Information Instruction Program

Mission Statement:

Goals:

• Support members of the college community by facilitating access to the vast array of resources available to the college.
• Introduce students to the tools, resources and research skills necessary to complete course assignments and to become critical thinkers and competent users of information important to academic and professional success.
• Work collaboratively with faculty and staff to promote information literacy skills in a dynamic technological environment.
• Make use of a variety of educational approaches to support the course-specific goals defined by faculty and to accommodate the differing needs and learning styles of individuals.
• Coordinate, assess, and continuously improve instruction activities and materials to stay current with changing curricular needs. Monitor and evaluate new and traditional technologies as appropriate for teaching and accessing information.
• Introduce new methods of instruction targeted to the needs of specific audiences as personnel and resources become available.
• Increase awareness of and participation in library programs and services that meet the needs of an increasingly culturally diverse community.

Objectives:

• Provide instruction to all freshmen through the English 101 required course component
  Freshmen at Westfield State University will be able to:
  • develop successful research strategies to meet specific information needs.
  • identify service points and collections in the Ely Library.
  • locate books, full-text and print journal, magazine and newspaper articles.
  • evaluate sources using a specific set of criteria.

• Provide subject specific instruction to lower and upper division students through course-specific collaboration with faculty.

Upperclassmen at westfield will be able to:
• define their information needs and the types of publications which would be useful to them.
• identify and use sources related to their major area of study, including but not limited to electronic databases, reference books, and core journals.
• evaluate information retrieved by using a specific set of criteria.

 
• Provide instruction to Graduate and Continuing Education Students through individual consultation and course-specific collaboration with faculty.

Graduate students at westfield will be able to:
• identify and use sources related to their major area of study, including but not limited to electronic databases, reference books, and core journals.
• evaluate information retrieved by using a specific set of criteria.

Groups to Be Served

Information Literacy Competencies

The outcomes for the Ely Library Instruction program are based on the competencies defined by the ACRL.
These standards can be found at
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm.

Faculty: Request an Information Instruction Session

• Information Instruction is available for any class at Westfield State University upon request by the instructor.
• Schedule research sessions as soon as possible.  At least two weeks advance notice is required to assure available times and to allow the Librarians time for class-specific preparation.
• Schedule one focused session or multiple sessions throughout the semester to increase hands-on exposure to research tools.  Follow-up sessions are encouraged, provided enough time is allowed for preparation of materials.
• Level of specificity will depend upon course grade level and students' previous exposure to relevant materials, equipment, and concepts.

Request Individual Instruction: Open to all Members of the Westfield State University Community

Meet with a librarian for in-depth instruction and guidance in using Ely Library resources.

• This service is available to all members of the campus community
• Advance sign-up is required.
• Plan ahead! Request an Individualized Instruction session by contacting Oliver Zeff, Information Instruction Coordinator (572-5640), using the online request form, or by stopping by the Reference Desk at the Ely Library (572-5234).

Contact:

• To Schedule an Information Instruction Session:
  • Oliver Zeff, Information Instruction Coordinator, 572-5640 (x5640)
  • Brian Hubbard, Head of Reference, 572-5482 (x5482)
• Other Information Instruction Team Members:
  • Teri Shiel, Reference/Information Instruction Librarian, 572-5483 (x5483)
  • Laura Wilson, Reference/Information Instruction Librarian, 572-5464 (x5464)
• For general inquiries or to set up an appointment for Individual Instruction:
  • Reference Desk, 572-5234 (x5234)