ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL News ■ July/August 1998 / 509 New learning environments The importance of information literacy in academia by Hannelore B. Rader LOEX: New Learning Environments E d. Note: This a r tic le c o n ta in s reports o n two c o n fe r e n c e s — th e LOEX C o n fe r e n c e a n d th e 2 7 th W orkshop o n In stru ction in Li­ b ra ries. More than 200 persons attended the 28th LOEX C on feren ce, sp o n sored by Eastern Michigan University (EMU) in Ypsilanti, Michi­ gan, from Ju ne 4 -6 , 1998. The theme o f the conference, “New Learning Environments,” echoed a number of themes related to the changing learning and teaching situations in academia addressed recently in national, re­ gional, and state library conferences. The theme was especially appropriate to this conference, held at EMU because it c o ­ incided with the opening o f Halle Library, a marvelous model o f the new electronic li­ brary/learning center for the millennium. This facility demonstrates remarkably well how the past meets the future in a com pletely networked electronic information environ­ ment, featuring a unique materials storage c o m p o n e n t. T w o k e y n o te s p e a k e rs a d ­ dressed the learning environm ent. Seven poster sessions provided hands-on informa­ tion and practical exam ples o f teaching in­ formation skills in a variety o f settings. C reating a learning e n v iro n m e n t In “Anatomy o f a cybrary for 2003: It’s the learning environment, not the wiring,” Morell Boone, o f EMU, discussed the use o f Halle Library in teaching and learning. He outlined the facility’s unique electronic and physical features and how they are intended to sup­ port and facilitate student learning. Especially important in the new facility will be the en ­ hanced centralized approach to customer ser­ vices, group learning, and problem-solving. A history o f teaching In “The learning environment— then, now, and later: 30 years o f teaching information skills,” I described the history, developm ent, and progress of library orientation, bibliographic instruction, and information literacy from the beginning of LOEX in 1971 to the present. I discussed the learning environment in terms of teaching information skills throughout the 30-year period, as well as international, na­ tional, and local developments related to this topic in terms o f publications, associations, conferences, and classroom instruction. A sam pling o f programs Seventeen presentations by librarians from academic institutions throughout the United States featured information on a variety o f in­ formation literacy programs and related top­ ics on: • changes in the attitudes and behaviors of students and their effect on library instruc­ tion and providing new instructional oppor­ tunities; • effective teaching methodology for six conceptual areas of electronic research using sample lesson plans in different instructional settings; About the au th o r H a n n e lo r B. Rader is university librarian a t the University o f Louisville, e-mail: hbrade01@gwise.louisville.edu 5 1 0 /C&RL News ■ July/August 1998 • experiences creating flexible teaching spaces to meet the needs of electronic and distributed learning environments; • handling requests for electronic classroom use, related plans, and policies; • integrating a new student-centered elec­ tronic teaching classroom, information con­ course, and multimedia laboratory; • a tutoring program for faculty in their offices; • explanation of basic elements of knowl­ edge mapping and how it can be used in a lecture and in a cooperative learning environ­ ment; Libraries at the heart of learning M ore than 100 participants attended the 27th Workshop on Instruction in Library Use, sponsored by Queen’s University Librar­ ies in Kingston, Canada, May, 20-22, 1998. The theme, “Libraries at the Heart o f Learn­ ing,” addressed the transformation of research libraries into learning organizations and the evolving teaching role of academic librarians. Two keynote speakers and 34 presenters ad­ dressed how to prepare for the new learning environments; how to form effective partner­ ships with teaching faculty; techniques for of­ fering and evaluating new forms of course- integrated instruction; research on what fac­ ulty and students need from librarian/teach- ers; and models for librarians to becom e lead­ ers in the learning enterprise. Also featured were 12 poster sessions. The workshop was conducted both in English and French. N ILI: A tim e fo r change Cerise Oberman, dean of library and infor­ mation services (SUNY at Plattsburgh), dis­ cussed the proposal for the establishment of a National Inform ation Literacy Institute (NILI) to help librarians prepare for their in­ creasingly more significant instruction and education role in higher education. The evolving new learning library model will re­ quire new developments in the preparation o f librarians in cooperation with academic administrators and teaching faculty. The pro­ posed institute will play a critical role in higher education in terms of recognizing the critical role information literacy will play within the curricula on all educational levels. • faculty-librarian collaboration at a li­ brary arts college, its history, development, and future prospects; •Web-based tutorials to teach research skills; • a self-paced interactive computer tuto­ rial for the online catalog; and • factors that contribute to successful in­ struction programs at small liberal arts colleges. Interactions betw een this large group o f instruction librarians indicated the increas­ ing importance o f information literacy pro­ grams in academ ic settings and new oppor­ tunities for integrating them into the cur­ riculum. In “P is for partnerships: Building a fac­ ulty liaison at the University o f Louisville,” I discussed the energetic outreach efforts on the part o f the library faculty at the Univer­ sity of Louisville to integrate the libraries and information literacy fully into the aca­ demic enterprise in order to achieve a dy­ namic learning environment by the 21st ce n ­ tury. Librarians are w orking with faculty to integrate electro n ic inform ation into the teach in g and research environm ent; they are helping faculty rethink the way they teach with technology to achieve resource- based learning; and they are w orking to ­ ward preparing students for lifelong learn­ ing, ensuring that they acquire inform a­ tion skills. Presenters from 14 academic institutions throughout Canada and one U.S. institution gave presentations on such diverse topics as: compulsory library instruction in a com ­ m erce curriculum; self-directed library in­ struction; Web library instruction, presenta­ tion skills; faculty perceptions and attitudes regarding information skills; librarian/faculty partnerships; effective strategies for teach­ ing undergraduates information skills in a large university; and use of an Internet work­ book in a health sciences library. Discussions and interactions among the participants conveyed that the academic en ­ vironment is in a changing mode and many opportunities exist now for librarians to work with faculty to integrate information skills into various curricula. C&RL News ■ July/August 1998 / 511