Library Instruction Services

Our Mission | Instruction Services Available | Information Literacy

Our Mission

ODU Library Instruction Services contributes to the Library’s mission of supporting the curricular needs and educational goals of the ODU community by helping to advance information literacy and scholarship and to foster effective learning experiences at the Ohio Dominican University.

Instruction Services Available

Information Literacy

To support the quest for knowledge, all forms of instruction services are undergirded by a concept and philosophy of information literacy.

Information literacy can be defined as:

• Knowledge of information sources and how information is organized and disseminated; and the
• Ability to recognize when and how much information is needed in any situation and to locate, obtain, evaluate, and use the information effectively.

Beyond just computer literacy or library orientation, information literacy is a combination of knowledge and a set of skills that forms the basis for high-quality research and life-long learning. Since the library is an integral part of connecting individuals with information, information literacy also includes a thorough understanding of “how libraries are organized, familiarity with the resources they provide (including information formats and automated search tools), and knowledge of commonly used research techniques.”1 ODU Library’s Instruction Services and Reference Services are therefore closely integrated to provide a successful encounter with the resources and services the Library provides.

According to the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education of the Association of College & Research Libraries,2 an information literate student is able to…

1. DETERMINE the nature and extent of the information needed.
2. ACCESS needed information effectively and efficiently.
3. EVALUATE information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
4. USE information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
5. UNDERSTAND many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

Information literacy is reflective of the Ohio Dominican University's mission to "contemplate truth and to share with others the fruits of this contemplation" and its commitment to lifelong learning. Information literacy emphasizes the acquisition, evaluation, and synthesis of information necessary for proper reflection of self, the common good, justice, and truth. Consequently, information literacy is a prerequisite for learning to know and understand; learning to act upon knowledge gained; learning to live within the social, political, and cultural spheres of this world; and learning to be.3

1 Reitz, Jones M. Dictionary for Library and Information Science. Libraries Unlimited, 2004. ODLIS - Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science. 2004. 10 May 2006. http://lu.com/odlis/odlis_i.cfm#infoliteracy.

2 Association of College & Research Libraries. Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. 10 May 2006. http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetency.htm#ildef.

3 Delors, J. Learning, the Treasure Within. Report to UNESCO of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first century. Paris: UNESCO Publishing, 1996. Cited in: Bruce, Christine Susan. “Information Literacy as a Catalyst for Educational Change: A Background Paper.” July 2002. White paper prepared for UNESCO and the National Forum on Information Literacy, for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts, Prague, The Czech Republic. 10 May 2006. http://www.nclis.gov/libinter/infolitconf&meet/papers/bruce-fullpaper.pdf.