Library Instruction  

The University of North Alabama libraries have developed a library instruction program that offers information literacy instruction to students, faculty, and staff.   The library instruction program is coordinated by the Instructional Services Librarian. All instructional sessions are taught by the Instructional Services Librarian or one of the other librarians.

The Library Instruction Program’s mission is to promote and encourage the information literacy skills of students, faculty, and staff. In keeping with the University's goal of offering high quality programs, the Library Instruction Program is designed to make available opportunities for information literacy instruction to all students, faculty, and staff. The Library Instruction Program is continually evolving and changing in response to technological advances, changes in curriculum, and as a result of program evaluation.

The Library Instruction Program strives to provide services that promote awareness and effective use of information resources through both formal and informal  instruction.  The Library Instruction Program also endeavors to support users in developing information literacy skills, thereby laying the foundation for academic and professional success. 

Information literacy is the ability to recognize an information need, locate relevant information resources, evaluate the information resources, and effectively use all types of  information resources in a responsible way.  The library instruction program strives to follow the American Association of College & Research Libraries’(ACRL) Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education and ACRL’s Objectives for Information Literacy Instruction: A Model Statement for Academic Librarian.

• 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

• To offer high quality library instruction to all students, faculty and staff at the  university.
• To promote awareness of library resources, in both print and online formats.
• To teach patrons how to evaluate and effectively use information.
• To assist patrons in developing strong research skills.
• To collaborate with faculty to in providing students the research skills needed to succeed in completing coursework and research.
• To provide both formal and informal instruction.
• To make library instruction available to all students regardless of delivery system or location.
• To promote information literacy.
• To support the mission of the University and Library.

After completing basic and advanced instructional sessions, participants should be able to:

• Articulate and redefine their information needs.
• Identify the variety of potential sources of information available.
• Utilize appropriate information sources regardless of their format.
• Identify appropriate terminology, including controlled vocabulary, for the resources being utilized to locate relevant information.
• Develop search strategies appropriate for the individual resources searched.
  Evaluate information and information sources.
• Select quality, appropriate resources based upon their information needs.
  Distinguish between library-provided online resources and generally-available Internet resources.
• Give proper credit for information used in their research, using the appropriate citation style for their discipline.

These objectives are based upon the American Association of College & Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Objectives for Information Literacy Instruction: A Model Statement for Academic Librarians.