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Information Literacy @ CSM

This guide outlines what is Information Literacy and how library faculty provide information literacy and research instruction at College of San Mateo.

ENGL100/105 Info Lit Overview

Starting Spring 2022 CSM Library will be testing a pilot program with our ENGL100/105 courses as part of revising and reimagining the Information Competency Requirement at CSM.

2010-2015

Info Comp requirement satisfied by LIBR100 or Info Comp Exam

2015-2020

  • All sections of ENGL100 and ENGL105 at CSM were partnered with a CSM librarian who provided two 50 minute information literacy sessions throughout the course of the semester and provided other library support as needed

2020-2021

  • Due to the pandemic and shift to increased online instruction CSM librarians provided support and information literacy instruction to their paired ENGL courses in a variety of modalities including synchronous sessions, asynchronous videos, and other synchronous and asynchronous methods depending the the needs and demands of ENGL courses

Pilot Program Spring 2022

  • The new pilot program continues the pairing of CSM librarians with ENGL 100 and ENGL105 sections with some significant changes:
    • Paired Librarians will act as a connection and point of contact for ENGL students and the CSM Library without any required instructional sessions
    • A standardized required Information Literacy Tutorial embedded in every ENGL100/105 Canvas course for all ENGL100/105 students
    • Instructional sessions or additional supporting materials are optional and must be requested by the ENGL instructor using the library's instruction request form
    • Additional research/instructional sessions or other materials may be presented/created by a course's paired librarian or other CSM Librarian depending on availability and scheduling

Notes About Info Comp and ENGL Pairings

  • The original intent of the ENGL100/105-Library pairing was to teach early English students the fundamentals of information literacy rather than provide instructional sessions to support their English assignments.
  • Over the years the purpose of the partnership has become muddled as librarians provided more and more custom content to courses that helped support ENGL assignments rather than reinforce information literacy tenets.
  • This Pilot Program is an attempt to return to the original intent of the partnership and provide consistent, high-quality information literacy instruction to early ENGL students.
  • Whether or not Info Comp belongs embedded in ENGL courses is an ongoing discussion with both librarians and the English department and may change in the future