LibGuides: What is a LibGuide?: Information Literacy

Information Literacy?

The Association of College & Research Libraries has developed national IL standards for higher education. These standards have been accepted by the American Association of Colleges & Universities. The South Dakota Board of Regents has approved the use of the five ACRL IL Standards as learning outcomes for its Goal 7 General Education Requirement: Information Literacy.

ACRL IL Competency Standards for Higher Education

Information seeking skills are best learned when embedded within assignments and disciplinary coursework. USD librarians are available to help instructors design assignments and activities that blend information literacy within the learning outcomes intended for your students.

Information Literacy Program
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Possible Concepts Covered in a Guide

Here are a few examples of the ways instructors can use LibGuides to reinforce information seeking skills within your classes.

Research Process
The Research in Educational Administration LibGuide is designed to model the research process.
Selecting a Topic
This Graphic Design LibGuide offers several ways to help students select and narrow their topics.
Retrieving Sources
The structure of the Census Information LibGuide helps explain and guide students in complex demographic research.
Distinguishing Sources
Subject specific LibGuides like this ENGL 283: Creative Writing guide can help instructors guide students to important resources, and help student compare and select the best information sources for their work.
Citing & Academic Integrity
The University Libraries have designed a number of LibGuides focused on common information seeking problems such as avoiding plagiarism.

Introduction to Information Literacy Exercises

Instructional Tutorials @ USD

Each tutorial introduces and teaches an information seeking concept or skill. The video tutorials are best viewed using speakers or headphones.

Research Skills Lesson
Learn where and how to find the best resources for your research.
Library Catalog Lessons
Discover all the possibilities available when you search the USD library catalog.
Database Lesson
Learn the skills for using research databases to locate articles from newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals.
Web Evaluation Lesson
Teaches you how to evaluate Web sites/resources and gives recommendations for doing Web-based research for your educational and personal use.
Academic Integrity Lesson
This tutorial presents the ethical use of information including the concept of plagiarism, ways to avoid it, and reviews University policy.