Wendy Holliday

Integrating Information Literacy with a Sequenced English Composition Curriculum

This article details the process of implementing a sequenced information literacy program for two core English composition courses at Utah State University. Anextensive needs assessment guided the project, leading to a curriculum design process with the goal of building a foundation for deeper critical thinking skills. The curriculum development and implementation process highlights several of the advantages of using the course-integrated model of instruction to develop a more comprehensive information literacy program.

Talking About Information Literacy: The Mediating Role of Discourse in a College Writing Classroom

This paper reports on the findings of an observational study of information literacy instruction in a college writing course. Using a sociocultural approach, the study explores how classroom discourse can influence the ways in which students conceive of information literacy and the process of research and writing. We found that a discourse that emphasized “finding sources” more than “learning about” might limit students’ engagement with information and the process of inquiry. This article concludes with recommendations for modifying discourse and instructional practices in order to help students engage more deeply in the research process.

Instruction in a Virtual Environment: Assessing the Needs for an Online Tutorial

Abstract In 2002, librarians at the Utah State University (USU) Libraries were awarded a grant to develop online tutorials. The major design challenge was to create tutorials specific to USU resources and students, including distance learners, while also making them flexible so that other Utah colleges and universities can adapt them for their own needs. The tutorials also needed to address the information behavior of a new generation of students accustomed to using computers and the Internet. While recent studies have begun to address some gaps in our knowledge of the information behavior of the Web Generation, we conducted a needs assessment to help us create a tutorial that more accurately addresses the existing knowledge and behavior of undergraduates at USU. We used multiple methods to determine the learning needs of our audience and to provide guidance for the design process.

Making Library Web Sites Usable: A LITA Guide (review)

important, especially as library resources and services change, as well as the tools used to construct the content. Daugherty and Russo maintain that this volume will be “useful to those just now contemplating an online program for their institution” (ix), yet the variety of program examples offered, in addition to the thoughtful reflections of their individual strengths and weaknesses, make this book truly valuable to instruction librarians wishing to enhance their existing online library instruction programs.