Libraries + WAC/WID + CTL = Impact: Collaborating to Develop Information Literacy Across Campus

Type of Presentation

Panel

Target Audience

Higher Education

Location

Session One Breakouts

Proposal

Many institutions are trying to develop campus-wide attention to information literacy. However, these efforts are often hindered by low faculty buy-in, or the belief that information literacy (IL) is exclusively the province of librarians or “one more thing” that detracts from course content. This session considers how a multifaceted collaboration between an academic library, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and the Writing in the Disciplines (WID) program reduces barriers to IL across campus. We argue that when collaborative partners amplify messages about information literacy, a stronger and more cogent approach to IL results campus-wide.

Our campus’ new general education structure places responsibility for information literacy everywhere; information literacy outcomes appear in the first-year and upper-level parts of our new curriculum. This structure emerged from our campus’ historical practice of weaving information literacy and writing instruction together in disciplinary environments. In the pivot to remote instruction during the pandemic, the libraries, WID, and the CTL intensified relationships and honed new approaches to joint programming. We explore the benefits of this collaboration, in particular:

  • Expanding support for faculty teaching writing and information literacy

  • Building librarians’ teaching capacity

  • Scaffolding faculty information literacy regarding the scholarship of teaching & learning.

In examining how our collaboration removed barriers to developing knowledge and resources within our units, we identify principles that can translate to other campuses. We offer a process of identifying campus allies with whom to collaborate in the work of strengthening information literacy both in general education and in situated disciplinary applications.

Presentation Description

This session explores how a distributed faculty driven model for addressing information literacy, is supported by a multifaceted collaborative group from the libraries, Writing-Across-the-Curriculum program, and Center for Teaching and Learning. In examining how our own collaboration removed barriers to developing collective knowledge and resources within our individual units, we identify transferable principles and a process of identifying campus allies that can strengthen information literacy networks both in general education and in situated disciplinary applications.

Keywords

Collaboration, partnerships, academic libraries

Publication Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

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Mar 26th, 9:45 AM Mar 26th, 10:45 AM

Libraries + WAC/WID + CTL = Impact: Collaborating to Develop Information Literacy Across Campus

Session One Breakouts

Many institutions are trying to develop campus-wide attention to information literacy. However, these efforts are often hindered by low faculty buy-in, or the belief that information literacy (IL) is exclusively the province of librarians or “one more thing” that detracts from course content. This session considers how a multifaceted collaboration between an academic library, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), and the Writing in the Disciplines (WID) program reduces barriers to IL across campus. We argue that when collaborative partners amplify messages about information literacy, a stronger and more cogent approach to IL results campus-wide.

Our campus’ new general education structure places responsibility for information literacy everywhere; information literacy outcomes appear in the first-year and upper-level parts of our new curriculum. This structure emerged from our campus’ historical practice of weaving information literacy and writing instruction together in disciplinary environments. In the pivot to remote instruction during the pandemic, the libraries, WID, and the CTL intensified relationships and honed new approaches to joint programming. We explore the benefits of this collaboration, in particular:

  • Expanding support for faculty teaching writing and information literacy

  • Building librarians’ teaching capacity

  • Scaffolding faculty information literacy regarding the scholarship of teaching & learning.

In examining how our collaboration removed barriers to developing knowledge and resources within our units, we identify principles that can translate to other campuses. We offer a process of identifying campus allies with whom to collaborate in the work of strengthening information literacy both in general education and in situated disciplinary applications.