In this article, we connect the scholarly conversations around established and emerging source evaluation frameworks such as the ABCs of website evaluation, CRAAP Test, DIG Method, RADAR approach, SIFT Method, the Proactive Evaluation approach proposed by the Project Information Literacy Team. We then explain each evaluation framework, delineating which framework is appropriate for a particular format, such as scholarly sources, online sources, image-based sources, and/or networked information sources. Lastly, we showcase the ways we have incorporated these source evaluation frameworks into our own classroom instruction and provide readers with ideas on how to do the same within their own institutional contexts.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many cultural institutions that house archives and special collections closed their doors or otherwise limited in-person access. For disciplines that utilize special collections for research, such as history, students faced challenges as they worked to conduct original primary source research for projects, theses, and dissertations. At Murray State University, I provided library instruction that focused on accessing digital archives and collections. Concepts such as “digital archival literacy” are not only important to discuss now, but have implications beyond the pandemic as research is increasingly performed in a digital environment.
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