A survey of information literacy credit courses in US academic libraries

Abstract

Purpose There is a lack of data about information literacy (IL) credit courses in US academic libraries. This paper aims to provide a detailed snapshot of IL credit courses, including percentages of libraries that offer credit courses, the number of credits offered, the audience and how public institutions differ from private nonprofits and for-profits. Design/methodology/approach The authors surveyed a stratified random sample of libraries at higher education institutions across all categories from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Qualtrics software was used to create and distribute the email survey. The response rate was 39 per cent (n = 691). Findings In all, 19 per cent of the institutions in the survey have IL credit courses taught by librarians. Large institutions, public institutions and those granting doctoral degrees are the most likely to offer IL credit courses. The majority of these courses are undergraduate electives of 1-2 credit hours offered under the library aegis, although a significant minority are required, worth 3-4 credit hours, and taught within another academic department or campus-wide program. Originality/value The findings update previous surveys and provide a more granular picture of the characteristics of librarian-taught credit-bearing courses, the types of academic institutions that offer them and compensation teaching librarians receive. This survey is the first study of credit-bearing IL instruction to include for-profit colleges and universities.

Credit-Bearing Information Literacy Courses in Academic Libraries: Comparing Peers

“…Among findings that report on the prevalence of common methods of IL such as instructor-requested, individual consultations and self-paced tutorials, the report also indicates that 19 percent of the responding institutions offer a credit-bearing IL course. 8 Margaret Burke in 2012 discusses credit-bearing IL, specifically, and surveyed ACRL's Information Literacy Instruction listserv followers (ILI-L) to solicit their reports of how credit-bearing classes are being delivered at their institutions. The survey's premise assumes that credit-bearing IL is being offered, so results report on practical aspects of this type of effort, including assessment efforts, course development and philosophy, adjunct use, and more.…”

A Course of Our Own: Taking an Information Literacy Credit Course from Inception to Reality

“…A recent survey by Cohen et al (2016) of US institutions of higher education found that only 19% of schools offer information literacy credit courses taught by librarians, and of these courses only 24% were more than two credit hours. A 2014 survey by the Canadian Association of University Teachers found that of the universities surveyed, 16% had academic librarians teaching Library credit courses as part of their regular workload.…”

They Found It--Now Do They Bother? An Analysis of First-Year Synthesis

“…52 And it should be mentioned that teaching for-credit courses carries many assumptions other than university buy-in, not the least of which are adequate teacher training and ongoing support. The viability of this suggestion, then, relies on institutional climate and other significant educational factors.…”