Notes from the Trenches

Posted on September 15, 2023 by anitaslack

Ohio State’s Information Literacy Workshop Series

Since 2020, the Teaching & Learning Department in The Ohio State University Libraries has offered a range of virtual information literacy workshops open to instructors and librarians from both within and outside of Ohio State. The workshops have become a key component of the department’s instructor development program.

Building the Workshop Series

Early in the pandemic, I decided to organize a series of six virtual, synchronous workshops, with each workshop focused on one of the core information literacy concepts from the Framework for Information Literacy. Each workshop provided an overview of the concept, why it was important for students to develop an understanding of the concept, and examples of activities that instructors could use to teach the concept.

Initial participation was strong enough that I felt it worthwhile to offer the series again in the autumn of 2020, with only minor revisions. Again, participation was strong, and I decided to continue the series, but to branch out from the specific focus on the Framework concepts. I started to expand into other related topics, while still trying to keep things relevant and practical for participants. Recent workshops have covered topics such as Source Evaluation Myths and Identifying Unspoken Expectations in Research Assignments.

Some of my favorite workshops, and the ones that have been most popular, have been centered around issues of equity and social justice in relation to information literacy. For example, workshops on Information Literacy and Social Justice and on Inclusive Citation Practices have been well attended.

Collaboration and Promotion

The continued growth of the workshop series has only been possible with support from others both inside and outside of the University Libraries. I have also had the opportunity to co-present with a number of different partners. Within the University Libraries, I have presented with Amanda Folk (Head, Teaching & Learning), Hanna Primeau (Instructional Designer), Amanda Larson (Affordable Learning Instructional Consultant), Joshua Sadvari (Geospatial Information Librarian), Sarah Murphy (Data Literacy Librarian) and Michael Flierl (Student Learning Librarian). I also had the opportunity to partner with a representative from the Student Wellness Center to deliver a workshop on Digital Wellness & Information Literacy, and with a representative from the Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing for a workshop on Information Literacy Reading-Writing Connections, as well as to co-present with librarians from Miami University and Northern Kentucky University.

Workshops are promoted through multiple channels, including the daily campus newsletter, our campus center for teaching and learning, and our library intranet, along with direct emails to past participants.

Fall 2023

New workshops are being offered this fall, including:

  • Faculty Development: An Overview for Librarians, Tuesday, September 19, 2023, 12:00-1:00. To register: Faculty Development
  • The Language of Research: Clarifying Academic Jargon for Students, Thursday, September 28, 2023, 12:00-1:00. To register: Clarifying Academic Jargon

For more information on the workshop series, contact Jane Hammons (hammons.73@osu.edu).

–Jane Hammons, ACRL Liaison, The Ohio State University

This entry was posted in Vol. 41 no. 3 (Sept 2023) and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

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