Library Instruction Program: Welcome

Library Instruction Program

"The sheer abundance of information will not in itself create a more informed citizenry without a complementary cluster of abilities necessary to use information effectively."

~Association of College & Research Libraries~

Information literacy skills are not just a way of doing research, but a way of thinking and being in a complex global society.  The primary passion of the instruction Librarians is to provide the same quality education as provided in UW-Stout classrooms through information literacy instruction.  We are trained and ready to provide consultation, collaborate on curriculum development or design learning experiences to develop the information literacy skills of UW-Stout students, faculty and staff.

The University Library Instruction Program is primary advocate and agent for the development of information literacy skills for all members of the UW-Stout community.

Mission

The mission of the UW-Stout Library Instruction Program is to partner with UW-Stout students, faculty, staff and administration to develop information literacy skills, thereby supporting UW-Stout's comprehensive polytechnic mission by promoting ethical scholarship, evidence-based professional practice, and self-directed learning over a lifetime.

Learning Goals

The UW-Stout Library Instruction Program provides learning experiences to facilitate the development of information literacy skills, including the abilities to:

• Understand the relationships between information, society, personal experience and professional practice.
• Reflect and identify a need for information.
• Define and communicate the nature and scope of the information need.
• Build an effective and efficient information finding strategy.
• Evaluate the quality and relevance of the information found.
• Synthesize new information with prior knowledge to satisfy the information need through summary, application and further investigation.
• Apply information skillfully, ethically and legally.

Information Literacy

Information literacy skills are not just a way of doing research, but a way of thinking and being in a complex global society.

The information literate individual has the ability to:

• Identify an information need.
• Find information applicable to that need.
• Evaluate the information found in terms of quality and applicability.
• Synthesize information with prior knowledge to answer questions or construct new questions to investigate.
• Use information, ethically and legally, to accomplish a specific purpose.

The guiding framework for information literacy is based on standards and determines our instructional methods and materials:

• Information Literacy Competencies and Criteria for Academic Libraries in Wisconsin
• Association of college and Research Libraries Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education