"To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information."

"Information literate people are those who have learned how to learn. They know how to learn because they know how knowledge is organized, how to find information, and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them. They are people prepared for lifelong learning, because they can always find the information needed for any task or decision at hand"

American Library Association. Report of the Presidential Committee on Information Literacy

Professional Development

Teaching that Promotes Learning

For faculty, librarians and instructional technologists from Connecticut College , Trinity College and Wesleyan to learn about the meaning, practice and ramifications of using this student-centered approach and how it can transform and support the college classroom environment.

Maryellen Weimer, author of Improving College Teaching and Teaching on Solid Ground and editor-in-chief of  The Teaching Professor , will present this all-day workshop based on her book Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice .

Practical Assessment: Approaches to Evaluation that Can Improve Your Projects

A one-day workshop for faculty, librarians and instructional technologists from Connecticut College , Trinity College and Wesleyan University about a variety of methods for using assessment. Presented by Steve Ehrmann of the TLT Group.

“Developing Information Literacy Skills: Assignments That Work”

The Trinity College Library and Information Technology Center hosted a workshop for faculty from Connecticut College, Trinity College and Wesleyan University on developing students' information literacy skills through effective assignments.

Assessing Student Learning Outcomes

Librarians Pat Clark e (Trinity College), Beth Hansen and Kathy Gehring (Connecticut College) each participated in this three-week ACRL online seminar, to gain the skills needed to create assessment tools to measure student information literacy. This intensive seminar utilized online instruction sessions, chat, readings and assignments to help librarians learn the process of designing, implementing, and evaluating tools for assessing student learning outcomes. 

ACRL 12th National Conference

Librarians from both Connecticut College and Trinity College took advantage of several significant opportunities to build their existing knowledge and skills in info rmation literacy, instruction, collaboration and assessment. Librarians attended the 12 th National Conference of Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) in Minneapolis . This biennial conference is considered the primary resource for professionals interested in new innovations and activities in the field. Of particular relevance was the pre-conference attended by the project's administrator, Information Literacy in the Disciplines: Librarian/Faculty Collaboration for 21st Century Research Skills.

Institute for Information Literacy: Immersion ’03
Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL)

Each summer ACRL provides academic librarians from across the country an opportunity to participate in a five-day information literacy immersion workshop. The workshop is offered in two focus areas: Librarian as Teacher (track 1) and Librarian as Program Developer (track 2). Applications are submitted and participants are chosen based on various criteria including institutional readiness and support for an information literacy program. Connecticut College and Trinity College were both represented at Immersion ’03, with project coordinators from each school attending the Program Developer track. Trinity College was represented in both track 1 and 2, providing an invaluable opportunity for their institution to gain perspectives at both levels. Participants from the two institutions readily acknowledge that the support received the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for the integration of information literacy into the curriculum was key to being accepted into the program. An additional benefit of the Institute was an opportunity for Connecticut College and Trinity College to work together with eight other librarians from similar small liberal arts colleges to develop an action plan for their programs. Beth Woodward, the Institute’s coordinator, assisted the group in developing their plans, provided feedback and led discussion as group members shared their experiences and expertise. These plans are currently being shared with the respective library administrators on each campus for further development and will provide a solid base for the next steps in their continuing campus initiatives.

CTW Mellon Project Kick-Off Weekend

Members of the Implementation Committee agreed that a shared event would provide the opportunity for faculty, staff, and administrators from the three institutions to begin their collaborative work. Discussions resulted in the CTW Mellon Project Kick-Off Weekend consisting of two major events. The first would be a full-day workshop
for librarians and instructional technology specialists to meet their colleagues and learn more about information literacy. The second event would provide faculty and administrators with this same opportunity in a setting that established the role of information literacy in higher education and the importance of information literacy as a part of a liberal arts education. Each event paved the road for future collaboration between faculty, librarians and instructional technology specialists.


Workshop for Librarians and Instructional Technology Specialists

The first event of the weekend was held on Friday, November 15th, 2002. Librarians and instructional technology specialists from the three institutions gathered for a full-day workshop on information literacy hosted by Wesleyan University at the University’s faculty club. Participants shared ideas on best practices for information literacy instruction and ways to cooperate across the Consortium. An overview of the information literacy program at the College of Wooster (Ohio) was given by speakers Bill Scott, Assistant Professor of Psychology, and Julia Gustafson, Electronic Services Librarian at the College. Scott and Gustafson were one of a number of faculty/librarian teams who received support from the Five Colleges of Ohio Consortium grant, “Integrating Information Literacy into the Liberal Arts Curriculum” funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Each presented their perspective as a member of a collaborative, faculty/librarian team working towards the integration of information literacy into the course curriculum and their recommendations for a successful project. Librarians and instructional technology specialists found their comments honest and insightful. Following the presentations, participants worked with sample faculty course syllabi to identify how information literacy might be integrated using library resources and technology. This activity enabled librarians and instructional technologists to gain insight into the knowledge and skills that each could bring to the project.

The workshop successfully accomplished its goal, bringing forty-five librarians and instructional technology specialists together from the three institutions to develop a shared concept of information literacy and set a framework for the collaborative process.

Kick-Off Event for Faculty and Administrators

The second day of the weekend’s events brought approximately sixty faculty and administrators from the three institutions together at the Saybrook Point Inn. Presentations and a working session were designed to develop a greater awareness of information literacy concepts and ideas in higher education and their specific role in the liberal arts environment. Information literacy advocate Mary Reichel, University Librarian at Appalachian State University and 2001/2002 president of the Association of College and Research Libraries, introduced and explained the concept of information literacy and its relevance to students learning in higher education. Bill Scott and Julia Gustafson, College of Wooster (Ohio) spoke to faculty and administrators with a focus on the specifics of actual implementation within the context of their own collaborative work. Bill Scott, with his perspective as a faculty member, spoke convincingly of the importance of a collaborative approach that utilized the knowledge and skills of a librarian. His knowledge of content and the librarian’s knowledge of information literacy resulted in a process by which they were able to work through the course syllabus to identify elements where information literacy could enhance the existing student learning process. The success of these presentations in creating a greater knowledge of information literacy and its relevance to their work was readily apparent as participants enthusiastically interacted as part of the follow-up discussions with each of the presenters.

A second outcome of the day’s activities was achieved as participants worked in small, discipline-specific discussion groups to identify student information literacy competencies that they would like to address as part of the initiative. Recorders for each group created a list of these competencies that would later provide input for the Implementation Committee members in determining their individual campus initiatives. Groups also discussed ways in which they might be able utilize the support of a librarian and instructional technology specialist team to address these issues in the classroom. Faculty colleagues from the three institutions shared their own experiences in addressing these issues and proposed ways in which they might work with their peers in the CTW Consortium to accomplish their integration of information literacy concepts into the classroom. Participants in each of the discussion groups commented on the importance of being able to share their concerns and experience about this important issue with colleagues in their discipline on their own campuses and with faculty at other institutions.

Despite the fact that the event was on a busy Saturday in late Fall, discussion between faculty, administrators and staff continued late into the afternoon, well beyond the closing remarks. This confirmed for the Implementation Committee that their event had been a true success. (See Addendum).

Database Project for Sharing Instructional Modules and Materials

During the Spring of 2003 the librarian and instructional technology specialist from Wesleyan University made a proposal to the Implementation Committee to create a database structure to collect and disseminate information literacy project modules and instructional materials created by the three institutions as part of their grant activities. The Committee viewed the potential ability to share these materials and the possibility for further dissemination of these materials outside of the Consortium was in keeping with the collaborative intent of the Project’s initiatives. To build this shared database, it was proposed that funding allocated to Wesleyan for a part-time information technology specialist would be used to hire a programmer to work on the development of the database on behalf of the three institutions. A request for this change to the original grant proposal was submitted to the Foundation and approved in Spring 2003. A programmer has been hired and is currently working on the development of the database. Committee members have met with the programmer to discuss the structure and contents of the database and an initial presentation has been made to librarians on each campus to obtain feedback and ideas on its continued development. A more detailed description of the database project is included in Wesleyan University’s campus report.


CTW Collaboration

Historically, the CTW Consortium has fostered collaborative relationships between the library and instructional technology staff of the three institutions and participation in the grant has provided yet another opportunity for librarians and instructional technology specialists to build on these collaborative relationships. Contact reached beyond the formality of Implementation Committee meetings as staff from the three institutions worked together to develop content and materials for the CTW Project Kick-Off Weekend events. The development and maintenance of the Project’s website (http://www.conncoll.edu/is/infolit/) involves staff from the three institutions in the design and provision of content for the site. This site is one way in which the Implementation Committee disseminates information regarding the ongoing work of the Project through updates and other support documents. Links to each institution’s individual information literacy website provides easy access for faculty and staff to keep updated on the work at each of the institutions. This past year librarians from the three institutions participated in the selection of a new integrated library system for the Consortium to be implemented in the 2003/2004 academic year. Librarians are using their combined knowledge and experience during this process to develop instruction and materials that will allow faculty and students at all three institutions to make the best use of this new-shared resource. The enhancement of an already strong working relationship between the three institutions has been one of the noteworthy successes for this first-year effort.