Introduction

Estimated time to complete topic: 30 minutes

This topic addresses the following objectives:

Explain how information production and access is a sociocultural phenomenon.

We need information to function well in school, at work, and in our personal lives. While information
may be all around us and easy to find, what will make us successful as students, community members,
and employees is knowing how to find reliable information and how to use it effectively. This is the
essence of what it means to be “information literate.” How do we become information literate? This unit
discusses the building blocks of information literacy.

Evaluate: Models of Information Literacy

Several models have been developed for learning about information and using these skills. Those skills
are commonly called “information literacy.” One model of understanding the skills of information literacy
is the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. That model says:

Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning. It is common to all disciplines, to all learning
environments, and to all levels of education. It enables learners to master content and extend their
investigations, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their own learning. An
information literate individual is able to:

Determine the extent of information needed

Access the needed information effectively and efficiently

Evaluate information and its sources critically

Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base

Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and
use information ethically and legally. (Association of College and Research Libraries, 2000)

 The American Library Association’s Association of College and Research Libraries developed a
more recent model in 2016 called the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education
 that identified various concepts related to information literacy that they called “threshold
concepts.” These concepts are:
Authority Is Constructed and Contextual
 Information Creation as a Process
 Information Has Value
 Research as Inquiry
 Scholarship as Conversation
 Searching as Strategic Exploration (Association of College and
Research Libraries, 2016)
Other models such as the Society of College, National, and University
Libraries’ (SCONUL) Seven Pillars of Information Literacy have been
developed as well. This model is used in one of the reading sources we’ll use
frequently in the course: The Information Literacy User’s Guide. An Open,
Online Textbook.

What all of these models have in common is the recognition that it

takes skill to think about and utilize information effectively. In this
course, you’ll work with the concepts from these models to develop
the information literacy skills you need to succeed as a student, and in
your personal and work lives.

Explore: The Information Literacy User’s Guide

Throughout this course, you will be reading excerpts from The
Information Literacy User’s Guide: An Open, Online Textbook written
by Deborah Bernnard, Greg Bobish, Jenna Hecker, Irina Holden, Allison
Hosier, Trudi Jacobson, Tor Loney, and Daryl Bullis. This textbook will
provide a number of tools to enhance one’s ability to access, retrieve,
evaluate, and use information that is reliable.

Although you are assigned excerpts from the textbook, please feel free
to download a PDF copy of the book by using the link below:

Hosier, A., Bullis, D., Bernnard, D., Bobish, G, Holden, I., Hecker, J.,
Loney, T., & Jacobson, T. (2014). The information literacy user’s guide:
An open, online textbook. Open SUNY Textbooks.
http://textbooks.opensuny.org/the-information-literacy-users-guide-an-
open-online-textbook/ , Licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
3.0

Being able to find and use information well means realizing what you know,
what you don’t, and what you need to learn, and thinking about these
categories throughout the process. It means being aware of how one is
interacting with information, and not just reverting to long-standing habits
only because they are familiar.

This book is arranged using a model called the SCONUL Seven Pillars
of Information Literacy

(http://www.sconul.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/coremodel.pdf).
The model was developed in the United Kingdom, and revised in 2011,
to reflect today’s information world. As you would expect, its visual
representation shows pillars, each one labeled with a one-word access
point to a larger concept. The pillars, with short explanatory
descriptions, are:

 Identify (understanding your information need)

 Scope (knowing what is available)
 Plan (developing research strategies)
 Gather (finding what you need)
 Evaluate (assessing your research process and findings)
 Manage (organizing information effectively and ethically)
 Present (sharing what you’ve learned)
As mentioned earlier, you are likely skilled at some of the elements the book
will be discussing, less so at others. In other words, you will have ascended
some of the pillars more than others. This is true of the authors themselves.
We teach information literacy and call ourselves experts. But we can still
learn from our colleagues’ chapters on various facets of the nine areas
covered in this book. We hope you will also find this to be the case. (Hosier et
al., 2014)

Watch: What Is Information Literacy?

The following video segment will explain the components of
information literacy and how the skill is applicable in various contexts.

Access link: http://prx-herzing.lirn.net/login?qurl=http%3A%2F

%2Ffod.infobase.com%2FPortalPlaylists.aspx%3FwID
%3D104861%26xtid%3D116779%26loid%3D427454

(“What is information literacy,” 2017)

Knowledge Check
This graded activity is designed to assist you in determining your
understanding of the topics’ content. There is an unlimited number of
attempts available.

 Complete the questions below to assess personal knowledge on topics

covered.
 Take note of questions that are difficult.
 Review difficult topics prior to moving to the next topic.

Summary
Information literacy may be defined through various models – but at
the core of each is the recognition that we need to develop the skills
necessary to think about and utilize information effectively. In this
course you’ll learn skills that overlap each of these approaches to
information literacy.

Key Concepts of Three Information

Literacy Models

 Know when information is needed

Information Literacy Competency
Standards for Higher Education
(ALA/ACRL)
Framework for Information Literacy for
Higher Education (ALA/ACRL)
SCONUL Seven Pillars of Information
 Find information
 Evaluate information
 Use information effectively
 Use information ethically
 Authority Is Constructed and Contextual
 Information Creation as a Process
 Information Has Value
 Research as Inquiry
 Scholarship as Conversation
 Searching as Strategic Exploration
1. Identify (understand need)
2. Scope (know what is available)
 3. Plan (develop research strategy)
4. Gather (find what you need)
Literacy (SCONUL) 5. Evaluate (assess process and findings)
6. Manage (organize information effectively
and ethically)
7. Present (share learning)

Content has been adapted from:

Hosier, A., Bullis, D., Bernnard, D., Bobish, G, Holden, I., Hecker, J.,
Loney, T., & Jacobson, T. (2014). The information literacy user’s guide:
An open, online textbook. Open SUNY Textbooks.
http://textbooks.opensuny.org/the-information-literacy-users-guide-an-
open-online-textbook/ , Licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
3.0

References

Association of College and Research Libraries, American Library

Association. (2000). Information literacy competency standards for
higher education. American Library Association.
http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency

Association of College and Research Libraries, American Library

Association. (2016). Framework for information literacy for higher
education. American Library Association.
http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework

What is information literacy? (2017). Introduction to information

literacy [Video]. Films on Demand.
Week 1 part 2

Introduction
Estimated time to complete topic: 30 minutes

This topic addresses the following objectives:

 Explain how information production and access is a sociocultural phenomenon.

APA (American Psychological Association) is the style used by

students at Herzing University. You might be familiar with MLA style
from your high school courses, or maybe from a different university.
APA style is used by the scientific and medical communities, while
MLA style is most commonly used in the disciplines of English and the
humanities. APA style dictates what our papers look like (the
formatting) as well as how we show that we are using someone else’s
ideas. When we use someone else’s ideas in our academic writing, we
call that citing. It means we are quoting or paraphrasing another
source.

It is very important that we always indicate when we are using

another source. If we fail to indicate when we are using another
source to support our ideas, we will be plagiarizing that source. The
academic community takes plagiarism very seriously.
We always indicate anyone’s ideas that are not our own. APA style
provides the rules that show us how to cite sources correctly.

Review: Academic Writer Tutorial: Basics of Seventh Edition

APA Style
Review: Academic Writer Tutorial: Basics of Seventh Edition APA Style
The following learning modules, from the American Psychological
Association, provide quick access to information regarding APA style,
such as formatting, in-text citations, and the creation of reference
entries. You can refer to it throughout the course for assistance with
all elements of APA style.

Please click the access link below to view the material:

Basics of APA

(American Psychological Association, 2020)

Explore: In-Text Citations

When we quote or paraphrase a source, we include an in-text citation.
In-text citations follow a variety of patterns such as:

 According to Swanson (2018), “Information literacy is an essential skill

for the post-secondary student” (p. 127).
 Educators agree that “Information literacy is an essential skill for the
post-secondary student” (Swanson, 2018, p. 127).
 One of the foundations of a college education is a complete
understanding of information literacy (Swanson, 2018).

Note that the first two examples are direct quotes, while the third is a
paraphrase of Swanson’s idea.

What should be included in an in-text citation for a direct quote? If

quoting directly from a source, the page number or other location
information is also included in the in-text citation along with the
author and year of publication. For some materials, especially
websites, page numbers may not be available.The official website of
the American Psychological Association’s guide to APA style includes
information about how to create in-text citations for direct quotes
when page numbers are available, as well as when they are not:

Direct Quotation of Material With Page Numbers

When quoting directly, always provide the author, year, and page
number of the quotation (in both parenthetical and narrative in-text
citations).

Follow these guidelines when providing a page number:

 For a single page, use the abbreviation “p.” (e.g., p. 25, p. S41, p. e221).
 For multiple pages, use the abbreviation “pp.” and separate the page
range with an en dash (e.g., pp. 34–36).
  If pages are discontinuous, use a comma between the page numbers
(e.g., pp. 67, 72).
 If the work does not have page numbers, provide another way for the
reader to locate the quotation.
Direct Quotation of Material Without Page Numbers
To directly quote from written material that does not contain page numbers (e.g., webpages and
websites, some ebooks), provide readers with another way of locating the quoted passage. Any of the
following approaches is acceptable; use the approach that will best help readers find the quotation.
 Provide a heading or section name. It is okay to abbreviate a long or
unwieldy heading or section name.

For people with osteoarthritis, “painful joints should be moved through

a full range of motion every day to maintain flexibility and to slow
deterioration of cartilage” (Gecht-Silver & Duncombe, 2015,
Osteoarthritis section).

 Provide a paragraph number (count the paragraphs manually if they are

not numbered).

People planning for retirement need more than just money—they also
“need to stockpile their emotional reserves” to ensure adequate
support from family and friends (Chamberlin, 2014, para. 1).

 Provide a heading or section name in combination with a

paragraph number.

Music and language are intertwined in the brain such that “people who
are better at rhythmic memory skills tend to excel at language skills
as well” (DeAngelis, 2018, Musical Forays section, para. 4).

(American Psychological Association, n.d.)

What should be included in an in-text citation for a paraphrase? If

paraphrasing from the source, cite the author and year of publication.
Generally a page number is not required for paraphrased material, but
may be included to help the reader locate the specific spot in your
source where the information is included. Your instructor may prefer
that the page number is included.

Read: Reference Entries

Whenever there is an in-text citation, there must be an accompanying
reference entry included on the reference page at the end of the
material. In a similar way, any source included on the reference page,
must have an accompanying in-text citation within the written
material. Think of the in-text citation as a stub, or pointer, that leads
the reader to the full “mailing address” of the source. This full
“address” is located on the reference page.

In a nutshell, when preparing a reference entry you need to answer the

following questions in order:

Here are some sample APA references entries that will help you
become familiar with what they look like:

D’Agostino, F., Sanson, G., Cocchieri, A., Vellone, E., Welton, J.,
Maurici, M., Alvaro, R., & Zega, M. (2017). Prevalence of nursing
diagnoses as a measure of nursing complexity in a hospital
setting. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 73(9), 2129–2142.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13285

Fines, B. G. (2011). Effectively using a paralegal in a family law

practice. American Journal of Family Law, 25(1), 1-4.

Van Cleve, N. G., & Mayes, L. (2015). Criminal justice through

"colorblind" lenses: A call to examine the mutual constitution of race
and criminal justice. Law & Social Inquiry, 40(2), 406.
It may sound intimidating, but you don’t have to stress out. The
Herzing University Library has an APA Guide
(https://herzing.libguides.com/aparesources) that provides links to
various helpful tools such as the APA Style website, the APA Style
Blog, and the “APA Formatting and Style Guide” from the Purdue
University Online Writing Lab (OWL). You also can refer to the
“Academic Writer Tutorial: Basics of Seventh Edition APA Style.”

Refer to these sources for guidance throughout our course and for any
subsequent coursework you need to complete in APA style.

Identify: Formatting Basics

Along with the information to include in the citation and on the reference page, you need to
familiarize yourself with formatting. Formatting includes setting margins, font, font size, what to
put in italics, and arrangement of the citation itself. Basically, APA style establishes a template
for what all essays you write at Herzing will look like. This standardization is followed at every
institution where APA style is used.

In general, academic papers will include a title page, the body of the paper,
and the References list. You may also wish to include figures and tables. Your
instructor may want you to include an abstract for longer papers, additional
information on the Title Page, headings, or other supplemental materials. The
format instructions for these items are included in the APA Manual. You
should be sure you understand your instructor’s expectations.

What are basic rules for formatting an APA style paper? Some of the required
elements include:

 Double-spacing is used throughout the paper.

 All pages are numbered, starting with the title page.
 Title of paper, author name, and institutional affiliation are
centered in the top half of the title page.
 The title on the title page is in boldface.
 On the title page, there is an additional doublespace between the
title and the author name.
 Include the course number and course name on the title page.
 Include the instructor name on the title page.
 Include the assignment due date on the title page.
 The title of the paper precedes the essay, in upper and lowercase
letters, and in boldface.
 First level headings within the paper are boldface and centered.
  Use a 1” margin throughout the paper.
 All sources listed on the References list must also be cited in the
text of the paper.
 Reference entries use hanging indents and are alphabetized
using the first element of the entry.
Look at some sample papers at the APA Style website
(https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/paper-format/sample-
papers) to get a clear idea of what a properly formatted APA style paper
looks like.

Knowledge Check
This graded activity is designed to assist you in determining your
understanding of the topics’ content. There is an unlimited number of
attempts available.

 Complete the questions below to assess personal knowledge on topics covered.

 Take note of questions that are difficult.

 Review difficult topics prior to moving to the next topic.

Summary
The use of APA style is an important part of being information literate.
In your academic career, you will use APA style to indicate whenever
you are using anyone else’s ideas for support of your own. You will
also follow the APA style rules when formatting your paper.

In essence, when you use APA style, you are telling the reader whose
research you are using and providing the path so that the reader can
find the original article, video, book, or other resource. You are also
adhering the formatting standards established by APA style. As
mentioned above there are resources to guide your use of the APA
style of formatting and citation.

Content has been adapted from:

Hosier, A., Bullis, D., Bernnard, D., Bobish, G, Holden, I., Hecker, J.,
Loney, T., & Jacobson, T.(2014). The information literacy user’s guide:
An open, online textbook. Open SUNY Textbooks.
http://textbooks.opensuny.org/the-information-literacy-users-guide-an-
open-online-textbook/ , Licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
3.0

References

American Psychological Association. (2020). Academic writer tutorial:

Basics of seventh edition APA style.
https://extras.apa.org/apastyle/basics-7e/?
_ga=2.164219580.282147948.1582308194-776511315.1579103676#/

American Psychological Association (n.d.) Quotations.

https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/citations/quotations
Week part 3

How is Information Created?

Extras

Lesson path
1. 1.Introduction
2. 2.Watch: Scholarship is a Conversation
3. 3.Explore: Information as a Way of Understanding the World
4. 4.Knowledge Check
5. 5.Summary
Go to questions

Introduction
Estimated time to complete topic: 30 minutes

This topic addresses the following objectives:

 Explain how information production and access is a sociocultural phenomenon.

Most information, and certainly scholarly information, is created through an ongoing

conversation in many different settings and contexts. Each information source contributes to the
body of knowledge. Some elements of the scholarly conversation are personal and informal – for
example, one scholar talking to another and identifying an area of research need in their field.
Other contributions to the conversation may be very formal – for example, publication of a study
in a scholarly journal where there is an editorial process requiring review and approval before an
article is published. As a student researcher, you too will be a part of the scholarly conversation.

Watch: Scholarship is a Conversation

This video by the University of Washington Libraries discusses the role
your research plays in contributing to a field of study.

Video

(University of Washington Libraries, 2016)

Explore: Information as a Way of Understanding the World

Information can be used as a means of communicating and as a way to
understand the world.

The knowledge created and valued within our individual communities

shapes the way we look at the world. Plato, an ancient Greek
philosopher, tackles this idea in his famous “Allegory of the Cave.”
Plato imagines a group of people held captive in a cave who only know
about the “real” world outside through the shadows reflected on the
wall. If someone from the cave is released into the “real” world and
learns that the shadows are just one perspective of the objects
represented, he will have a hard time convincing the other cave
dwellers who have not experienced the other perspective for
themselves.

Allegory of the Cave

The flowing video explains the “Allegory of the Cave” in detail.

Video

(TED-ED, 2015)

If you would like to read Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” yourself, you can
access it here: http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/allegory.html

Information plays a vital role in our perception of reality. How are we

held prisoner by what we don’t know? How do our perceptions of
reality influence what we think about others and how we treat them?

Information can also be used to influence people. Examples include

advertising, company-hosted websites, and materials published by
organizations related to their specific mission. Both the sharing and
withholding of information can have an impact. For example, some
governments of the world control news outlets or the types of
information available to its citizens. This can limit people’s perception
of the world, like the cave dwellers in Plato’s allegory.

Knowledge Check
This graded activity is designed to assist you in determining your
understanding of the topics’ content. There is an unlimited number of
attempts available.

 Complete the questions below to assess personal knowledge on topics covered.

 Take note of questions that are difficult.

 Review difficult topics prior to moving to the next topic.

Summary
The information literate researcher recognizes that information takes
many forms. Understanding the limits of your own knowledge will help
prepare you for research. Then, gathering information from the various
threads of the scholarly conversation will help you develop the most
well rounded and supported research.

Content has been adapted from:

Hosier, A., Bullis, D., Bernnard, D., Bobish, G, Holden, I., Hecker, J.,
Loney, T., & Jacobson, T.(2014). The information literacy user’s guide:
An open, online textbook. Open SUNY Textbooks.
http://textbooks.opensuny.org/the-information-literacy-users-guide-an-
open-online-textbook/ , Licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
3.0

References

TED-ED. (2015, March 17). Plato’s Allegory of the Cave – Alex Gendler
[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RWOpQXTltA

University of Washington Libraries. (2016, March 15). Research 101:

Scholarship is a conversation [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB9pAZPJp_g
Week 1 part 4

Introduction
Estimated time to complete topic: 30 minutes

This topic addresses the following objectives:

 Explain how information production and access is a sociocultural phenomenon.

The sections offers practical information setting the stage to develop

information literacy skills and to begin applying those skills to
research.

View: Where to Start

The following four short video segments from ProQuest Research
Companion database the will provide some helpful hints about
researching. If you have problems viewing the videos, they can be
accessed via the Herzing University LibGuide located
at https://herzing.libguides.com/en111PQRClinks.

Feeling overwhelmed?

Video

(ProQuest Research Companion, n.d.)

Ten Basic Terms

Video

(ProQuest Research Companion, n.d.)

Scholarly Arguments

Video

(ProQuest Research Companion, n.d.)

Pep Talk

Video

(ProQuest Research Companion, n.d.)

Knowledge Check
This graded activity is designed to assist you in determining your
understanding of the topics’ content. There is an unlimited number of
attempts available.

 Complete the questions below to assess personal knowledge on topics covered.

 Take note of questions that are difficult.

 Review difficult topics prior to moving to the next topic.

Summary
Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose. -Zora Neale Hurston,
American Author and Anthropologist

Although research can seem overwhelming at first, knowing the key

terms involved in the research process and identifying your research
needs are a good place to start.

One of the ways to demonstrate mastery of information literacy skills

is by working through the process of research. In this course you’ll
have an opportunity to explore a topic you are curious about and apply
your information literacy research skills. In addition, you’ll learn how
those same skills transfer to curiosity and information needs in other
courses, your personal information needs, and your work life.

Let’s get started!

References

ProQuest Research Companion. (n.d.). Feeling overwhelmed. [Video].

ProQuest.

ProQuest Research Companion. (n.d.). Pep talk. [Video]. ProQuest.

ProQuest Research Companion. (n.d.). Scholarly arguments. [Video].
ProQuest.

ProQuest Research Companion. (n.d.). Ten basic terms. [Video].

ProQuest.