Information Literacy: Module 3- Searching Databases

Albright College is committed to maintaining the highest standards of information literacy and creative thinking in both its curriculum and its campus culture. The Albright College Gingrich Library provides comprehensive information literacy modules and works diligently with faculty to intergrate the standards set forth by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).

Mission Statement

Assignments -- Asignments, IL Modules and IL tutorials 

ACRL Framework--The new ACRL Framework that replaces the standards

The Old Standards- the ACRL division of the American Library Association has set the highest standards for College and University level Information Literacy. These standards have since been rescinded and replaced with the ACRL Framework.

Getting Assistance -- Who to contact to get assistance.

Goals:

Introduce students to the fundamentals of searching for physical and electronic journal articles, common database features, and the Inter-library loan system; encourage students to synthesis the skills learned in the OPAC module and apply said skills to an interdisciplinary online database

Outcomes:

The student will:

• Understand and be able to use the Gingrich Library’s journal locator to locate print and electronic journal resources
• Understand the screen layout of an interdisciplinary databases
• Know how to print/save their search strategies and search results
• Understand the use of date, media type, and other search limiters
• Understand how to export their results to bibliographic software, if applicable
• Understand the interaction between Albright ILL, the Gingrich Library Journal locator, and the use of the Inter-library loan system.

Sample Lesson Plan:

1. The Instructor will show students the location of the subject and multidisciplinary databases on the library homepage

2. Instructor will point out salient features of the database including limiters, basket/folder options, save and print functions, and bibliographic export options

3. The Instructor will have students search in small groups, utilizing Boolean search terms, truncation symbols, phrase searching, and other techniques from the OPAC module lesson, to locate a subject specific article

4. The instructor will explain how to locate full-text articles, outline the relationship between Albright I.L.L result links and the journal locator, and explain how to access the Gingrich Library’s ILL request form

5. The Instructor will have the students work in small groups to locate a full-text article using Proquest or EBSCO

Sample grading Rubric for Module #3: