Library instruction for first-year students

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss the background, design and implementation of the new library instruction. When a new core curriculum for first-year students was adopted at the City College of New York in the fall of 2008, the City College Library took this opportunity to establish a new approach to teach library research to freshmen. Two library workshops were embedded into a six-credit combined content and writing course. Design/methodology/approach – This paper documents the process by which the City College Library successfully transitioned to the new system and also reflects on the theory and practice of teaching information literacy in an academic setting. Findings – Library workshops embedded within the new core curriculum have clear advantages over previous library instruction. By designing and implementing library workshops to blend with the new course, the Library has become a partner in an innovative first-year program. Practical implications – This study will provide useful information on ...

[1]  Beth L. Mark,et al.  Separating Wheat from Chaff: Helping First-Year Students Become Information Savvy , 2000 .

[2]  Gary B. Thompson.  Information Literacy Accreditation Mandates: What They Mean for Faculty and Librarians , 2002, Libr. Trends.

[3]  Elizabeth Joy Birmingham,et al.  First-Year Writing Teachers, Perceptions of Students' Information Literacy Competencies, and a Call for a Collaborative Approach , 2008 .

[4]  Patricia B. Knapp,et al.  The Monteith college library experiment , 1966 .

[5]  Trudi E. Jacobson,et al.  Informing and Extending the Draft ACRL Information Literacy Framework for Higher Education: An Overview and Avenues for Research , 2014, Coll. Res. Libr..

[6]  William Badke.  Google Scholar and the Researcher , 2009 .

[7]  Jesse Ulmer,et al.  Cultivating the Librarian Within: Effectively lntegrating Library lnstruction into Freshman Composition , 2009 .

[8]  Linda Pierce,et al.  Advancing Critical Thinking and Information Literacy Skills in First Year College Students , 2008 .

[9]  Cheryl LaGuardia.  Library Instruction in the Digital Age , 2011 .

[11]  James K. Elmborg.  Information literacy and Writing across the curriculum: sharing the vision , 2003 .

[12]  Laura Baker.  Library Instruction in the Rearview Mirror , 2006 .

[13]  One-shot or Embedded? Assessing Different Delivery Timing for Information Resources Relevant to Assignments , 2013 .

[14]  A. M. White.  The Process of Education , 1994 .

[15]  Linda Ernick,et al.  Reading, Writing, Research , 2004 .

[16]  Erin L Davis,et al.  “Writing Information Literacy” Revisited: From Theory to Practice in the Classroom , 2010 .

[17]  Tracy L. Hull,et al.  The Development of a First-Year Student Library Instruction Program at Duke University , 2001 .

[18]  Liz Rohan.  Hostesses of Literacy: Librarians, Writing Teachers, Writing Centers, and a Historical Quest for Ethos , 2002 .

[19]  Colleen T. Boff,et al.  The library and first‐year experience courses: a nationwide study , 2002 .

[20]  A. Grafstein.  A discipline-based approach to information literacy , 2002 .

[21]  Erin L. Ellis,et al.  The Evolution of Critical Thinking Skills in Library Instruction, 1986–2006: A Selected and Annotated Bibliography and Review of Selected Programs , 2008 .