Information Literacy Organizations, Standards, and Models
Organizations and Standards / Models
National
Forum on Information Literacy The National Forum on
Information Literacy (NFIL) was founded as a response to a recommendation made
by the ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy. NFIL does four main
things: 1) it examines the role of information literacy and integrates it into
organizations through member groups, 2) it "supports, initiates & monitors
information literacy projects" at home and abroad, 3) it encourages adoption
of information literacy guidelines by regulatory agencies, and 4) it works with
teacher education programs.
The Nine Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education
Institute for Information Literacy
The mission of the IIL is to 'play a leadership role in assisting individuals and institutions in integrating information literacy throughout the full spectrum of the educational process.' To that end the IIL supports an Immersion program, which features tracks for new librarians and for librarians who manage information literacy programs. It also has a Best Practices program which seeks to collect and disseminate best practices from institutions that are successful in integrating information literacy in the educational process. The Community Partnership program, 'provides opportunities for a combination of community partners (i.e. academic and K-12; academic, K-12 and public, etc.) to work toward instituting 'community based' information literacy programs.' Finally, the website provides quick and easy access to information about literacy organizations and standards, as well as contact information for the IIL Advisory Board.
Library Instruction Round Table
LIRT is a subdivision
of the American Library Association. It encourages the use of library instruction,
teaching people the techniques and skills that allow them to make the most of
library resources. These skills include efficient use of the library catalog,
databases and indexes, and online resources. The "Library Instruction Tutorials"
link on the LIRT website provides many good ideas on how to use libraries effectively.
Although they are mostly concerned with academic libraries, these tutorials
are also excellent sources of general research techniques.
Instruction Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries
The responsibility of the Instruction Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is to develop standards and guidelines for library instruction programs and provide continuing education opportunities for academic and research instruction librarians. Primarily, ACRL/IS promotes and improves library instruction by formatting and publishing objectives, standards, and guidelines. ACRL/IS is a resource for librarians who are designing instruction programs.
LOEX Clearinghouse for Library Instruction
LOEX, the Library Orientation Exchange, is a non-profit clearinghouse which provides instructional materials used in information literacy instruction. The collections contain print materials such as point-of-use handouts, pathfinders, instructional videos, CD-ROMS and Internet sites. These materials are for the most part donated by member libraries, and may be copied and used freely by institutions that are members.
Native Educator Greg Cajete's Information Literacy Model
Dr. Greg Cajete has written extensively on the problems, opportunities, and methods of Native American education. Two of his books are:
Look to the Mountain.
2nd ed. Durango, CO : Kivaki, 1997.
Igniting the Sparkle : an Indigenous Science Education Model. Skyand,
NC : Kivaki Press, 1999.
The first title deals with general education issues, the second addresses teaching science within a Native American cultural context. Here are three excerpts from Look to the Mountain, that show different faces of his educational model:
For an additional look at what Dr. Cajete thinks and how he expresses himself, visit Bits of Information from Greg Cajete's Thesis
General Information Literacy Models
Dr. Carol Kuhlthau's Students and the Information Search Process: Zones of Intervention for Librarians provides a model for the process of providing research assistance in academic libraries. An insightful article, its model is useful in many education settings.
The Big6 Skills Model of Information Problem Solving
Guides to Using University Libraries for Research
Both of these "how to research a paper" websites are useful in their own rights, but they are also helpful models of the research process and might serve as a framework for "transforming an idea into a paper or other project" at many different teaching levels.
Library Research at Rutgers, Rutgers University, NJ
Library Research Tutorial, Gustavus Aldolfus University, MN