1. Developing Library, Research, and Information Literacy Skills

2. Information Literacy What is information literacy?
Computer literacy
Media literacy
Cultural literacy
Learning to be information literate
Know how to find the information you need
Learn how to interpret the information you find
Have a purpose
What’s research—and what’s not?
Employing information literacy skills

3. Your Turn
Why do you think the book states that “information literacy is the premier survival skill for the modern world”? Do you agree? Why or why not?

4. Choosing, Narrowing, and Researching a Topic
Before starting your research, have an idea of what you are looking for
Choose a topic
Narrow it down to a particular aspect that interests you
Figure out what aspects of the subject you will pursue

5. Using the Library
Taking advantage of everything your library has to offer
More than a document warehouse
Use the library’s home page as an electronic gateway to its services
Asking a librarian
Information experts who are trained to assist and guide you to the resources you need

6. Your Turn
Is the library a necessary resource for learning in college? Why or why not?

7. Electronic Resources Library catalogs Periodical databases
Tell you what books, magazines, newspapers, videos, and other materials are available in a particular library
Periodical databases
Let you hunt down articles published in hundreds (even thousands) of newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals
The World Wide Web
Googling is an aggregation of information, opinion, and sales pitches from servers around the globe
Guidelines for effective searches

8. Your Turn
Talk to a faculty member, a parent, or an older friend who went to college. Ask this person how he or she conducted research before the Internet. Write a short review of the strategies used by former generations to access and use information.

9. Evaluating Sources Relevance Authority Bias A note on Internet sources
How well does it fit your needs?
Authority
Was it created by somebody who has the qualifications to write or speak on the subject?
Bias
Some signs of bias indicate that you should avoid using a source
A note on Internet sources
Be cautious of material you find online
Difficult to tell where it came from or who wrote it

10. Your Turn
How do you find sources for an important paper? Do you go to the first several hits on Google, or do you use a more deliberate process? What strategies can you use to make sure your Internet or library research results in valid information?

11. Your Turn
In your opinion, what newspapers, magazines, or TV networks are biased? Does a biased point of view make you more or less likely to read or watch? Why do you think many people expose themselves only to opinions or viewpoints like their own?

12. Your Turn
One of the most frequently visited sites on the Web is Wikipedia, a collaborative reference work written and maintained by thousands of volunteers. Most of its articles can be (and have been) edited by anyone with Internet access. What are the pros and cons of using such a site as a source for a research project?

13. Making Use of What You Find
Synthesizing information and ideas
Accept some ideas, reject others, combine related concepts, assess implications, and put it all together
Can help create new information and ideas
Citing your sources
If you use somebody else’s exact words, you must give that person credit
If you use somebody else’s ideas, even in your own words, you must give that person credit
About plagiarism
Be aware that “I didn’t know” is not a valid excuse

14. Tech Tip: Check Your Engine
Online research in an academic setting
Use peer-reviewed academic journals,
government Web sites, or newspaper Web sites
Use tricks to refine your search
Key words separated by a space or plus sign
Key words separated by the word OR
Key words plus words in brackets
Key words and a minus sign
Framing key words in asterisks
Using asterisks for a wildcard search