UNIVERSITY OF
RHODE ISLAND
The Graduate
School
Curricular
Report from the Graduate Council to the Faculty Senate
Report No.
2005-2006, 3A
At Meeting No 406 held on 18
November, 2005 the Graduate Council approved the following proposal
pending the receipt of statements from the Provost and Council of Deans
and the Budget Office. These responses have been received and the
proposal is now submitted to the Faculty Senate.
SECTION I
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION
ABSTRACT
The Graduate Council approved a
proposal from the Graduate School of Library and Information
Studies for a Post-baccalaureate Certificate Program in
Information Literacy Instruction. The program is intended to
serve the needs of professional librarians who want to update their
skills and will also provide opportunities for those who would like to
teach others how to use library resources effectively. The
program will consist of existing courses that are offered by faculty
who normally teach them. No new faculty members are needed.
BACKGROUND
The program requires completion
of a minimum of 15 graduate credits and completion of the program will
enable students and librarians to educate library users on how to use
information resources effectively, efficiently and honestly. The
following is stated in the proposal:
Although the library profession
recognizes the need to teach information literacy standards K-16, the
task to create information literate adults is daunting. The need
for IL instruction taxes the capacity of libraries and
librarians. Candidates for school, academic, and public libraries
would be strengthened with a combination Master of Library and
Information Studies MLIS degree along with a certificate in information
literacy instruction. Some candidates may be reluctant, however,
to commit to the 42 credit hour master’s degree and thus, would benefit
by starting with 15 credits with a focus on ILIC and then seeking
employment in libraries as paraprofessionals or continuing on for a
MLIS degree to become professional librarians.
The proposal was reviewed under
the process established by the Faculty Senate in which the Graduate
Council serves as the Coordinating and Review Committee.
Announcements of the receipt of the proposal were sent to the Provost
and the Council of Deans, the Budget Office, and Department Chairs and
Directors. Recommendations were sought from each of
these. The Budget Office reviewed the proposal with the
understanding that no additional budgetary resources would be required
for its implementation and surmised that the program could lead to a
net increase in revenues from student tuition payments. The
Council of Deans unanimously and enthusiastically endorsed the
program. Comments remain on file in the Graduate School.
SECTION II
RECOMMENDATION
The Graduate Council approved
the proposal for the Post-baccalaureate Certificate Program in
Information Literacy Instruction at its meeting number 406 on 18
November 2005, and forwards it to the Faculty Senate with a
recommendation for approval in a category for programs of merit that
require no new funding resources.
University of
Rhode Island
Kingston, RI
A Proposal
for a Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Information
Literacy
Instruction
2005
A. Program Information
1. Administrative
Unit:
Graduate
School of Library and Information Studies
2. Title
of proposed program:
Information
Literacy Instruction Certificate (ILIC)
3. Intended
date of implementation:
Spring 2006
4. Anticipated
date of granting first certificate:
December
2006
5. Intended
location of program:
Kingston, RI and in conjunction
with our existing regional program and WEB CT
6. Description of
the program:
a. Rationale:
Information
Literacy is the set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and
use information. Teaching information literacy skills in college
and university libraries is one of the current priorities of the
Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). The demand
for academic librarians trained in information literacy instruction has
been identified as a critical need that is not being adequately met by
current LIS educational programs. This has resulted in the development
of national programs like the Immersion Program offered by the ACRL
Institute for Information Literacy.
In 2000 the Association of
College and Research Libraries (ACRL) adopted Information Literacy
Competency Standards to be implemented in all academic libraries. Both
future and present academic librarians need to increase their awareness
of the implementation and integration of these ACRL standards. ACRL
defines an information literate individual as one who is able to:
“Determine the extent of information needed; Access the needed
information effectively and efficiently; Evaluate information and its
sources critically; Incorporate selected information into one’s
knowledge base; Use information effectively to accomplish a specific
purpose; Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding
the use of information, and access and use information ethically and
legally.” (Online at http://www.ala.org/acrl/il/comstan.html).
Although the library profession
recognizes the need to teach information literacy standards K-16, the
task to create information literate adults is daunting. The need for IL
instruction taxes the capacity of libraries and librarians. Candidates
for school, academic, and public libraries would be strengthened with a
combination Master of Library and Information Studies MLIS degree along
with a certificate in information literacy instruction. Some candidates
may be reluctant, however, to commit to the 42 credit hour master’s
degree and thus, would benefit by starting with 15 credits with a focus
on ILIC and then either seeking employment in libraries as
paraprofessionals or continuing on for a MLIS degree to become
professional librarians.
b. Workforce or professional development
need:
The
ILIC will serve the needs of professional librarians who want to update
their skills as well as provide opportunities for those who would like
to work in libraries as assistants and teach others how to use library
resources effectively and efficiently. Thus, three potential
groups of students are the target audience for this certificate
including practicing librarians and future librarians. Potential
librarians may desire to seek employment in libraries as assistants
prior to making a commitment to complete the MLIS degree. Another group
of students may be current or future MLIS students who could gain a
very marketable specialization. A third group consisting of practicing
librarians may be interested in updating their skills in teaching
information literacy standards. Thus, practicing librarians could earn
a certificate in information literacy instruction to develop their
teaching skills and provide needed instruction especially in academic
libraries. This certificate will enable students and librarians to
educate library users on how to use information resources effectively,
efficiently, and honestly.
Existing graduate curriculum:
All
courses in the ILIC program are currently offered by the GSLIS. The
expertise and personnel to teach these courses are a unique
constellation of faculty both in the GSLIS and the University of Rhode
Island Library and are available within the existing faculty.
b. Other potential
benefits:
In
addition to providing work opportunities in libraries, we expect that
some candidates will apply for the MLIS program to complete the degree
to become professionals. Moreover, the certificate program will provide
GSLIS with the opportunity to become recognized as a national leader in
the area of education for information literacy instruction.
c. Admissions
requirements:
Admission to the ILIC program
will be similar to the existing requirements for the MLIS degree
including a 3.0 GPA as an undergraduate, two letters of recommendation,
and a personal essay on goals for the program. However, the GRE or MAT
exam will not be required for the ILIC. If a candidate does not have
3.0 GPA, s/he must take the GRE or MAT and should earn a 50 percentile
score or higher.
d. Completion
requirements:
Completion
of 15 credits including the following courses is required:
LSC
504 Reference and Information Studies
LSC 524 Teaching about
Information
LSC 525 Multiculturalism in
Libraries
LSC 528 Instructional Technology
in Library & Information Services
LSC 597 Information Literacy
Tutoring [Course Number will be changing to LSC 527.]
The LSC 597[527] course will
allow candidates the opportunity to apply what they have learned and to
teach undergraduates information literacy standards at the URI Library
in conjunction with LIB 140.
Candidates will be required to
earn a grade of B or better in each course. A maximum of 3.0 graduate
credits will be accepted from another graduate library school program
for transfer of credit.
e. Faculty:
Faculty
who normally teach these courses will continue to offer them and no new
faculty are needed.
f. Delivery Format:
GSLIS
faculty will offer these courses in similar formats as we currently
offer including face to face, WEB CT, streaming audio and video, as
well as hybrid courses using face to face along with WEB CT.
g. Monitoring of
student progress:
An
advisor will be assigned to each candidate and the advisor will work
with the student to complete a program of study and monitor the
student’s progress.
h. Administration
of program:
The ILIC program will be
administered within the GSLIS department. The increased administrative
responsibilities will be assumed by the person appointed to coordinate
the program.
i. Assessment and
Evaluation of Program Outcomes:
Program outcomes will be
evaluated on the basis of application and completion rates and by
successful employment in libraries. A follow-up survey will be
administered to students, alumni and employers. Targeted outcomes
include the following GSLIS outcomes: Primary outcome: 6. Demonstrate
the ability to instruct patrons in the mastery of information literacy,
which includes the skills needed to locate, access, use and evaluate
information resources in all formats. Secondary outcomes: 5.
Demonstrate competence in using information technologies to access
information and provide users with access to information resources in
all formats. 8. Communicate effectively using appropriate media,
including written, oral, graphic, and nonverbal.
7. Time Frame of Program Initiation and
Approval Process:
|
APPROVAL
DATE
|
Department/Program/Colleges
|
May 2005 |
| Certificate Program Development Panel
(CPD) |
September 2005
|
| Graduate Council |
November 2005
|
Faculty Senate
|
|
President of the University of Rhode
Island
|
|
8. Additional
Considerations:
Candidates who earn the ILIC may
opt to transfer the complete subset of graduate credits for the ILIC
into the MLIS program upon completion of all required admissions
criteria.
Course List (Required 15 credits) and
Semester offered:
Completion of 15 credits
including the following courses is required:
LSC 504 Reference and
Information Studies (F/Sp/Su)
LSC 524 Teaching about
Information (Sp)
LSC 525 Multiculturalism in
Libraries (F)
LSC 528 Instructional Technology
in Library & Information Services (Sp/Su)
LSC 597 [527] Information
Literacy Tutoring (F/Su)
Addendum I
Budget Format: No additional
budget allocations are needed. The existing facilities and equipment in
the college will be used. The faculty compensation is part of the
normal teaching load.
Addendum II
Draft of a Sample
Post-Baccalaureate Certification
Completion of 15 credits
including the following courses is required:
Spring
LSC 504 Reference and
Information Studies
LSC 524 Teaching about
Information
LSC 528 Instructional Technology
in Library & Information Services
Fall
LSC 525 Multiculturalism in
Libraries
LSC 597 [527] Information
Literacy Tutoring
Summer
possibilities in lieu of Fall or
Spring:
LSC 504 Reference and
Information Studies (F/Sp/ Su)
LSC 528 Instructional Technology
in Library & Information Services (Sp/Su)
LSC 597 [527] Information
Literacy Tutoring (F/Su)
Certificate
in Information Literacy Instruction
Proposed by:
Professor Michael Havener,
Director
Associate Professor Cheryl A.
McCarthy, Curriculum Chair and
Associate Professors Herb
Carson, and Donna Gilton.
Graduate School of Library and
Information Studies
874-2947