Information Literacy at Messiah University: First Year Program

This component of the Information Literacy Program provides students with a foundation in information searching, access, evaluation, and use. Further development of the abilities emphasized in this area is expected throughout the curriculum.

Information literacy instruction in FYS and CCC courses require at least two 50-minute sessions in FYS, and two 30-45 minute sessions in CCC, to be given concurrent with relevant assignments.

Students are required to pass library competency quizzes in order to pass First-Year Seminar anc Created and Called for Community. Students who fail to do so receive an Incomplete as a course grade.

Following FYS and CCC, the First Year student will have met the following information literacy learning objectives:

The FY student will be able to:

1. Identify library spaces and their purposes (FYS)
2. Navigate and find basic content from the library website such as hours (FYS)
3. Contact the reference librarian for research help (FYS)
4. Create a simple search strategy in a library database using Boolean logic (FYS,)
5. Revise a simple search strategy using relevant keywords and subject words (FYS, CCC)
6. Evaluate websites for authority, accuracy, bias and date (CCC)
7. Locate a book in the library catalog using a simple search (FYS)
8. Recognize the subject-based arrangement for Library of Congress classification system, and locate a book on the library shelf using the Library of Congress call number (FYS)
9. Locate and open an ebook in a web browser (FYS)
10. Determine if a journal article is scholarly (CCC)  
11. Locate a journal article in an appropriate library database using a simple search (FYS, CCC)
12. Create simple book and article citations using the style required in course (CCC)
13. Identify parts of the citation (CCC)
14. Find book and journal article based on citation information
15. Recognize situations when an interlibrary loan is required, and successfully submit a request. (FYS, CCC)
16. Recognize academic research terminology (e.g., index, periodical, citation, abstract) (FYS)