Bridging the Information Gap: Partnerships for Student Learning in the Digital Age

To crib a note from John Naisbitt, students today are drowning in information, but starving for knowledge. More often than not, the students who grew up with a computer mouse in their hand struggle with identifying quality information and even with tasks that we assume would be second nature to them, such as electronic database searching that goes beyond the Google model. Many professors bring their students to the library for “one-shot” library instruction, but all forms of assessment – two iterations of the Research Practices Survey, one-minute papers given to students at the end of library instruction classes, anecdotal evidence from focus group students, and faculty surveys at the end of the semester – show that the one-shot model is insufficient, both for teaching the students everything they need to know and, more importantly, for enabling students to retain the information they need at a later date. More and more professors have been requesting follow-up library sessions for their classes, and this extended window of time allows us to work more closely with the faculty in developing focused, specialized instruction. The added time also allows us to reinforce key principles more effectively, ensuring that students remember the resources that are available to them and the skills they need in order to access and evaluate information. And not least of all, sequenced instruction allows the librarians to build strong relationships with faculty members, bridging the space between the classroom and the information skills the students need in order succeed there