Information literacy at the point of need : literature review workshops

Patrons are most open to library services when they have specific information needs. At Oregon State University Libraries, we addressed the information literacy needs graduate students have while writing their thesis, and as a result created a workshop focusing on the literature review process. This unique approach of providing instruction for graduate students outside of a specific classroom setting allowed us to open up our instruction sessions to all graduate students on campus regardless of departmental affiliation or faculty buy-in. \ud We began holding this workshop in February 2007, and have been overwhelmed with the success of the program. Over 200 graduate students have attended the workshops, and the workshop evaluations have been overwhelmingly positive. Elements of the workshop that have contributed to their success are successful promotion of the event, a balance of lecture and demonstration of library tools with student discussions and participation, and an overview of the theory behind writing literature reviews. \ud I will discuss why we chose to teach graduate students about the literature review process, how we promoted the workshops, what we cover in our workshops, and what we have learned from planning and implementing this instructional service