Note: ACRL Information Literacy Standards appear in bold-face type, followed by the recommended goals and sample learning objectives for Stevenson students.

Standard 1

The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.

Goal:
The intermediate level student confidently approaches the research process, plans and executes a strategy, and demonstrates a growing appreciation for discipline-specific methods and information resources.

Learning Objectives:
The student will be able to:

Articulate and develop a research problem.
Explain the basic structure of information within his/her major or field of interest.
Identify scholarly and professional literature in the major or field of interest.
Differentiate between primary and secondary sources and how to locate them.
Distinguish between books, articles, chapters, government documents, web sources, etc.
Discuss the importance of using a variety of sources.

Standard 2

The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.

Goal:
The intermediate level student accesses both multidisciplinary and subject-specific search tools and applies appropriate search strategies.

Learning Objectives:
The student will be able to:

Formulate a search statement using Boolean logic.
Select appropriate sources based on the research problem.
Use thesauri to identify subject headings or descriptors.
Investigate advanced search features of databases.
Identify elements of a bibliographic record.
Read and interpret an existing citation.
Determine if an item is held at the SU Library.
Obtain material from other libraries and sources outside of SU.
Identify elements of a URL.
Recognize differences between search engines and directories.
Identify quality gateways to web sources.
Identify when and how to access the “invisible web.”

Standard 3

The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.

Goal:
The intermediate level student demonstrates a growing ability to critically evaluate retrieved sources and to determine if the information meets the needs of the research problem.

Learning Objectives:
The student will be able to:

Apply evaluation criteria to determine credibility of sources.
Differentiate between varying points of view on a topic.
Select the resources most appropriate to the research problem.

Standard 4

The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.

Goal:
The intermediate level student demonstrates a growing ability to organize, integrate, and communicate information from a variety of sources to create an end product.

Learning Objectives:
The student will be able to:

Maintain records of sources and strategies used.
Manipulate the technologies required by the project.
Select and integrate information from other sources into the project.
Communicate clearly within the selected mode of presentation.

Standard 5

The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses information ethically and legally.

Goal:
The intermediate level student is conscious of using information ethically.

Learning Objectives:
The student will be able to:

Identify the documentation style appropriate to his/her major or field of interest.
Cite paraphrased, summarized and quoted material correctly.
Apply citation and formatting consistently from the appropriate style.