Volume 7, Issue 1, 2013
[ARTICLE]
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, PRIMARY RESOURCES, AND INFORMATION LITERACY PEDAGOGY
Melissa A. Hubbard Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Megan Lotts Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
ABSTRACT
This article reports on collaboration between an information literacy (IL) instructor and a special collections librarian to create a hands-on special collections experience for entry-level IL students within the context of a credit-bearing class. Data collected during this experience found that exposing students to these materials can increase their enthusiasm for and engagement with the library and improve their IL and research skills. This article explains the methods for designing such class sessions and reports the results with students.
24 Hubbard & Lotts, Special Collections Communications in Information Literacy 7(1), 2013
INTRODUCTION After offering this presentation for several semesters, the authors discussed how to In 2008, Assistant Professor and Fine Arts make the special collections class sessions Librarian began teaching an 8-week, credit- more engaging for the students. These bearing information literacy course (CI 199) conversations resulted in a complete change at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in the format of the sessions. Instead of (SIUC). She structured the course to cover a describing the SCRC materials and showing wide selection of topics and to offer a range students how to search for them, the authors of activities to provide the best learning brought the students into the SCRC reading outcomes. She wanted her students to walk room, allowed them to handle a variety of away from CI 199 knowing the library's materials, and then discussed the nature of resources as well how to use them for both those materials in the context of information their scholarly and everyday needs. The literacy concepts. After some initial Fine Arts Librarian chose activities that evaluation and tweaking, these sessions would build on each other, and she successfully engaged students and encouraged her students to continually facilitated productive discussions about the apply and strengthen the information nature of primary sources and the evaluation literacy skills they were learning throughout of information sources. This case study the semester. presents an overview of the methods for designing and running such sessions, some Most CI 199 instructors at SIUC focus on relevant data from the Fine Art Librarian’s the online tools students can use to search assignments and course pre/post tests, and for and evaluate information sources. But qualitative descriptions of the responses the Fine Arts Librarian also wanted to from students to these sessions. showcase the great variety of materials available in the library’s physical LITERATURE REVIEW collections. While not all materials are necessarily relevant to the research interests This review will examine two areas of of all students, learning to find, evaluate, library literature: 1) some of the challenges and understand such materials provides associated with teaching information students with opportunities to practice literacy as a conceptual framework rather information literacy skills that can be than a set of technological skills, and 2) the broadly applied. unique value of using special collections materials in undergraduate instruction. The Fine Arts Librarian invited the library’s Rare Book Librarian to offer a presentation The Association of College and Research to the class on the materials available in the Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy library’s Special Collections Research Competency Standards define information Center (SCRC). The Rare Book Librarian’s literacy (IL) as an “intellectual framework initial presentations for the class were for understanding, finding, evaluating, and delivered in lecture format. She gave a brief using information” (2000, p. 3). However, descriptive overview of the collections, a in “Information Literacy and Technology: tutorial on how to find SCRC materials in An Examination of Some Issues,” Ann the library catalog and finding aid database, Grafstein (2007) noted that IL is often and then showed the students one or two taught as a set of concrete technology-based interesting items from the collection. skills, such as selecting a database and 25 Hubbard & Lotts, Special Collections Communications in Information Literacy 7(1), 2013 searching it. This approach to teaching IL information literacy, as noted by Robert does not necessarily foster the development Detmering and Anne Marie Johnson (2011). of the framework needed to make active use However, even standalone IL courses may of such skills in the understanding of fall short of fostering the development of information. the necessary intellectual framework. In “An Assessment of the Lasting Effects of a In an article that appeared in portal Stand-Alone Information Literacy Course: alongside Grafstein’s, Rebecca S. Albitz The Students' Perspective,” Alice L. (2007) conducted a review of literature in Daugherty and Michael F. Russo (2011) the education and library fields, finding that reported on their survey of students who had writers in education tend to have similar taken such a course at Louisiana State definitions for the term critical thinking as University that measured whether students do writers in library science for the term were using skills learned in their other information literacy. She concluded that the coursework as well as in their lives outside two concepts are mutually supportive and of school. The authors found that cannot be isolated from one another, respondents were using many of the skills arguing that a critical thinker must be they learned in the course. However, they information literate, while an information noted that none of their respondents literate person must use critical thinking mentioned “‘evaluation’ of information skills to successfully evaluate information. sources” (p. 325) as a skill used after taking In 2011, John M. Weiner expanded this the course. work through a text analysis study of a large body of literature on critical thinking and In response to the difficulty of teaching IL information literacy in the education, health as defined by the ACRL standards, several science, and library fields. He concluded librarians have designed successful that information literacy-related ideas are programs described in case studies. included in “the full range of cognitive Detmering and Johnson (2011) described an functions of [Bloom’s Taxonomy of online module for introductory business Educational Objectives]” when described in students using “fundamental and powerful the literature, but that “current practices concepts” to demonstrate “the nature of appear to be focused on identification and research in subject-specific settings” (p. retrieval of relevant documents” (p. 89). 104). The concepts chosen were evaluation of information, organization of information, Authors identify several potential reasons and diversity of information. Information for this disconnect between definitions of IL technology skills were demonstrated in the as an intellectual framework and cognitive context of these organizational concepts. In process, and practical teaching of IL as a set “Facilitating Students' Intellectual Growth of skills. Grafstein (2007) observed that the in Information Literacy Teaching,” information explosion precipitated by Gabrielle K.W. Wong (2010) wrote about Internet technologies placed information an information literacy course focused technology skills at the forefront of IL specifically on socioeconomic data and teaching. Also, library instruction is often designed to shift the focus of IL to delivered in the form of one-shot sessions or “conceptual understanding and critical asynchronous online tutorials, neither of thinking.” In her American Culture Studies which allows enough time or student- course, Jeanne Armstrong (2010) embedded librarian interaction for the development of multiple writing assignments intended to
26 Hubbard & Lotts, Special Collections Communications in Information Literacy 7(1), 2013 facilitate the development of information primary sources into simple categories such literacy and critical thinking and to clarify as peer-reviewed or not, but instead students the relationship between the two. Anne- must question the face value of sources. Marie Deitering and Sara Jameson (2008) Michelle McCoy (2010) described a project described a collaboration between writing in which history students were asked first to faculty and instruction librarians to embed generate research questions by looking at information literacy and critical thinking primary source documents and then to processes into writing assignments through answer their questions using secondary the metaphor of a “scholarly sources. This approach helped students to conversation.”(p. 63) develop their critical thinking skills as they came to understand that historical research Information literacy in undergraduate is not a linear or “black and white” (p. 58) instruction has been the subject of scholarly process, as one student noted. literature for decades, but it is only recently that researchers have found many articles Despite increasing evidence of the benefits discussing the use of special collections of exposing undergraduates to primary materials in undergraduate classes. In her sources, almost all of this exposure seems to 2005 master’s thesis, Anna Elise Allison occur in discipline-specific classes rather noted a "dearth of literature on instruction in than in introductory freshman courses or IL archives, manuscripts, and special courses. Allison’s 2005 survey about collections departments" (p. 6). However, undergraduate instruction offered by special that is changing rapidly as more special collections librarians and archivists found collections librarians and archivists report only four instances of such instruction on successful uses of their materials in offered in “interdisciplinary freshman undergraduate instruction. Several such courses,” (p. 30) compared to 68 instances articles note the connection between in English classes and three in engineering offering undergraduates hands-on classes. In another 2005 survey about interaction with physical primary sources in outreach methods used by special special collections and the development of collections librarians conducted by Brian J. critical thinking skills. In a two-day Dietz, one respondent noted that younger workshop for historical research methods college students are “too close to high students, Marcus C. Robyns (2001) actively school” (p. 38) to fully appreciate special incorporated critical thinking instruction as collections materials. In a qualitative survey he introduced the original documents the interviewing leaders in the field of archival students would use for research. He argued instruction, Magia G. Krause (2010) found that primary sources are uniquely valuable that many of the leaders were involved in for fostering critical thinking because they information literacy efforts at their libraries, are subjective by nature. Students must usually collaborating with instruction interpret them using their own cognitive librarians on sessions about primary process rather than relying on “someone sources. However, she also noted that some else’s interpretation of past events” (p. 365) were uncomfortable with the broadness of as with secondary sources. Julia Gardner the term information literacy. David and David Pavelich (2008) reinforced Mazella and Julia Grob (2011) documented Robyns’ assertions about primary sources a relationship between special collections and critical thinking in “Teaching with instruction and IL in “Collaborations Ephemera,” noting that student cannot sort between Faculty and Special Collections
27 Hubbard & Lotts, Special Collections Communications in Information Literacy 7(1), 2013
Librarians in Inquiry-Driven Classes.” They decided that a hands-on session in the asserted that cognitive skills associated with SCRC reading room would be the best way IL can be learned through working with to accomplish this. primary sources. When using such sources, students must learn how to locate items The Rare Book Librarian had given hands- through catalogs, databases, and finding on presentations for many one-shot classes aids; they must evaluate the sources and in the past, but they were usually discipline- make decisions about their potential specific courses that focused on a particular usefulness; and they must contextualize new topic. Choosing items for a general, primary sources within the framework of introductory-level information literacy class their current knowledge of a subject. posed an initial challenge. She wanted to However, rather than focusing on entry- select items that would capture the students’ level information literacy, the paper attention while also demonstrating the describes a semester-long collaboration nature of primary sources and the variety of between a special collections librarian and materials available in the SCRC. After an English professor to develop discipline- consulting other SCRC faculty, she selected specific IL in an upper level class. the following five items:
A common theme throughout much of the 1. A 1925 pamphlet describing a literature on teaching with special local event in which the Ku Klux collections materials is that having a hands- Klan temporarily seized control of on experience with older or original a mining town in the southern materials is an exciting experience for many Illinois region. This was intended students, which stimulates curiosity and to demonstrate that local history engagement.1 collections can provide a fascinating and unique glimpse PROGRAM HISTORY into events that are not well- documented in textbooks. The authors first collaborated on offering a hands-on special collections presentation to 2. A letter from Susan B. Anthony to students in The Fine Arts Librarian’s Victoria Woodhull-Martin dated University College 101 (UCOL 101) class, a February 28, 1871, discussing required semester-length class designed to recent activity in the women’s ease the transition between high school and rights movement. Hubbard SIUC for first-semester freshmen. While assumed that the students would UCOL 101 has standard curriculum be aware of Susan B. Anthony guidelines, each instructor can provide a and, therefore, interested in this unique focus or theme for the semester. The contemporary account of the Fine Arts Librarian’s section focused on IL progress of the women’s rights and library skills. As with CI 199, the Fine movement. Arts Librarian asked the Rare Book Librarian to conduct a presentation on 3. A letter from Charlie Chaplin to SCRC materials, but she also wanted the John Howard Lawson dated presentation to have minimal lecture September 9, 1955, praising component and to engage the students Lawson’s bravery when testifying actively with the material. The authors before the House Committee on 28 Hubbard & Lotts, Special Collections Communications in Information Literacy 7(1), 2013
Un-American Activities during students to the SCRC reading room, split the McCarthy era. Again, them into small groups, and gave each Hubbard assumed that the group one of the items to investigate. students would recognize Charlie Students were given a few minutes to look Chaplin’s name and would have at their respective items, discuss with their some knowledge of the events group members, and ask questions of the surrounding the 1950s Red Scare. Rare Book Librarian as she walked around With this letter and the Anthony the room. After that, she asked each group letter, she hoped to help the to describe their object to the class. Many of students understand the concept of them seemed reluctant to do so, in part provenance and to realize that because they lacked the contextual letters by very famous people knowledge she expected of them. None of might be found in the collections the students knew who Charlie Chaplin was, of papers of lesser known figures nor had they heard of McCarthyism. Very with whom they corresponded. few knew who Susan B. Anthony was. Generally, the letters seemed to fall flat, 4. A University Archives scrapbook which was an excellent lesson about how from the years 1897 to 1900, special collections librarians’ perceptions of documenting the activities of two their own collections can be quite different student literary societies at from freshmen-level student perceptions. Southern Illinois University While the Rare Book Librarian thought that Carbondale, then known as the students would be excited to handle Southern Illinois Normal letters written by famous people, the University (SINU). The students didn’t recognize their significance, scrapbook contains photographs, and seemed to think that the single letter programs from events, and format was a bit dull. handwritten notes. This was intended to introduce the students However, the group of students with the to University Archives as they pamphlet related to Elijah Lovejoy seemed considered what life was like for more interested, as slavery in the United students more than 100 years ago. States was certainly a topic with which they were familiar. The students with the 5. An 1838 pamphlet related to the university scrapbook seemed the most murder of Elijah Lovejoy, an excited by the material, and genuinely abolitionist printer killed while enjoyed looking at the old photographs of defending his printing press from their predecessors. The Rare Book Librarian a pro-slavery mob in Alton, asked students what questions the materials Illinois. This was intended to generated and how they might go about introduce students to SCRC’s answering those questions. One of the extensive holdings related to the students with the Elijah Lovejoy pamphlet freedom of the press. wondered whether his murderers were prosecuted and convicted, a question that Following a brief presentation about the led to a productive discussion about why nature of special collections materials, Google might not be the best source for which included handling instructions, The uncovering such information. The students Rare Book Librarian led the UCOL 101 with the scrapbook wanted to learn more
29 Hubbard & Lotts, Special Collections Communications in Information Literacy 7(1), 2013 about what life was like for SINU students described. She decided to incorporate a in the 19th century but concluded that there hands-on session with special collections would probably not be any relevant sources. materials in each of these sections, similar That conclusion gave the Rare Book to the one offered in UCOL 101, but Librarian the opportunity to show them selected different materials to increase some theses related to that very topic and to student engagement. Instead of items with talk about how they could find items such as great historical or cultural significance, she theses in the online catalog. Although there chose the following materials as were some very successful elements of the aesthetically compelling. The hope was that class, it was clear that future sessions would students would find these items interesting require a different set of objects to increase even if they could not immediately student engagement. understand their cultural value or significance. In the fall of 2011, the Fine Arts Librarian visited the ACRL Immersion Intentional 1. A box of costume designs from a Teaching Track and decided it was time to 1954 production of George overhaul her syllabus for the CI 199 course, Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan. The increasing the focus on cognitive learning box included sketches, fabric and critical thinking skills, and to include swatches, and production notes. many hands-on elements to engage the students with library materials. She also 2. A cardboard model created for changed her assessment methods for the students of R. Buckminster Fuller course to include a pre/post test on basic to demonstrate the concept of information literacy skills and library tensegrity. The model resembles awareness (Appendix A) and an extra credit Fuller’s Spaceship Earth dome at assignment given near the end of the course Disney World’s Epcot Center in that asked students about their attitudes some respects. regarding the library and the learning experience offered in CI 199 (Appendix B). 3. An artist’s book called Nella The pre/post test was reviewed and Notte Buia, designed by Bruno approved by the SIUC Human Subjects Munari. It is in the mode of a Committee and administered through the children’s book and contains Blackboard course management system on papers of varying textures and the first and last days of class. The pre/post colors. (The second time we test was not designed specifically to assess offered this presentation, Nella the special collections sessions described Notte Buia was replaced by later in this article, but she hoped that the Fairytale, an 11-volume set of information provided by these assessment books with plain white bindings, methods would help her further refine her each containing a unique artist’s teaching by understanding what aspects of interpretation of the concept of the library are most interesting and engaging fairy tales. These books are meant to students. to be fun. One has scratch and sniff elements; one plays a song In the spring of 2012, the Fine Arts when opened. Librarian taught two sections of CI 199, using the assessment methods previously 4. A first edition of Phyllis
30 Hubbard & Lotts, Special Collections Communications in Information Literacy 7(1), 2013
Wheatley’s Poems on Various could be literate enough to write poetry. Subjects, Religious and Moral, This item served as an example of published in 1773. Although this information that can be learned from first may have been less visually editions that could be lost in later editions. interesting than the other objects When discussing the wax cylinder and its at first glance, the leather binding digital surrogate, the Rare Book Librarian and handmade paper captured the pointed out that information comes in a students’ attention very quickly. huge variety of formats, many of which are ephemeral in nature. 5. A wax cylinder used to record Haitian Voodoo music in the These two sessions were much more 1930s. A digitized recording of successful than the one offered in UCOL the cylinder was also played for 101. The students were immediately drawn the students. to the objects because of their visual and tactile elements and were able to appreciate As before, the students were divided into the information given about the nature of small groups in the SCRC reading room, primary sources through the examples. and each group was given an item with handling instructions and a set of questions OUTCOMES to answer and return to the Fine Arts Librarian following the presentation and trip In-class observations to SCRC (see Appendix C). Even though the authors deliberately selected items that required no prior cultural In these sessions, instead of asking students or historical knowledge for engagement, the to inspect the items and ask questions, the students came to appreciate their Rare Book Librarian started the session by significance when it was explained to them. describing each item to the class, This realization was particularly apparent highlighting certain elements. For the with the book of Phyllis Wheatley poems. costume designs, she pointed out that the The students who handled the book collection also holds set designs and immediately reacted to its age, but their photographs from the same production. She focus changed when the Rare Book asked students to think about how they Librarian explained that it was the first book would document a live performance. She published by an African-American woman briefly explained tensegrity using the Fuller and showed them the page on which the model and showing how important concepts men of Boston certified that Wheatley can be better understood through small herself had written the poems. The students visual examples. The artists’ books were were previously aware of the history of used to demonstrate that visual aspects of slavery in the United States but may never books can be just as important as textual have seen such a poignant example of the aspects. When showing the first edition of endemic racism of the time. Many were Wheatley’s poems, the Rare Book Librarian clearly moved by this. As one student wrote pointed out a page in which 18 prominent in comments on her SCRC student White men of Boston certified that assignment, “It makes me appreciate so Wheatley had written the poems herself. much more the freedom that I am blessed The publishers feared that otherwise no one with today.” Creating opportunities for would believe that a young female slave students to understand how evidence of the 31 Hubbard & Lotts, Special Collections Communications in Information Literacy 7(1), 2013 past can help them more deeply appreciate digital world and to think about what they or understand their own lives was clearly personally create, both physically and one of the successful elements of the class. digitally, and how it might be preserved for future generations. The students discussed In another instance from one of the sessions, social media websites and how such a student at the table with the cardboard information might be archived. Finally, the model from Buckminster Fuller’s classes Fine Arts Librarian asked the students to immediately asked why such a thing would think about what special collection of be in special collections. He noted that materials they would most like to see, and although it was an interesting model, it was why. These discussions were very just cardboard, something that people throw productive and interesting, and the students away every day after the significance of the participated actively. Relating the special item was explained, the students discussed collections sessions to students' own that it is often context that provides thoughts and feelings on these issues relevance to any piece of information, seemed to help them better appreciate and which is why the research process often understand the nature of unique information involves both primary and secondary resources, and to view themselves not only sources. as consumers of information, but also as interpreters and creators. Two students in one of the CI 199 sections became so interested in the costume designs Assessment data used in the class that they chose to write Based on interactions with the students part of their final project, an article for during class, the authors felt that these Wikipedia, on the designs. In doing so, they sessions were very successful in both researched the designer, the playwright, and capturing the students’ interest and in the play itself, bringing together multiple facilitating their understanding of primary secondary sources in order to create an sources. These assumptions were reinforced article about this one collection of primary by data collected in the pre/post test source materials. (Appendix A) and in the extra credit assignment (Appendix B) regarding the At the end of the presentations, the Fine students’ attitudes toward the library and the Arts Librarian encouraged the students to class. think further about the objects and ephemera found in SCRC and asked how items of this In one section of the class (hereafter called nature play a role in their own everyday section one), 18 students submitted the extra lives. This led to a discussion about the role credit assignment, and six of them (33%) of one-of-a-kind or rare objects in the described SCRC as one of the most positive students’ lives. The connections that the aspects of Morris Library. In the other instructors hoped to make between section (section two), 6 out of 17 resources and their historical context were respondents (35%) had the same opinion. underscored on a personal level in this Considering that the SCRC session was only discussion. Students talked about why they 1 of the 16 class sessions offered during the value certain items, which was often course, these findings clearly reflect the because they were passed down from a enthusiasm observed in the classroom relative or friend. Students were also asked during those sessions. to consider these items in the context of the
32 Hubbard & Lotts, Special Collections Communications in Information Literacy 7(1), 2013
The authors also consider some of the data during which the tests were administered. collected in the pre/post tests for the class to So, it was not necessarily the exact same be relevant to evaluating the SCRC group of students taking the test at the sessions. One of the questions asked in the beginning and end of the course. Also, pre/post test was whether students had ever because the data was collected visited Special Collections. In section one, anonymously, there was no way of knowing only two students answered yes in the pre- exactly how many students who responded test. In section two, zero students answered to the pre/post test questions were actually yes. One of the obvious outcomes of the in attendance during the sessions on the SCRC sessions was that all students who Special Collections. The students’ attended the class that day would be able to understanding of primary and secondary answer yes to that question. Considering resources might also have developed in how much the students seemed to enjoy other ways throughout the course. SCRC, the instructors saw the students’ Nevertheless, the authors believe this data is firsthand familiarity with the SCRC as a relevant to evaluation of the SCRC sessions. very positive outcome. Although the students’ ability to answer these questions correctly clearly improved Because the authors used the SCRC sessions during the course, the numbers were still as a way to explain the nature of primary disappointing, particularly for the secondary sources, the data regarding the students’ resource question. However, based on the in understanding of primary and secondary -class discussion with the students during sources from the pre/post test is also the SCRC sessions, the lower than expected relevant to evaluating these sessions. In scores may have more to do with a lack of section 1, 5 out of 18 students (27.8%) clarity regarding the terms primary resource correctly answered the question “What is a and secondary resource than with a lack of primary resource?” in the pre-test. In the understanding of the concepts. This post-test for the same section, 11 out of 20 possibility points to potential limitations in respondents (55%) answered the question the assessment method but also suggests an correctly. In section 2, 3 out of 14 (21.4%) area for improvement in future teaching of of students answered the same question these concepts. correctly on the pre-test, while 11 out of 15 (73.3%) answered correctly in the post-test. The pre/post test also asked the question, “What do you like best about Morris In response to the question “What is a Library?” In section 1, none of the student secondary resource?” 4 out of 18 (22.2%) responses were about SCRC. However, in section 1 students answered correctly in the section 2, 4 out of 15 respondents (26.7%) pre-test, and 10 out of 20 (50%) answered described SCRC as the element of Morris correctly on the post-test. In section 2, 3 out Library they liked best. Speculation is that of 14 students (21.4%) answered the the response difference between the two question correctly in the pre-test, while 7 sections may be because the session for out of 14 (50%) answered correctly on the section 2 was delivered weeks after the post-test. session offered to section 1, which provided the chance to evaluate and improve upon the One of the limitations of the pre/post test is teaching approach. Of course, it may also that the response rate was based on simply have to do with the inherent attitudes attendance for the first and last days of class of a different group of students.
33 Hubbard & Lotts, Special Collections Communications in Information Literacy 7(1), 2013
nature and evaluation of information Some of the most gratifying data collected resources. using the assessment tools was the CONCLUSION enthusiasm evident in some of the student comments about SCRC, both in their For those interested in teaching an assignments and in their pre/post test information literacy course that focuses comments. The following are a few more on conceptual framework and less on examples: research tools, the authors strongly recommend using special collections or I appreciated our trip to Special other unique materials. The aesthetic Collection Center. I had no idea SIU qualities of the items, the hands-on contained so much history and so experience, and the act of leaving the many resources for us students to classroom to visit a new space all seemed to use. It is unfortunate that this section generate excitement and enthusiasm in the of the library is under-utilized, but I students, which encouraged them to engage think that every student should be in the class investigation of the items and informed about this location at some the discussion that followed. The authors point during their college careers. found that it was important that the students look not just at objects through locked glass I thought that special collections was cases, but also learned how to handle, a great place to visit and have in our evaluate, and use rare materials to gain a school because you can learn so greater perspective of the past, present, and much from all the different things future of library collections and materials. they have there. I also like the fact The Fine Arts Librarian believed that her that they have actual objects from students became better evaluators of online the past which is something that databases and potentially unreliable web always fascinated me. I was really resources after their experience in SCRC. intrigued with the book of poems because it was so old and actually The Fine Arts Librarian recently left SIUC come from the 1700's. for a new position at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; but continued The most valuable skill that I learned collaboration would include developing would probably be in special more focused assessment methods to collections downstairs. I never knew measure the value of these hands-on it was there and it will help me with sessions. Experience in the classroom a lot of research that I will have to indicated that this was a very valuable do there in the future. teaching tool. Students made new connections about the nature of information Overall, the authors were very pleased with and how to use and evaluate it, even if that the outcomes of these sessions, both in the outcome wasn’t quite captured in the class and in the assessment data. Clearly, project’s assessment. This is an area for there is still room for improvement in some potential future research. areas, but providing the students with this kind of unique experience engendered Finally, while special collections resources enthusiasm for the library and its collections are usually reserved for upper-level and a deeper overall understanding of the undergraduates and more advanced 34 Hubbard & Lotts, Special Collections Communications in Information Literacy 7(1), 2013 researchers who already have some intensive course with information literacy contextual information when approaching and critical thinking learning outcomes. the materials, the authors found that it is Reference Services Review, 38(3), 445–457. possible and valuable to connect entry-level doi:10.1108/00907321011070928 undergraduates to these kinds of materials. That two students chose to use some of the Association of College and Research items in their own final project for the Libraries. (2000). Information literacy course was especially exciting, as was one competency standards for higher education. student’s indication in his or her evaluation Retrieved September 23, 2012, from http:// that he or she intended to use special www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ collections resources for future research informationliteracycompetency projects. Connecting students with these materials early in their academic careers Daugherty, A. L., & Russo, M. F. (2011). cannot only improve their information An assessment of the lasting effects of a literacy skills, but also can enrich their stand-alone information literacy course: The learning experience in other courses, as they students’ perspective. Journal of Academic will be confident in their ability to access Librarianship, 37(4), 319–326. doi:10.1016/ and evaluate these materials for future j.acalib.2011.04.006 research projects. Deitering, A. M., & Jameson, S. (2008). NOTE Step by step through the scholarly conversation: A collaborative library/ 1. There is an extensive body of literature writing faculty project to embed information on the importance of undergraduate literacy and promote critical thinking in first engagement. A good place to begin to year composition at Oregon State explore this literature is the National University. College & Undergraduate Survey of Student Engagement website, Libraries, 15(1/2), 57–79. hosted by Indiana University at
Dietz, B. J. (2005). Getting undergrads into Allison, A. E. (2005). Connecting undergraduates with primary sources: A archives: Educational outreach efforts of university archives, manuscript study of undergraduate instruction in departments, and special collections. archives, manuscripts, and special Unpublished master’s thesis), University of Collections. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Armstrong, J. (2010). Designing a writing Gardner, J., & Pavelich, D. (2008). 35 Hubbard & Lotts, Special Collections Communications in Information Literacy 7(1), 2013
Teaching with ephemera. RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts and Cultural Heritage, 9(1), 86–92.
Grafstein, A. (2007). Information literacy and technology: An examination of some issues. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 7 (1), 51–64. doi:10.1353/pla.2007.0006
Krause, M. G. (2010). It makes history Alive for them: The role of archivists and special collections librarians in instructing undergraduates. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 36(5), 401–411. doi:10.1016/ j.acalib.2010.06.004
Mazella, D., & Grob, J. (2011). Collaborations between Faculty and Special Collections Librarians in Inquiry-Driven classes. portal: Libraries & the Academy, 11(1), 467–487. doi:10.1353/pla.2011.0012
Robyns, M. (2001). The archivist as educator: Integrating critical thinking skills into historical research methods instruction. American Archivist, 64(2), 363–384.
Weiner, J. M. (2011). Is there a difference between critical thinking and information literacy? A systematic review 2000-2009. Journal of Information Literacy, 5(2), 81– 92.
Wong, G. K. W. (2010). Facilitating students’ intellectual growth in information literacy teaching. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 50(2), 114–118.
36 Hubbard & Lotts, Special Collections Communications in Information Literacy 7(1), 2013
APPENDIX A — PRE/POST TEST
37 Hubbard & Lotts, Special Collections Communications in Information Literacy 7(1), 2013
APPENDIX B — EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT
APPENDIX C — SCRC SESSION ASSIGNMENT
38