Information Literacy Competencies
Scope note: This page describes the information literacy competencies delivered
in the Social Work Library's instruction program and course-related web pages.
The ability to locate, evaluate, and use information is the Social Work Library's
definition of information literacy. Information literacy is very much like
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Without a basis on which to build, higher level
skills are not easily acquired. In the Social Work Library's information literacy
model, the fifth and final level prepares MSW students for professional competencies;
the third level requires a foundation of critical thinking abilities, while
the first level competencies have often already been acquired by the time today's
typical student graduates from high school.
The Social Work Library uses this model to integrate information
literacy instruction into the MSW curriculum, beginning with annual new student
orientation and continuing through foundation courses. Working with social
work faculty, library staff create meaningful library-student interactions
in order for students to achieve information literacy skills. Library staff
follow the American Library Association/Association for College & Research
Libraries' Information Literacy
Competency Standards for Higher Education.
MSW | CHANGE
AGENT | POLICY
RESEARCHER | NOVICE | SEEKER
MSW
MSW:
Evidence-based Social Work
- Precisely defines a client or program problem and the information required
to solve it.
- Conducts efficient searches in multiple databases to tap all relevant knowledge
domains.
- Selects the best of the relevant studies and data sources, including
systematic reviews and meta-analysis.
- Applies rules of evidence in evaluating
the research literature.
- Extracts the research message and applies it to
the client or program.
- Talks and negotiates with researchers whose studies
may affect their work
CHANGE AGENT
Change Agent Workshop for SW560
Is able to find relevant census data (for example, American FactFinder)
and relevant survey data.
Uses data to drive decision-making.
Is able to
identify funding sources (for example, Foundation Directory Online).
Is able to synthesize information
Incorporates information into personal value system
POLICY RESEARCHER
Policy Researcher Tutorial for SW 530
Knows how to choose a subject-based database that meets the depth and breadth
of the information need (for example, America: History and Life or PsycINFO or Social
Work Abstracts).
Is able to find pending legislation and legislative
histories (for example, LexisNexis Congressional).
Can create efficient
keyword search strategies (synonyms, broader and narrower terms).
Knows how
to search using Boolean concepts and can effectively use structured vocabulary
or classification schemes.
Is aware of documents in the public domain (for
example, GPO Access, Thomas, ERIC, PubMed, AgeLine, etc.).
Understands that
everything is not available on the web.
Thinks critically in evaluating information
Novice
Novice: New Student Orientation on Social Work Library Resources and Computing at U-M
Knows where to ask questions: reference librarians, professors, web pages,
etc.
Knows the scope of the U-M library system (library catalog, subject-based
databases, e-journals, web pages, etc.)
Understands the difference between
an index and a catalog
Understands the mechanics of navigating a database.
Knows when to use a keyword search as opposed to a subject search.
Can differentiate
between web and other research tools.
Understands plagiarism and protection
of library materials or collections.
Can distinguish between popular and
scholarly materials.
Is able to use citations to locate materials and find
out how to cite them correctly within text and reference sections in American
Psychological Association (APA) style.
Understands issues of ownership and
access to information
Is aware of copyright issues
Seeker
First level
Is proficient in basic computer skills: how to turn on a computer, how
to maneuver in a Windows environment, how to use a mouse, how to save files,
how to start an application, etc.
Knows what the Internet is, how to use
a web browser and how to use URLs.
Understands basic concepts related to
libraries: what is a call number, what types of materials are in libraries,
how materials are organized, etc.
Recognizes an information need
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