To successfully implement the IL programme on campus, the Library needs to work closely with you.
Declarations on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning
The Prague Declaration - "Towards an Information Literate Society"
Information Literacy
- comprises the competencies to recognise information needs and to locate, evaluate, apply and create information within cultural and social contexts;
- is crucial to the competitive advantage of individuals, enterprises (especially small and medium enterprises), regions and nations;
- provides the key to effective access, use and creation of content to support economic development, education, health and human services, and all other aspects of contemporary societies, and thereby provides the vital foundation for fulfilling the goals of the Millennium Declaration and the World Summit on the Information Society; and
- extends beyond current technologies to encompass learning, critical thinking and interpretative skills across.
Excerpt from The Alexandria Proclamation on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning
Standards and guidelines
ACRL - Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education
Orientations and Workshops for New Students
Modes of Delivery:
- Lectures with demonstrations
- Hands-on Exercises and Quizzes
- Compulsory online information literacy programme after class
All teaching staff and course coordinators are encouraged to contact Faculty Librarian for details and arrangements.
Customized Instruction
Course-related instruction, conducted by Faculty Librarians is available to enhance any course within any academic discipline. These sessions, in hourly units, can be tailored to your course needs. Faculty Librarians could work with; you to decide which topics to cover and the duration to suit your needs. They could also work with you to decide the specific skill development you require and could evaluate the effectiveness of the programme post-delivery.
Content includes:
- Defining a research need, types of information sources and their use
- Subject and discipline-specific resources
- Accessing and evaluating information within a discipline
- Managing the research process, search strategies development and keep track of important materials
- Use of bibliographic management software and tools
- Information ethics, avoiding plagiarism and be responsible researcher
Information Literacy Integrated into Courses and Different Levels of Curriculum
The University Library has developed and delivered an array of IL programmes and materials to help students to develop independent learning and research skills. Library instruction delivered in the context of a discipline-specific course is considered one of the most effective means to enhance students' research skills. To this end, the University Library has prepared a scalable Library Instruction Programme to integrate into courses and curricula with very specific learning targets.
Outcomes and Assessment
The Library has prepared exercises/tasks to assess how well the students have attained the learning outcomes. We hope that faculties/instructors would consider incorporating these exercises/tasks as part of their course work and would include this assessment as part of the students' grading. Faculties/instructors are most welcome to discuss and collaborate with Faculty Librarians in designing their course content and any other forms of assessment.
Online Programmes
- Online Information Literacy Programme
- Virtual Orientation
- Reference Management Tools
- Guides and Tutorials
Topical Workshops (offered in Oct – Dec and Feb – Jun)
Topical workshops are offered regularly each semester to staff and students of PolyU so as to sharpen their research techniques in locating, evaluating and managing information. Topics include:
- OneSearch & Beyond: Discovery Tool for Library Materials
- Surfing the Internet for Useful Information
- Citing Reference & Avoiding Plagiarism
- EndNote (Basic & Advanced)
- Using Bibliometric Tools to Evaluate Research Impact
- Library Resources and Services for Postgraduate Students
Customized Workshops (upon request)
Upon request by faculty staff, we offer customized classes to meet the needs of individual courses. As these workshops require considerable preparation time, please contact your Faculty Librarian to make arrangements.
For a group of 10 or more, students may request a library workshop on a specific topic using the online form.