Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2011
Abstract
This inquiry subjectively examines selected basic communication textbooks for information literacy concepts from the communication discipline point of view. Librarians can build on these concepts in library skills instruction sessions for first-year communication students. This analysis reveals that communication textbook authors are addressing information literacy concepts and standards with content, exercises, examples, and, most importantly, context; and the authors are often utilizing their own discipline-specific terminology to do so. Because finding, using, and evaluating information is a cornerstone of communication education and because the most successful information literacy efforts result from learning its tenets in a variety of contexts, librarians supporting communication classes should consider reviewing discipline-specific textbooks when planning course-specific library instruction. Further, it is recommended that class textbooks in other disciplines be analyzed, especially in classes with multiple sections. By focusing on many classes for which students share a common textbook, librarians can maximize their information literacy efforts to reach large numbers of students with more discipline-specific instruction.
Copyright Statement
This document was originally published by Communications in Information Literacy in Communications in Information Literacy. This work is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 license. Details regarding the use of this work can be found at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/legalcode. http://www.comminfolit.org/
Publication Information
Kozel-Gains, Melissa A. and Stoddart, Richard A.. (2011). "Supplementing a Librarian’s Information Literacy Toolkit with Textbooks: A Scan of Basic Communication Course Texts". Communications in Information Literacy, 5(1), 55-67.
