimes don’t
refer questions
Reluctance in going
when they reach an above and beyond
impasse.
original job
description.
Delayed response
to patron needs
Changes are
unnecessary, and
the status quo
serves the library
effectively.
Insights from Immunity Concept:
This concept shows the multidimensional nature of change.
Change is prevented by barriers coming
from both individual and group
commitments.
Team work as well as individual reflection
is necessary to overcome resistance to
change.
Questions…?