Practicum Log #22: Information Literacy and Primary Source Instruction

Emily Thorpe and I worked on adding links and content to this Information Literacy Game for incoming students at Southwestern University.

Wednesday, July 10, 2024 from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Emily and I spent the afternoon working on pre and post assessments for information literacy instruction in the fall. We added and refined questions on two Google Forms that will serve as the platform where students will demonstrate learning after their instruction module. We also went through and added links for the information literacy escape game that Katherine Hooker spearheaded for design. She’s on vacation this week, so we are going through a checklist she left for us to complete. The game works through Canva. The students will receive an invitation with a library swag bag. Inside that swag bag will be a QR code to the game and a worksheet for collecting clues to form a final password. The game will take students to resources available on the library website along with instructional tools: CRAAP test, Boolean Logic, database practices, keyword search, etc. I designed this fun slide about not relying on Google for research. It’s also got some fun links to show that librarians and libraries aren’t scary, like a page that showcases the library staff’s cats.

After working on this, I spent the rest of my shift working on a Primary Source Direct Instruction presentation that would build onto the the primary source video I made. I’m hoping that the research and instruction librarians can use this resource to teach students how to use and evaluate primary sources. I developed the instruction around collection items found in Southwestern’s Distinctive Collections. The lesson centers around Senator Tower, a Southwestern graduate who left all of his papers and political paraphernalia to the university library. (One of the librarians’ favorite items is a decorative elephant from the 1968 Republican National Convention that they have named Ellie.)

Full Schedule: l will be working 10:00-2:00 from May 28th to June 7th, M-F online. (The campus is undergoing some construction and all of the librarians are working from home.) Then, from June 10 - July 19th, I will be working 1:00-5:00 on campus at Southwestern University. I will more than likely finish by July 12th, but I'm adding a week for wiggle room. This should lead to 128 hours.