Although many of our students are “born digital” they often arrive at college with a limited understanding of the complexities of the research process, from understanding the full range of resources contributing to the scholarly conversation, to having an awareness of the tools available for finding, organizing and citing these sources. Furthermore, students often lack the evaluative skills allowing them to make critical decisions about which types of resources to draw from when completing a research assignment. In reporting on findings from Project Information Literacy (PIL), a large-scale, national study about early adults and how they find, evaluate, and select information for use in their courses and in everyday life, Alison J. Head reveals that “most freshmen said their research competencies from high school were inadequate for college work,” going on to state that “as they wrapped up their first term, freshmen said they realized they needed to upgrade their research toolkit” (Head, 2013 p.3). While Head’s 2013 report, “Learning the Ropes: How Freshmen Conduct Course Research Once they Enter College” focuses on the information literacy skills of students in the first year, students of all levels are often unaware of the range of tools available to them for conducting college-level research, and how to leverage these tools to conduct efficient, comprehensive and critical research.
In the broadest sense, to be information literate is to have the ability to locate, evaluate and utilize information and its sources. The Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education further delineates the breadth of dispositions and skills ascribed to the idea of information literacy, and provides guidance to librarians and faculty partnering to boost student research skills, for success in college and for the sake of lifelong learning. Informed by the framework and other professional standards such as evidence-based practice in the health sciences, UIC Librarians aim to support the development of a wide range of information literacy skills through across the disciplines and at all levels. Library liaisons for specific disciplines and programs welcome the opportunity to discuss how they can support the development of student research skills for your course or program.