Collaborative Co-Design for Library Workshops

Abstract

This article describes a year-long application of critical information literacy theory for social-science-related library workshops. Each of these workshops had a customized section that included working with special collections and university archives. The students who participated ranged from incoming freshman to seniors at Stanford University. The curriculum development method for these workshops is based on principles of collaborative co-design.

KEYWORDS:

• archives and special collections
• co-design
• information literacy
• library instruction

Notes

1. From Jim Ferguson (May 21, 2012), An Informal Discussion on Teaching in Anthropology. Stanford Anthropology Department. Brown Bag Lecture. In this lecture, Dr. Ferguson describes the mission of teaching as teaching students not to just think critically, but to also think well.`

2. The Program in Writing and Rhetoric (PWR) is a formal program of information literacy training geared toward first-year, second-year, and transfer students. The library workshop in PWR is a facet of a larger program, designed to guide students in research and writing methods. The library's role in this program is as a partner. In the first- and second-year PWR courses, there are a library orientation and a bibliographic information session. The unique aspect to these information literacy sessions is that they are learner-centered by being highly focused on the topics that the students choose. The examples in this article include a PWR class, but also include the next level of critical information literacy dialogues.

3. Active learning promotes independent, critical, and creative thinking. Students must engage with material in order to practice and develop thinking skills. For more information on active learning, see http://ctl.stanford.edu/handbook/ultimate-goal-active-learning.html

4. Artifactual literacy teaches students to analyze and interpret primary sources by looking at the items’ authenticity, historical context, bias, original audience and purpose, author's relationship to the document, publishing history, and evidentiary value.

5. Archival literacy can include teaching students on what a finding aid is and how to use it, care and handling of fragile materials, provenance, original order, and repository rules and procedures for use.