The Information Literacy Program at AUB

The concept "Information Literacy" was coined by the Association of College and Research Libraries of the American Library Association in the eighties, to denote a set of abilities requiring that individuals learn where information resides and to develop the ability to locate, evaluate and use it effectively.
The ACRL has published standards by which that process can be implemented and evaluated. Briefly, these are:

1. The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
2. The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
3. The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
4. The information literate student applies new and prior information to the planning and creation of a particular product and performance.
5. The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

The University Libraries, through the Information Services Department, have embraced these principles and are building a structured and sequential program through the departments and schools at AUB to assist faculty in teaching students to develop the necessary skills for successful research.
AUB has included "information literacy" as a required competency in its General Education requirements proposal.

The program of information literacy at AUB is composed of the following services:

1. Communication Skills Program: In an effort to ensure that all entering students are introduced to the research process, Jafet Library offers one-hour sessions on how to use the resources for writing a term paper. Faculty include the sessions as a requirement in their course, and work closely with the librarians to design a program that fits the students' needs.
   
   
2. Course or Major-related Sessions for Undergraduate and Graduate Students:  Upon the request of faculty members, course or subject-related sessions focusing on core research sources and electronic databases are designed to fit the needs of the course or the major discipline. Emphasis is placed on developing a search strategy using online and print indexes, keyword and subject searches, Boolean operators and using thesauri to determine suitable descriptors.
   
   
3. Orientation sessions to new students and faculty, coordinated with other campus constituencies.
   
   
4. Individual research assistance with appointments for faculty research and graduate students preparing theses. Fill out this form to Reserve a session.
   
   
5. Instructional support documentation, in the form of guides, pathfinders and bibliographic lists, that is discipline-oriented, and can be posted on a course site.
   
   
6. Faculty workshops in the summer to assist professors in integrating library resources in research assignments within courses.

All sessions are offered by librarians in the Information Services Department. To discuss a session and its content, call ext.2629, or email libinfo@aub.edu.lb. To reserve a session for your class, go to the Antoun Ghattas Karam Electronic Classroom.

Evaluate the Session

• Student form.
• Faculty form.