The library and first‐year experience courses: a nationwide study

Abstract

First‐year experience (FYE) courses are excellent venues for introducing freshman students to information literacy concepts. The authors, librarians and FYE instructors at their respective institutions, conducted a nationwide survey to determine whether FYE course curricula contained a library component and, if so, to what extent. Survey results indicate that the majority of FYE programs contain some type of library unit, though results varied broadly depending on institutional factors. Details the presence of a library unit in the overall curricula of FYE courses, who is developing the library component, who is teaching it, and what is being taught. Examines current practices within FYE courses and the results can be used by librarians and FYE professionals, as well as the larger academic community, to expand understanding of the role that libraries, and librarians play in this particular type of course. It will serve as a foundation for future development of FYE course curricula and can be used as documentation for conversations promoting further integration of information literacy.

Using Assessment Data to Inform Library Instruction for First Year Students

“…The question is an important one for libraries to consider, as Boff and Johnson (2002) report from a national survey that almost half (48%) of academic libraries devote only one hour to library components for first year students. Hearn (2005) assesses a 10-session information literacy model integrated into a first year English class.…”

From Traditional to Non-Traditional: An Adaptive Procedure for Assessing the Instruction Librarian

“…However, over time, what they teach and how they teach have changed. Over the past 10 years, instruction librarians have expanded their role in teaching by developing first-year experience programs, teaching full-blown information literacy sessions or programs, and incorporating a variety of technologies into their teaching (Boff & Johnson, 2002;Gibson, 1995;Hardesty & Sugarman, 2007;Hulbert & McBride, 2004).…”

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

“…That many instructors do not relate IL to their course goals has been an ongoing concern; 41 some researchers have even argued that librarians should publish in journals outside of librarianship to convince teaching faculty of information literacy's value. 42 Instructors…”