Using Context in Information Literacy Instruction: Beyond Basic Skills

Hosier shows academic librarians how to use context when teaching information literacy, an approach that offers a substantive and enduring impact on students' lifelong learning.

Librarians know that information literacy is much more complex and nuanced than the basic library research skill that it's often portrayed as; in fact, as outlined by the ACRL Framework, research is a contextual activity. But the settings in which we teach often constrain our ability to take a more layered approach. This book not only shows you how to teach information literacy as something other than a basic skill, but also how to do it in whatever mode of teaching you’re most often engaged in, whether that's a credit-bearing course, a one-shot session, a tutorial, a reference desk interaction, or a library program. Taking you through each step of the research process, this book shares ideas for adding context while exploring topics such as

• how conversations about context can be integrated into lessons on common information literacy topics;
• examples of the six genres of research and suggested course outlines for each;
• ensuring that context strategies fit within the ACRL Framework;
• questions for reflection in teaching each step of the research process;
• four different roles that sources can play when researching a topic;
• helping students refine a topic that is drawing too many or too few sources;
• cultivating students to become good decision-makers for the best type of research sources to use depending on their need; and
• how to address the shortcomings of checklist tools like the CRAAP test.