Library’s 'info literacy' drive shows results

The Friends of the Cofrin Library Board heard an encouraging report this month about the impact of library instruction and the push to emphasize “information literacy” among students at UW-Green Bay.

Kathy Pletcher, associate provost and interim library director, shared numbers that show the vast majority of UW-Green Bay students are being exposed to classes and training sessions in library use. She noted that during fall semester 2008, there were 86 classes and 2,287 students. Halfway through the current year, then, the Cofrin Library is on track to surpass last year’s total of 168 classes and 4,661 students.

“Classes” might involve instructors devoting an hour to take their students on a field trip to the Library’s third-floor instruction room, where librarians share research and resource pointers. Staff members also visit classrooms, especially those with high-tech capabilities, to demonstrate remote access to Library resources.

The number of presentations is up roughly 40 percent from even two years ago. Pletcher says some students will get multiple presentations, which is fine, because approaches differ between, say, history and natural sciences courses, or graduate and undergraduate work. Faculty members say the results are real.

“What they tell us is that this (the information literacy sessions) improves student research and writing,” Pletcher says. “Students are getting better sources, faster. They’re spending less time searching and, frankly, floundering around. And they’re putting that time to better use in analyzing the information.”