Indiana Information Literacy Week Proclaimed by Governor Daniels

Ball State University Libraries is pleased to announce that September 14, 2012, Indiana’s Governor Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., issued a Proclamation to declare the first week of October 2012 as Indiana Information Literacy Week.

The executive order reads as follows:

Whereas, information literacy provides the knowledge and skills to find, evaluate and use credible information from all sources in our constantly evolving world; and

Whereas, these skills are fundamental in strengthening our local and state economic development and prosperity in order to be an informed and educated citizenry; and

Whereas, information literacy is a key component in providing an education to all students in our state from preventative healthcare to employment placement by utilizing this constantly changing technology to navigate and evaluate our expanding information environment; and

Whereas, we remind all Hoosiers of the benefits information literacy makes available socially, economically and culturally for the State of Indiana from the rich resources of librarians and INSPIRE.in.gov;

Now, therefore, I, Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., Governor of the State of Indiana, do hereby proclaim the first week of October, 2012 as Indiana Information Literacy Week in the State of Indiana, and invite all citizens to duly note this occasion.

Information Literacy Update at Ball State University …

Last fiscal year 2011-2012, University Libraries’ librarians provided 965 instructional sessions to 18,924 students. The sessions assist students in developing information literacy skills important to their success as students and throughout their careers. Students learn to develop research methods enabling them to efficiently navigate among thousands of resources, retrieve and manage information, and evaluate the reliability and usefulness of resources.

Librarians collaborate with faculty members to develop course-related sessions ranging from general research skills for entry-level undergraduates to targeted subject-research for upper-level undergraduate and graduate classes. Extended, 30-minute, one-on-one research consultations with research librarians provide a personalized component to refining timely information literacy skills. A variety of additional free classes expand their information literacy portfolio through the introduction of EndNote software to manage citations, using search alerts to automatically receive current updates on research topics, and how to get started on thesis or dissertation research.

The University Libraries also include community outreach in their information literacy mission, collaborating with area schools and teachers to bring students to Bracken Library for similar course-related research instruction using state-supported resources.

For more information on research instruction or to schedule a course-related or individual research assistance session, visit the Instructional Services page or contact Lisa Jarrell, Instructional Services Librarian, at 765-285-8017.

Information Literacy Update in Indiana …

The Academic Libraries of Indiana (ALI) Information Literacy Committee serves as a focal point for exploring information literacy issues, discussing and recommending new opportunities to further facilitate collaboration and adoption of best practices among ALI members. The group also seeks to expand awareness throughout Indiana about the importance of developing information literacy skills, and the Governor’s proclamation reflects that effort. The committee is comprised of academic librarians throughout the state including two members from Ball State University Libraries, Lisa J. Jarrell and Brenda Yates Habich.