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‘Gear Up with Information Literacy’: NKU’s Steely Library will present a free workshop on July 9


Critical thinking is part of determining when news or information is true or false. A recent study from Stanford University revealed that many middle-school through college students are confused on how to find credible resources for their research needs.

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions even offers an appealing visual guide on How to Spot Fake News to help sort out such information disparities. What’s more, research articles in the library field reveal that many adults, like those utilizing public libraries, are just as confused as children at school.

The W. Frank Steely Library at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) will host a free workshop to address this topic for librarians, teachers, and home-schooling parents.

“GEAR UP for College” will be held on July 9, offering an energizing boost for instruction and programming to preschool through 12th-grade educators.

As librarians frequently assist students grappling with such research concerns, they often mentor students to get the most value from information and to become more information literate. Content provided at this workshop stems from Steely Library’s recently developed GearUp for Information Literacy program. The American Library Association defines information literacy as a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and to have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.

Steely Library’s annual summer workshop brings P-12 and public librarians, and educators together to discuss issues impacting the 21st-century information environment. This year’s workshop will explore the ways in which educators can use information literacy to prepare students at all levels to GearUp (GATHER, EVALUATE, APPLY, and RESPECT) information, setting them up for success beyond high school.

Participants will engage with an evolving definition of information literacy, consider the challenges, struggles, and barriers that students face in transitioning to higher education, and take away ideas to integrate information literacy concepts into library programming and the P-12 curriculum. Professional panels and breakout sessions addressing the Gather, Evaluation, Apply, and Respect topics will be covered at the workshop. See specific details at the website.

Andrea Brooks, Information Literacy Program Coordinator at Steely Library, and her library colleagues crafted the GearUp program as part of NKU’s Quality Enhancement Plan to improve student learning by strategically integrating information literacy into the NKU curriculum.

“Today’s students are exposed to a vast amount of information and when they enter college, that exposure intensifies,” Brooks said.

Ensuring students are college ready includes making sure they have some fundamental knowledge about information creation, access, and use. This workshop is meant to bring all educators together who have a stake in developing information literacy.”

P-12 teachers, librarians, and other educators are invited to attend to learn how to apply information literacy into their instructional needs for preparing students of all ages to prepare for college research and learning.

Registration ends on July 3.

For more information, click here or contact Dr. Jennifer Smith at smithjen@nku.edu or call (859)-572-6620.

Steely Library


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