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Practical PIL
How is PIL's research applied in the trenches by librarians and educators? Practical PIL features examples of outreach projects from different campuses that have drawn on PIL research. If you have an example of applying PIL research you would like us to consider, drop us a line and share what you have done.
Featured Site
Benchmarking PIL's Data: Measuring Students' Progress from One Semester to
the Next
Colgate University (NY)
It's an age-old problem: How can the impact of information literacy
instruction be measured as students' progress through a semester? A team of
librarians and professors at Colgate University re-administered select PIL
survey questions to a sample of Colgate freshmen and sophomores in 40
different courses and over two semesters (n=574). Results from their
innovative study showed that if students had library instruction, their evaluation skills improved by the end of the semester and they were more were likely to consult librarians on assignments.
Working with Students
Beginning Your Research at Colgate University
Colgate University (NY)
A what-matters-most site for
undergraduates needing to conduct scholarly research at Colgate
University. The site provides just enough guidance for getting started
and defining and narrowing down a topic--the research step PIL has found
stumps students most often.
RAIL: Recipes for Advancing Information Literacy
College of Wooster (OH), Muhlenburg College (PA), SUNY Geneseo (NY),
Vassar College (NY)
A collaborative, holistic, and
interactive site that uses the “cookbook” metaphor to
present novel information literacy practices, such as using open-source
research tools, creating concept maps, and using motion charts. Always
improving, always new, the site’s recipes provide the ingredients
needed and link to related “recipes” plus input from the
user community. This cool site, still in beta phase, was developed by an
inter-institutional group of higher education professionals with
expertise in instructional design, classroom instruction, and library
systems, as part of the NITLE Innovation Studio.
Temple Top 10
Temple University (PA)
A condensed list of what matters most about the scholarly research
process, based on what PIL has learned about student's strategies,
needs, and frustrations. Also, includes a research evaluation rubric
used at Temple.
Tools of the Trade: A Library Starter Kit for Harvard
Freshmen
Harvard College Library (MA)
A hands-on
Web-based toolkit for learning the ropes of the Harvard University
library system (and its 70-plus libraries). Designed to demonstrate the
necessity of contextualizing the research process, by showing how layers
of available information may be peeled back as a process and as a mode
of inquiry in the academic environment. The PIL studies were an
important driver for informing how the Harvard library system presented
themselves, their collections, the activity and ultimately, the value
of undertaking research.
Working with Faculty
Faculty Workshop
on Research Assignment Handouts
Phoenix College, Maricopa Community College District (AZ)
A
half-day workshop for faculty of all disciplines created by librarians
in the Maricopa Community College District. The workshop focuses on how
to create more effective handouts for course-related research
assignments. Includes checklist for evaluating sample handouts, and
LibGuides for finding the best research sources.
The InfoLit
Toolkit: Engaging Faculty and a Larger Community
The Ohio
State University (OH)
A convenient starting place for
faculty and staff to find and share resources and pointers about how to
search, use, and create information. Inspired by PIL findings, the
toolkit adopts a "train the trainer" approach. The site addresses the
information needs in teaching, advising, and research, enlists faculty,
staff and graduate students. The goal is to cultivate critical thinking,
while encouraging everyone to contribute to the discussion through
posts. Librarians are stewards, who vet the content for quality and
continuous engagement.
Briefings
"Bridging the Information Literacy Communication Gap:
Putting PIL Studies to Good Use."
Library Issues, November
2011 (authored by Stephen Bell) PDF, 4 pages, 279KB
How do
you synthesize findings from four PIL studies, which
come to almost 200 pages of reading? A four-page briefing for high-level
administrators and deans that sums up key takeaways from PIL's ongoing
research. Includes a discussion of the WIIFM factor ("What's In It
for Me?") and how PIL's research may best be applied. (Reprinted
and with permission from Mountainside Publishing Company, Library
Issues.)
Lessons for Learning Putting Project Information
Literacy to Work.
Blended Librarian Online Learning Community
Session (Mike Eisenberg with Steven Bell and John Shank), April 4, 2012,
PDF, 1 page
A table showing key PIL findings and practical, hands-on recommendations for how to improve teaching, learning, and conducting research across the campus, in both libraries and the classroom.
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