Faculty and Staff Information

Information in any format is produced to convey a message and is shared via a selected delivery method. The iterative processes of researching, creating, revising, and disseminating information vary, and the resulting product reflects these differences.

Knowledge Practices

• articulate the capabilities and constraints of information developed through various creation processes
• recognize that information may be perceived differently based on the format in which it is packaged;
• develop, in their own creation processes, an understanding that their choices impact the purposes for which the information product will be used and the message it conveys.

Library Workshop Topics:

Choosing Sources, Finding Articles in the Databases, Advanced Database Searching

Information possesses several dimensions of value, including as a commodity, as a means of education, as a means to influence, and as a means of negotiating and understanding the world. Legal and socioeconomic interests influence information production and dissemination.

Knowledge Practices

• give credit to the original ideas of others through proper attribution and citation
• understand how and why some individuals or groups of individuals may be underrepresented or systematically marginalized within the systems that produce and disseminate information
• make informed choices regarding their online actions in full awareness of issues related to privacy and the commodification of personal information

Library Workshop Topics:

Academic Integrity, Citations, Avoiding Plagiarism, Copyright, Digital Citizenship

Research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers in turn develop additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field.

Knowledge Practices:

• formulate questions for research based on information gaps or on reexamination of existing, possibly conflicting, information
• deal with complex research by breaking complex questions into simple ones, limiting the scope of investigations
• monitor gathered information and assess for gaps or weaknesses

Library Workshop Topics:

Search Strategies, Finding Articles in the Databases, Advanced Database Searching

Communities of scholars, researchers, or professionals engage in sustained discourse with new insights and discoveries occurring over time as a result of varied perspectives and interpretations.

Knowledge Practices

• cite the contributing work of others in their own information production
• contribute to scholarly conversation at an appropriate level, such as local online community, guided discussion, undergraduate research journal, conference presentation/poster session
• recognize that a given scholarly work may not represent the only or even the majority perspective on the issue

Library Workshop Topics
Choosing & Evaluating Sources, Presentation Skills, Citations, Using Turnitin Self-Directed

Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring the evaluation of a range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as new understanding develops.

Knowledge Practices:

• identify interested parties, such as scholars, organizations, governments, and industries, who might produce information about a topic and then determine how to access that information
• utilize divergent (e.g., brainstorming) and convergent (e.g., selecting the best source) thinking when searching
• design and refine needs and search strategies as necessary, based on search results
• understand how information systems (i.e., collections of recorded information) are organized in order to access relevant information

Library Workshop Topics:
Search Strategies, Finding Articles in the Databases, Advanced Database Searching