The Annotated Bibliography

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Information Literacy: Annotated Bibliography Sample

Jane K. Smith

Herzing University

EN 111: Information Literacy

Professor Elena L. Jones

April 16, 2020

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Information Literacy: Annotated Bibliography Sample

Buzzetto-Hollywood, N., Wang, H., & Elobeid, M. (2018). Addressing information literacy and

the digital divide in higher education. Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Skills and Lifelong

Learning, 14, 77-93. https://doi.org/10.28945/4029

The authors share a variety of experience in education and technology. In their article, the

problem of disparities to access to technology among students in post-secondary settings is

explored. They studied the effect of a course created at their university on digital information

literacy. Findings show a lack of preparation for minority students in the area of digital literacy,

as well as positive results after completion of the course. They conclude the study by urging for

further research and funding to bridge this digital divide. This article supports the area of my

thesis that is concerned with the lack of information literacy skills among college students.

Cohen, J. D., Renken, M., & Calandra, B. (2017). Urban middle school students, twenty-first

century skills, and STEM-ICT careers: Selected findings from a front-end

analysis. TechTrends, 61(4), 380-385. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-017-0170-8

The authors, all members of the College of Education and Human Development program at

Georgia University, created a skills test meant to gauge STEM and information literacy

proficiency. The test was administered to professional currently working in STEM careers, as

well as a group of middle-schoolers. While the adults displayed high ability with critical thinking,

communication, and problem solving, the middle-schoolers underestimated the value of these

cognitive tasks. The authors conclude the study by recommending improvements to existing

information literacy curriculum among younger students. This study reinforces my claim that

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information literacy skills should be taught to students prior to their entry into a post-

secondary environment,

Krysiewski, R. (2018). Using an information literacy program to increase student retention.

Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 22(1), 66-89.

The author, a college librarian, conducted a study measuring the effects of formal information

literacy instruction on student retention rates. This instruction was provided by the librarians at

her institution over two semesters. Librarians were embedded within an English composition

class, and an Anatomy and Physiology class. Though the sample group was relatively small,

preliminary findings confirmed that this type of directed instruction had a positive effect on

retention rates for first-year students. The source provides support for my idea that formal

information literacy instruction should be mandated for all first-year students.

Levain, A., Best, M., & Dulac, J. L. (2019). Critical thinking in the college classroom. Reference &

User Services Quarterly, 37(8), 143-156.

Levain, Best, and Dulac are all former college presidents. This article was produced after they

met at a leadership conference in 2016. The article discusses their shared concerns about the

aptitude for critical thinking displayed by the average college student. They share anecdotal

stories from their time as upper-level education administrators, as well as refer to a number of

studies that evaluate assessment outcome tests for critical thinking skills. The authors conclude

by describing their shared belief that the academic library remains an essential element of

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student success. This article supports my thesis primarily due to the experience and credibility

of the authors.

SCONUL Working Group on Information Literacy. (2011, April). The SCONUL seven pillars of

information literacy: Core model for higher education [PDF].

https://www.sconul.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/coremodel.pdf

This document is an update of the 2009 version. The audience for this model is primarily

educators and librarians, and it was written by a team of educators and librarians. It offers a

framework for information literacy instruction. The authors use the idea of “lenses” for target

groups and types of information (for example, digital, visual, and academic literacy). This

document is very useful for my purpose as it describes the foundation of information literacy,

as well as explaining how to develop the various skills that contribute to it.