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PALNI Information Literacy: Learning Outcomes

This guide contains mapped versions of all PALNI LibGuides focused on Information Literacy.

Toolkit Resources

To assist PALNI librarians with meeting the needs of first-year students, we have created this toolkit with a variety of resources. Each resource can be associated with the following learning outcomes (see below) or is designed for faculty outreach.   

  • Faculty Outreach
    • Language and an infographic about uninformed research habits that you can use to seek faculty buy-in. 
  • Information Literacy Modules (Learning Outcomes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
    • Ready made information literacy lessons that can be used standalone or in conjunction with each other. They can be loaded into most LMS.
  • Librarian Profiles (Learning Outcomes 3, 6, 9)
    • Three editable Canva templates of librarian profiles to familiarize first year students with library staff and services
  • Library Menu of Services (Learning Outcomes 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10)
    • Menus that are designed to be customized with services the library offers to faculty. 
  • Library Tours (Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3)
    • Examples of scavenger hunts, as well as a repository of potential types of questions. 
  • Orientations (Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3)
    • Ideas for making engaging orientation sessions and incorporating information literacy concepts into basic orientations (or tours).
  • Research Evidence (Faculty Outreach Materials)
    • Additional infographics for faculty outreach that use evidence from the literature about the value of the library for first year students and student retention.
  • Research Process Infographics (Learning Outcomes 8, 10)
    • Infographics on citations, including a FAQ and instructions for formatting a paper.
  • Open Educational Resources (Supplemental Resources)
    • Curated list of OER resources such as textbooks aimed at first-year students.

Suggested FYE Learning Outcomes for all FYE students

The following learning outcomes were developed by a PALNI Task Force as an ideal set of learning outcomes for all first year students across PALNI.

  1. Students will be familiar with library building locations and service points.
  2. Students will be familiar with services offered to them on the library website.
  3. Students will know whom to go to for help with their library research and feel comfortable approaching librarians and library staff.
  4. Students will be able to effectively navigate library resources to find appropriate sources for an assignment. 
  5. Students will be introduced to the advantages of using interlibrary loan and other resource sharing systems.
  6. Students will be aware of their total information network. 
  7. Students will be able to identify keywords from a given topic and construct an effective search strategy. 
  8. Students will be able to distinguish between credible information types in order to select sources whose authority, currency and purpose are relevant to their information needs.
  9. Students will be introduced to the value of the information provided by the library, both financial and intellectual. 
  10. Students recognize the necessity of attribution in order to engage ethically and legally in scholarly conversation.