• What is Information Competency?
• Workshops For Your Students | Library 191 For Your Students
• Information Competency Infusion For Your Students
• Information Competency in California Community Colleges
• Information Competency in California Colleges & Universities
• National Standards for Information Competency

What is Information Competency?

"Information Competency is the ability to find, evaluate, use, and communicate information in all its various formats. It combines aspects of library literacy, research methods and technological literacy. Information Competency includes consideration of the ethical and legal implications of information and requires the application of both critical thinking and communication skills."

Information competency definition adopted by the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges at its 1998 Spring Plenary Session. Available at: www.AcademicSenate.cc.ca.us

Note: Information competency is also referred to as information literacy and information competence.

Workshops For Your Students

The GCC library offers nine information competency workshops which teach students about doing research in the library and on the web. The workshops are designed to focus on specific research skills, such as "Locating Journal & Newspaper Articles." Many instructors assign the workshops as a supplement to their course. Some instructors require workshops as homework for a course; for example, "students must attend five workshops during the course of the semester." Other instructors recommend the workshops or allow students to earn extra credit for workshop attendance.

Students sign up for and attend workshops on their own time, not as a class. Each workshop lasts 61 minutes and incorporates a handout, active learning exercises, and hands-on practice in the library's 27-computer instruction room. Students attendance at workshops will be reported to your online roster within 48 hours of their workshop.

Instructors have asked for clarification on the sequence in which library workshops should be taken so that they can direct their students to take the basic level workshops first. There are actually four series of workshops:

Workshop Series	Workshops
General Library Research Series (Level 1)	Research Strategies
	Searching the Online Catalog
	Locating Journal & Newspaper Articles
Internet Series (Level 1)	Internet Essentials
	Academic Research on the Web
	Critical Evaluation of Web Resources
General Library Research Series (Level 2)	Improving Library Research
Specialized Research Series (Level 2)	Literary Criticism Research
	Government Resources

An example of sequencing these workshops is students should take Searching the Online Catalog and Locating Journal & Newspaper Articles before taking Literary Criticism Research because finding books and articles is prerequisite to literary criticism research.

See the Library Workshops web page for a list of workshops, workshop descriptions, and the current workshop schedule.

GCC's Research Project on Information Competency demonstrates that students who participated in library workshops typically had significantly better course outcomes with regards to student success and retention. GCC is one of only a few colleges which has done quantitative research on the effects of information competency instruction on students' success.

For more information on assigning workshops for your course or obtaining reports of student attendance, please contact Nancy Getty at x5795 or ngetty@glendale.edu.

Library 191 For Your Students

Library 191: Introduction to Information Competency is a two-unit, semester-length course. This course has been offered in the past as a stand-alone course, but currently we are pairing Library 191 with other courses such as English 101. In Library 191, students learn to do research using the library's online catalog, print collection, numerous article and reference databases, and the web. In addition, they learn about evaluating sources and the ethical use of information. One advantage of pairing Library 191 with another course such as English 101 is that students can use their English 101 research paper topic in the Library 191 exercises, thus practicing research skills and completing their research at the same time.

Instructors have often found that students produce better research papers when their course is paired with the library course. Library 191 instructors work with classroom instructors to coordinate instruction of various research skills. For example, the Library 191 instructor will teach how to use the MLA Handbook as a research tool before the students' first Works Cited draft is due in their English course. GCC's Research Project on Information Competency demonstrates that students do better in their courses after taking Library 191. GCC is one of only a few colleges which has done quantitative research on the effects of information competency instruction on students' success.

See the Information Competency Credit Courses web page for course descriptions, schedules, and syllabi.

For information on how you can pair your course with Library 191, please contact Brenda Jones, Library and Learning Resources Director at bjones@glendale.edu or (818) 409-5578.

Information Competency Infusion For Your Students

Infusion refers to information competency instruction integrated or infused into an existing course outside the library instead of being taught through library courses or workshops. Courses and disciplines that have information competency infused into their curricula have made information competency (the ability of students to recognize when information is needed and to locate, evaluate, and use effectively that information) an integral part of that course or discipline.

Courses which have research components are ideal places for infusing information competency instruction. There is no one right way to infuse this kind of instruction. An example of infusion is 1) working with a librarian to design a library research assignment, 2) having one or two library research instruction sessions for your class as a whole, and then 3) incorporating what students learn about research into your course, perhaps through testing or requirements for their final research project. There are many other ways to infuse information competency instruction into your course. If you're interested in exploring infusion, please contact your division's library liaison.

Information Competency in California Community Colleges

Within the California Community Colleges, there are many campuses active in information competency instruction. Eight campuses already have an information competency requirement: Cabrillo, Cerro Coso, College of the Siskiyous, Cuyamaca, Diablo Valley, Merced, Santa Rosa Junior, and Taft. As of Spring 2005, eight more are close to having a requirement.

Topsy Smalley of Cabrillo College keeps an up-to-date web site with information about the various campuses which have information competency programs, what they're doing, links to statewide resources, etc. Check out her Information Competency web page.

Information Competency in California Colleges & Universities

Similar to the work being done within the California Community College system, many four-year colleges and universities in California have information competency or information literacy programs. The CSU system is at the forefront of the statewide information competence program. Check out these links to learn more.

• CSU Checklist of Information Competencies for College Students (Word doc)
• CSU Information Competence Initiative
• CSU Information Competence Tutorials
• CSU Integration of Learning Outcomes
• Information on the CSU campuses and Information Competence from Topsy Smalley's web site

The UC system is also working on information literacy. Check out these links to learn more.

• UC Libraries Common Interest Group: Information Literacy
• Information Literacy Background from the Librarians Association of the University of California (LAUC)

Note: Information competency is also referred to as information literacy and information competence.

National Standards for Information Competency

In 2000, the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) approved Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education and in 2001, they added Objectives for Information Literacy Instruction: A Model Statement for Academic Librarians. These standards were also endorsed by the American Association for Higher Education (October 1999) and the Council of Independent Colleges (February 2004).

Other educational associations and organizations also recognize the importance of information competency instruction for students and educators. Some examples are:

• “Students will demonstrate Information Competence and the ability to use computers and other technology for many purposes.” American Psychological Association. Board of Educational Affairs. Undergraduate Psychology Major Learning Goals and Outcomes: A Report, 2000.
• “A student who intends to become a practicing chemist, or who will use chemistry in allied fields of science and medicine, should know how to use the chemical literature effectively and efficiently.” American Chemical Society. Chemical Information Retrieval.
• “The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication requires that, irrespective of their particular specialization, all graduates should be aware of certain core values and competencies and be able to conduct research and evaluate information by methods appropriate to the communications professions, audiences, and purposes they serve.” ACEJMC Committee on Standards and Assessment. Accrediting Standards, 2002.