Supporting Research through Information Literacy Programmes: SMU Libraries' Learning Journeys

• Main Author: Ishak, Yuyun W.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2015
• Subjects: Academic libraries; Singapore Management University; Information literacy framework; information literacy for graduate students; research support; Asian Studies; Information Literacy
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/library_research/56; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1056&context=library_research
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Singapore Management University (SMU) has been building its research programmes towards high-impact and larger scale research. The number of postgraduate students has grown from 615 students in 2010 to 1,260 students in January 2015. The growing population of postgraduates, especially those with research requirements, has posed both opportunities and challenges to library’s resources, facilities and services. Library is committed to provide resources and services that support research. This includes developing and implementing Information Literacy (IL) programmes that are relevant to researchers and postgraduates. The IL programmes were structured and offered within an Information Literacy Framework that SMU Libraries have been using for the past five years. With changes in graduates’ population, diversity in graduate programmes, advances in technology, and complexities in research information literacy; the Framework, eventually, required re-evaluation and re-alignment. The main goal of the Framework was still to achieve the IL competency standards as outlined in ACRL’s Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (2000). However, the ways to develop, implement and promote the IL programmes, would benefit from a more flexible, yet practical Framework. By observing and critically evaluating the IL practice at SMU Libraries, this paper put together best IL practices that work well with postgraduates and molded them into a flexible IL Framework that supports research information literacy.