Collaborative Information Literacy Assessments : Strategies for Evaluating Teaching and Learning

Constructive partnerships between academic librarians and faculty play a crucial role in effectively assessing and improving information literacy efforts. Collaboration is not just a nice idea; it is essential to improving the value of library services, personnel, and instruction. Here, highly respected editors Thomas P. Mackey and Trudi E. Jacobson, whose previous works include Information Literacy Collaborations That Work (2007) and Using Technology to Teach Information Literacy (2008), explore innovative collaborative assessment strategies designed specifically for information literacy programs and courses. All of the contributions to the book are co-written by faculty-librarian teams that have successfully worked together to develop assessment strategies across a wide range of disciplines, including business, political science, education, adult learning programs, and the humanities. Saving you countless hours on course or accreditation preparation, each chapter includes a detailed literature review, a model for practical implementation, a discussion of the partnership process, and an examination of assessment data. The teams also share guidance for overcoming a variety of collaborative obstacles and challenges, and report on how their assessment process significantly improved student learning outcomes. Framed in a practical real-world context, this invaluable new resource provides a clear set of best practices to help librarians and faculty work together to initiate new information literacy assessment efforts or to improve established programs in their own institutions.

"Throughout the text one can deepen the understanding of a common approach to organizing information literacy training, especially for undergraduates. The library emerges as a strong component in the developing of information literacy skills in this common approach...the book is written on a sound scholarly foundation...Any technique or approach could be easily followed and deepened if needed." --Information Research, August 2010

"Providing snapshots of librarian-faculty teams partnering to design and implement information literacy assessment practices, this book will appeal to instruction librarians looking for a practical and informative guide to collaborative assessment in action...this book will especially be informative and practical for librarians seeking to partner with teaching faculty to enhance and assess information literacy learning." --College & Research Libraries, September 2010

"This third offering focusing on how librarian-faculty teams can further information literacy programs is well conceived...Academic librarians - regardless of discipline - will find this book helpful in measuring the effectiveness of collaborative information literacy programs." --Journal of Academic Librarianship, May 2010

"Each of the contributors has adopted different approaches and methodologies to deliver effective information literacy skills for their students. You would be hard-pressed not to pick up some valuable strategies to apply to your own context. If you are involved in information literacy at university or college level, then this book is a must read..." --Australian Academic and Research Libraries, June 2010

"...this title provide a welcome and useful contribution by focusing on the debate about information literacy assessment and evaluation strategies, complementing this with a number of valuable examples from a variety of fields. There are also useful tables and figures to help break down the blocks of text and explain some of the finer details." --Journal of Information Literacy, December 2010

"Firmly based on experience in the real world, this is a practical book packed with useful ideas and evidence of successful practice. It is a tool for encouraging collaboration and a resource of tried and tested methods. A must-have for information professionals in higher education desiring to do the very best for their institution and above all their students." --Library Review, February 2011

"The assessment models described in this book have the potential to be adapted to different subjects and settings...The portability of these models will be helpful to librarians seeking to begin or enhance information literacy instruction programs." --Catholic Library World

"This is a valuable contribution to any academic library's professional collection where librarians are seeking to integrate information literacy skills into the curriculum of the institution." --ARBA Online

"The whole book includes a range of literature reviews and bibliographies with a selection of appendices describing learning outcomes and assessment tools...This publication will serve academic librarians with some useful exemplars." --Library and Information Research, 2011

"...the cases from every discipline have excellent ideas that are transferable to other contexts...This is a book that will be useful and inspiring to both practicing academic librarins and students in graduate programs in library and information science. Another potential audience, but one that is unlikely to be reached, is departmental faculty. That is a shame, as successful collaboration requires initative, enthusiasm, and commitment on both sides." --Portal

"...Collaborative Information Literacy Assessments would be extremely valuable for library staff or lectururs attempting to establish robst working partnership and ensure they assess information skills effectively. The case studies are well written and extremely detailed and should offer ideas to inspire anyone struggling with this complex task." --New Library World, November/December 2011

"Each of the contributors has adopted different approaches and methodologies to deliver effective information literacy skills for their students. You would be hard-pressed not to pick up some valuable strategies to apply to your own context. If you are involved in information literacy at university or college level, then this book is a must read..." --Australian Academic and Research Libraries, June 2010