Information Literacy and Instruction

Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning. (Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education)

The role of the Information Literacy Program is to help students’ develop the necessary skills to find, evaluate and think critically about information and to incorporate it into their own research in an ethical manner.

The JCC librarians welcome the opportunity to partner with faculty to ensure the integration of information literacy skills into the curriculum. 

How can we help?

• If your course has a research component that requires students to use external resources then we highly recommend that you contact us to schedule a library instruction.  Our librarians will work with you to tailor the instruction to meet the specific needs of your class.
• A long term research paper or project isn't necessary to teach students information literacy skills.  There are many activities or smaller scale assignments that can be used to teach your class to think critically about information or about research in a specific discipline.  Contact one of our librarians for help.
• The best way to integrate information literacy is through scaffolding.  The JCC Information Literacy Student Learning Competencies were designed to be flexible so departments can easily target the learning outcomes most relevant to their discipline.  If your department would like help in taking a more holistic approach to incorporating information literacy, contact Beverly Scarpulla at  bscarpulla@sunyjefferson.edu or (315) 786-2224. 
• Our librarians are skilled in creating learning guides or interactive tutorials that would be especially helpful for students in hybrid or distance learning courses.  Librarians will work with faculty to tailor learning tools to specific assignments or needs your class may have.  There is also an Information Literacy Tutorial that you can assign your students to help them learn the same concepts and skills we often teach in library instruction. If there is a module in the tutorial that you would like to adapt for your class please contact Beverly Scarpulla.