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Library Instruction & Information Literacy: Library Instruction

Information Literacy at Castleton

Our Library Instruction Program provides faculty-requested information literacy instruction, designed and taught by credentialed librarians.

Contact your liaison librarian or use our Library Instruction Request Form to request instruction.  Your liaison librarian is also available to provide advice and feedback on developing and delivering research and information literacy assignments and activities. 

Request instruction/Make appointment

Request a library instruction session for your students

Charlotte Gerstein
Reference & Instruction Librarian
(802) 468-6409
charlotte.gerstein@castleton.edu

Make an appointment to
meet with a librarian

How does the library approach information literacy instruction?

A traditional and common approach to librarian-led information literacy instruction has been:

  • One-shot: Single meeting, often in the library
  • Course-specific: Tailored to the specifics of that course
  • Just-in-time: Before a research assignment is due and at the point of needing sources

This approach may help students with research in a particular course, but it is unlikely to promote an integrative understanding of information literacy concepts.  It also separates information sources from the research and creative process, emphasizing information value around format and “findability” rather than promoting inquiry and conversation.

Since Fall 2017, the Calvin Coolidge Library has been piloting Spartan Savvy, an Integrative Model for our Information Literacy Instruction Program.  Spartan Savvy offers faculty-requested, librarian-led instruction on 13 module topics, 4 scaffolded instruction sessions, a variety of activities, and resource-specific instruction on research tools.  We continue to offer instruction sessions based on faculty assignments, but we encourage you to request instruction on our new topics!