Mary C. MacDonald

Challenges in building an incremental, multi‐year information literacy plan

The authors discuss the plan for building an incremental, multi‐year information literacy program at the University of Rhode Island. Review of the current library instruction program leads to why and how they plan to change the program by focusing on the concepts of understanding what information is, in addition to learning how to gather, evaluate, and use information. The Draft Plan for Information Literacy at the University of Rhode Island Libraries addresses the information and research needs of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty needs. The development of credit‐bearing courses in information literacy, the creation of information literacy modules for specific disciplines, and the Draft Plan for Information Literacy are discussed.

The real world: developing information age issues forums

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to describe the development of a series of forums on issues of the information age, created to address ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standard Five.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a case study, including citations to relevant literature.Findings – The paper provides a technique for addressing ACRL Information Literacy Standard Five, examples of topics, discussion of logistics, and value to students.Originality/value – The ideas and methods presented in the paper may be used by other librarians to arrange forums at their own institutions. A checklist to assist in preparation is also included.