Quinnipiac University students who are developing their information literacy abilities…
The library curriculum is designed to align with the University’s Essential Learning Outcomes, academic priorities, and the University’s mission. It is built on three distinct yet overlapping conceptual pillars defined below.
Library instruction refers to the learning support provided by librarians to help students develop the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively use library resources and research tools. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including asynchronous learning experiences, standalone workshops, course-integrated sessions, and one-on-one consultations. Library instruction focuses on research strategies, information retrieval, and source evaluation, teaching students to engage with information in a systematic and critical manner. The Arnold Bernhard Library’s instructional program depends on collaboration with faculty to ensure that library resources and tools align with the disciplinary and learning needs of students.
Information literacy is the ability to identify, find, evaluate, and use information effectively in various formats. It is critical for academic success and to empower students to become lifelong learners. The library draws on the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education. The framework emphasizes that information literacy is not limited to search and retrieval skills but also involves developing a critical understanding of how information is produced, organized, and used within academic disciplines and beyond. Information literacy helps students engage with information ethically and responsibly, understanding its context, authority, and bias.
Artificial intelligence (AI) literacy involves understanding the role of AI technologies in shaping how information is created, accessed, and used. It includes the ability to critically assess the influence of AI on research, knowledge creation, and critical thinking, as well as understanding its implications in various social, economic, and political contexts. The library sees AI literacy as a subset of information literacy that deserves its own articulation given the unique promise and concerns regarding what appears to be the most impactful technology in generations. The library’s program incorporates AI literacy in compliance with the University’s AI policy. It aims to help students use AI in academic research and writing effectively and responsibly where appropriate, and introduces broader implications such as algorithmic bias, misinformation, intellectual property and other ethical issues.
The Arnold Bernhard Library’s curriculum and instruction program is designed to support students at various stages of their academic journey. Skills, concepts, and strategies are thoughtfully scaffolded and aligned with the University’s essential learning outcomes, the University Curriculum, and partnering academic programs. This progression begins in the first year and continues through the capstone, ensuring that instruction evolves with students’ academic needs. Library instruction is faculty-driven, with student success depending on collaboration between librarians and faculty. The library provides a range of teaching and learning experiences that address information literacy, artificial intelligence literacy, and library use through various methods, including the creation of learning objects, course-related instructional sessions, and one-on-one or small group inquiry-based instruction. The following sections describe the library’s approach to preparing students to think critically and navigate a rapidly evolving information landscape, shaped by advancements in technology, including artificial intelligence.
The library’s first year curriculum is designed to help students develop the foundational concepts and skills necessary for academic success and personal growth as burgeoning knowledge creators. By emphasizing the development of agency as a researcher, students begin to understand how expertise and authority are constructed within academic communities and their broader societal roles. Beginning in the First Year Seminar and continuing throughout First Year Writing, students learn transferable concepts, skills, and strategies that apply across academic disciplines and to everyday contexts, empowering them to approach complex topics with flexibility and adaptability. Central to this process is the recognition that the Arnold Bernhard Library is a vital resource within the Quinnipiac community, that supports students in their academic journey. Together, these elements of the curriculum guide students in exploring their academic interests and laying the groundwork for lifelong learning and critical inquiry.
In this phase, students continue to develop their information literacy skills in the context of the Natural Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Fine Arts. Students continue to build on understandings acquired in the first-year curriculum by applying concepts, skills, and strategies in specialized areas of study. Central to this process is the library’s liaison program, where subject librarians help students become familiar with disciplinary-specific tools, scholarly publications, and authoritative voices within new and diverse fields. As students progress through the University Curriculum, they begin to understand how authority is constructed and how certain voices are elevated in disciplinary communities, enabling them to identify and engage with credible sources for their research. This phase builds on the foundation of inquiry, guiding students to approach research with a more disciplinary mindset and fostering an ongoing connection to the resources and expertise available through the library.
The liaison program also plays a pivotal role in addressing disciplinary inquiry and information literacy skills beyond introductory disciplinary courses. In collaboration with faculty, librarians help students develop their research skills as they move deeper into their programs of study. In this context, students are introduced to more specific disciplinary research tools, expanding their understanding of how to approach topic development, search and retrieval, and source evaluation in relation to their field’s unique information needs. For courses that serve as introduction to the discipline librarians focus on ensuring that students grasp the basics of research in their field. As students advance into upper-level courses, the focus shifts toward more intermediate skills and concepts, with librarians helping students build on their foundational knowledge to tackle more complex research questions as their knowledge grows. The library’s instructional staff plays an increasingly active role, guiding students through progressively complex skills and critical thinking strategies as they approach the integrative capstone phase of their academic journey. This approach ensures that students’ information literacy evolves in alignment with the depth and demands of their academic programs.
The integrative capstone is the one of the final academic requirements at Quinnipiac University, where students engage deeply with their chosen topics as experts. The library plays a key role in preparing students for this signature work by guiding them to identify the scholarly conversation within their field. Rather than relying on simple keyword searches, students are encouraged to draw on existing knowledge by strategically engaging in academic discourse as a means of locating and assessing new knowledge and different perspectives. The library helps students refine their research skills, moving beyond using external sources only as supporting evidence, and instead, empowering them to build upon these sources in more complex and critical ways. Additionally, the library helps students integrate prior knowledge, skills, and information sources developed throughout their undergraduate career, ensuring they approach their capstone projects with a strong foundation in academic research and scholarly engagement.
