As information literacy instruction outcomes assessment in academic libraries continues to increase as a key indicator of pedagogical value both within libraries and throughout their parent institutions, the call for the design and implementation of such assessment continues to rise as well. Ideally, this process is supported with adequate time, funding, and personnel. The reality, however, is not always so accommodating. This case study relates the Brooklyn Campus Library of Long Island University's experience with developing a start-from-scratch outcomes assessment of information literacy instruction in its undergraduate core curriculum.
Excellent opportunities for promoting information literacy are available when librarians become collaborators in integrative learning initiatives, such as Writing Across the Curriculum, the Freshman Year Experience, and Learning Communities. Examples of successful collaborations are given. It is noted that the most significant challenge that remains involves assessment of information literacy in these programs.
In the technological world of the Twenty-first Century, students must be information literate. They must have the skills to access, evaluate, and utilize information needed in their undergraduate experience and in their future endeavors. It is important for Geography majors to acquire these skills as part of their undergraduate education. At one institution of higher learning, information literacy learning is embedded in the Geography curriculum. An online instrument to assess information literacy skills is used to evaluate seniors. In this article, goals for information literacy, the creation of the information literacy assessment instrument and the results of assessment testing are discussed.