25
This article was downloaded by: [Fondren Library, Rice University ] On: 22 November 2014, At: 05:43 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wbfl20 Business Information Literacy Instruction Martha Cooney a a B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library, C. W. Post Campus, Long Island University , Brookville, NY, 11548, USA Published online: 02 Oct 2008. To cite this article: Martha Cooney (2005) Business Information Literacy Instruction, Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 11:1, 3-25, DOI: 10.1300/J109v11n01_02 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J109v11n01_02 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan,

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This article was downloaded by [Fondren Library Rice University ]On 22 November 2014 At 0543Publisher RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number 1072954Registered office Mortimer House 37-41 Mortimer Street London W1T 3JHUK

Journal of Business amp FinanceLibrarianshipPublication details including instructions forauthors and subscription informationhttpwwwtandfonlinecomloiwbfl20

Business Information LiteracyInstructionMartha Cooney aa B Davis Schwartz Memorial Library C W PostCampus Long Island University Brookville NY11548 USAPublished online 02 Oct 2008

To cite this article Martha Cooney (2005) Business Information Literacy InstructionJournal of Business amp Finance Librarianship 111 3-25 DOI 101300J109v11n01_02

To link to this article httpdxdoiorg101300J109v11n01_02

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor amp Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all theinformation (the ldquoContentrdquo) contained in the publications on our platformHowever Taylor amp Francis our agents and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy completenessor suitability for any purpose of the Content Any opinions and viewsexpressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors andare not the views of or endorsed by Taylor amp Francis The accuracy of theContent should not be relied upon and should be independently verified withprimary sources of information Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for anylosses actions claims proceedings demands costs expenses damagesand other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly orindirectly in connection with in relation to or arising out of the use of theContent

This article may be used for research teaching and private study purposesAny substantial or systematic reproduction redistribution reselling loan

sub-licensing systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone isexpressly forbidden Terms amp Conditions of access and use can be found athttpwwwtandfonlinecompageterms-and-conditions

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Business Information Literacy InstructionA Survey and Progress Report

Martha Cooney

ABSTRACT Business leaders have long known that information canprovide a significant strategic advantage to companies and is indeed animportant business asset While information literacy efforts continue togrow on campuses across the nation what is the progress of informationliteracy instruction with business students In order to find out a surveyof librarians at AACSB-accredited schools was conducted The resultsof the survey reveal that business information literacy instruction whilewidespread and prevalent is still developing Collaboration between li-brarians and business faculty is overwhelmingly described as moderateand only about a third of respondents have incorporated the InformationLiteracy Competency Standards for Higher Education into their instruc-tion efforts with business students Assessment of business studentsrsquo in-formation literacy remains an area for continued growth as the majority

Martha Cooney is Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean for User Services B DavisSchwartz Memorial Library C W Post Campus Long Island University BrookvilleNY 11548 (E-mail mcooneyliuedu) Formerly Director of the Center for BusinessResearch she holds an MLS from Pratt Institute and an MS in Interdisciplinary Studies(with a concentration in Management) from Long Island University

Journal of Business amp Finance Librarianship Vol 11(1) 2005Available online at httpwwwhaworthpresscomwebJBFL

copy 2005 by The Haworth Press Inc All rights reserveddoi101300J109v11n01_02 3

ARTICLE

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of librarians report that they do not assess their studentsrsquo business infor-mation literacy The results of this survey are comparable to the NationalInformation Literacy Survey conducted in 2001 It appears that informa-tion literacy both in general as well as in discipline-specific forms isevolving [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document DeliveryService 1-800-HAWORTH E-mail address ltdocdeliveryhaworthpresscomgtWebsite lthttpwwwHaworthPresscomgt copy 2005 by The Haworth Press IncAll rights reserved]

KEYWORDS Business students information literacy instruction col-laboration assessment surveys

INTRODUCTION

Information literacy has been defined as a set of abilities requiring in-dividuals to ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo (Ameri-can Library Association 1989) Information literacy is essential to busi-ness students for the acquisition analysis and use of information areimportant factors for success in the business world Business leadershave long known that information often provides a significant strategicadvantage and is in fact a competitive resource for successful compa-nies (Rosenberg 2002 Kanter 1996) In todayrsquos knowledge economyldquoinformation has become the leading business assetrdquo (Kanter 2003p 23) Indeed ldquoreducing the costs of information is one of our last bigchances to increase the return on physical and human assetsrdquo (Albrecht2001 p 11) OrsquoSullivan (2002) finds that although there is a heightenedawareness about the value of information and knowledge workers are

floundering with too much information readily available too littlerelevant and timely information when they need it and with fewtools or skills to deal with information effectively (p 9)

When workers lack information literacy skills there are tangible coststo the business that can result in both operational inefficiency and lossof business opportunities (Cheuk 2002) Information literacy is rele-vant now more than ever to business students Faced with an increas-ingly complex and competitive workplace business students must beinformation literate

4 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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The past five years have seen a steady development in informationliteracy efforts at colleges and universities across the nation The publi-cation of the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation in 2000 by the Association of College and Research Librar-ies (ACRL) have provided a means to focus and to assess informationliteracy efforts Increasing emphasis by accrediting agencies on devel-oping information literacy in students promoting collaboration be-tween library and classroom and assessing student learning outcomeshave provided added motivation to academic libraries to continue to de-velop and integrate information literacy into their instruction effortsboth in the library and on campus

LITERATURE REVIEW

While many articles and books have been written on informationliteracy instruction at institutions of higher education the publicationof the National Information Literacy Survey (ACRL 2001) providesconcrete results on the scope breadth and penetration of these effortson college campuses The findings indicate that campuses across thecountry are actively engaged in discussions about information literacyand that information literacy is included in the curriculum in a varietyof ways most often as an integral part of at least one course on campusor as part of general education requirements In responses regardingthe use of the Information Literacy Competency Standards 50 of re-spondents were aware of them although not as yet using them 23 re-ported being aware of the Standards and using them and 24responded that they did not know about the Standards Consideringthat the Standards were distributed only about a year prior to the sur-vey these numbers reveal a rather high awareness and acceptance ofthe Standards The Survey also found that very few respondents assessstudent performance in a formal way and generally most respondentshave not gotten to the assessment stage yet Merz and Mark (2002)found in a survey of assessment in college libraries that although theuse of the Standards is widespread and that there is a substantialamount of formative assessment taking place (ie that which mea-sures the quality of instruction) there is very little assessment of ac-tual learning outcomes (p 16)

Responding to the need for the assessment of learning outcomes theProject for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills(SAILS) currently in the last year of a three-year grant is attempting to

Martha Cooney 5

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develop a standardized assessment instrument (in support of ACRLrsquosInformation Literacy Competency Standards) that can be applied to anyinstitution or library If the project is successful it will provide a validand reliable standardized tool to measure information literacy skills atindividual institutions and enable cross-institutional comparison

In addition to the general information literacy efforts documented inthe data collected on the National Information Literacy Survey and inthe on-going work on assessment Feast (2003) has noted the impor-tance of course-integrated information literacy and has found that

Students engage in a more meaningful way in developing informa-tion literacy when these skills are directly pertinent to the coursesthey are studying and in particular when they have an imminentimpact on their course assessment (p 82)

Many researchers agree that relating information literacy to a specificdiscipline not only provides a more effective learning experience but isalso important in becoming more fully information literate (Grafstein2002 Roldan and Wu 2004 Smith 2003) Becoming information liter-ate in general terms is not sufficient for information literacy within adisciplinary context and being information literate in one disciplinedoes not automatically mean one is information literate in another disci-pline (Manuel 2002) Regarding business information Lavin (1995)has pointed out the inherent abundance diversity and specializationof business resources as well as the complex nature of business que-ries

The literature on the information literacy instruction of business stu-dents is growing and continuing to develop In 1994 Hawes assertedthe need for instructing business students in information literacy andconcluded that not enough was being done Since then several studieshave been conducted that not only confirm the need for information lit-eracy instruction for business students but provide models for collabo-rative instruction between business faculty and librarians and provideinsights into assessment Sterngold and Hurlbert (1998) designed agroup research project in a marketing course to develop several aspectsof information literacy in their students Working closely with class-room faculty Fiegen Cherry and Watson (2002) created a model forintegrating the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation into the business curriculum and assessing student learningoutcomes Cooney and Hiris (2003) developed a collaborative frame-work for integrating information literacy into a graduate finance course

6 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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and assessing the results Students received a score for their informationliteracy competency along with a grade for the content of their finalprojects

In the area of assessment although some discipline-specific modulesof the SAILS instrument are currently in development there is as yetnot a specific tool under development for business (M Thompson Proj-ect SAILS Coordinator personal communication December 3 2004)

With the importance of information literacy for business students es-tablished and the reports of specific projects that have begun to emergethe purpose of this study was to investigate the scope and prevalence ofinformation literacy efforts with business students Specifically thestudy sought to find answers to the following questions

bull How are business students being instructed in information literacyand how widespread are these practices

bull How prevalent is collaboration between librarian and business fac-ulty and what types of collaboration are being practiced

bull Are the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation being used in business information literacy instruction

bull Is the information literacy of business students being assessed andif so how

METHODOLOGY

Respondents

A total of 399 libraries of the colleges and universities accredited byThe Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)were surveyed The sample was developed from the lists of accreditedschools and newly accredited institutions available at the AACSB Website Only US schools were included in the survey Rather than sendthe questionnaire to a general library address the appropriate businesslibrarian business liaison or instruction librarian at each accreditedschool was located by searching the libraryrsquos Web site When a businessor instruction librarian could not be located the contact used was thehead of reference or the head of the library Because the method of dis-tribution was to be through e-mail contact information included e-mailaddress as well as name and title of individual and institution nameThe survey sample and e-mail distribution methodologies were mod-eled on the work of McDermott (2000) who received a successful re-

Martha Cooney 7

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sponse when she surveyed libraries concerning document delivery ofbusiness articles

The Questionnaire

A questionnaire was developed to explore the business informationliteracy (BIL) practices at AACSB-accredited colleges and universitiesQuestions focused on who provides BIL instruction how it is providedand for which students the nature of collaborative efforts between li-brarian and business faculty use of the Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards for Higher Education and the assessment of businessstudentsrsquo information literacy The questionnaire included 18 multi-partquestions for a total of 78 items Most questions asked the respondentto check items from a list Of the 78 questionnaire items there wereeight open-ended questions in the form of comments sections or ldquootherplease specifyrdquo items A copy of the questionnaire is included in the Ap-pendix

Procedure

The e-mail survey was conducted in June and July of 2003 success-fully delivering the questionnaire to 392 or 98 of the librarians tar-geted at the 399 AACSB accredited schools E-mail addresses could notbe located for four schools and for three other schools the question-naire could not be delivered despite repeated attempts

In order to have more control over the sending of the questionnairefive separate distribution lists with 70-80 names each were created andsent out over a period of nine days The e-mail distribution lists weresent as blind copies so that recipients did not have to scroll through longlists of recipient names to get to the body of the e-mail and also to pro-vide a level of privacy The questionnaire was embedded in the body ofthe e-mail rather than as an attachment so recipients did not have to openanother document Recipients were asked to forward the questionnaireto a colleague if they were not the appropriate person to fill out the ques-tionnaire Respondents filled out the questionnaire by pressing the replybutton in their e-mail program and placing an X in the appropriate spacenext to the question After each questionnaire was returned an ac-knowledgement was sent to the respondent

A total of 146 questionnaires were returned for an overall responserate of 37 Of the 146 completed questionnaires two were returned intraditional mail A reminder e-mail message sent on day 25 of the sur-

8 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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vey significantly increased the total response to the survey from 24(pre-reminder) to the final 37 response The response to this surveysurpassed the response rate of 26 achieved by the National Informa-tion Literacy Survey in 2001

RESULTS

Respondents

An analysis (Table 1) of the 146 responding libraries using the Car-negie Classification (2000) shows that the majority are at doctoralre-search universities (56) and masterrsquos level (40) colleges anduniversities Sixty-eight percent of the responding libraries are publicinstitutions and 32 are private

An analysis by title of the person filling out the questionnaire (Table2) indicates that 57 are either a business librarian or a business liaison22 are instruction librarians 13 are reference librarians 4 areheads of library and 4 indicated another title This result confirmsthat the questionnaire was received and filled out by the librarians that itwas intended for

Questionnaires were received from respondents in 42 states with thehighest number of responses coming from California and Texas eachrepresented by 11 responses and New York with 10 responses The aver-age number of librarians providing information literacy instruction tobusiness students per year at responding institutions was 24 and the av-erage number of information literacy sessions taught per year was 344

Martha Cooney 9

TABLE 1 Respondents by Institution Type

Governance Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

Public 100 68

Private 46 32

Carnegie Classification Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

DoctoralResearch 82 56

Masterrsquos 59 40

Baccalaureate 4 3

Specialized 1 1

TOTAL 146 100

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Business Information Literacy Instruction

Ninety percent or 132 of the respondents answered that they provideinformation literacy instruction to business majors or to students whowill become business majors (Figure 1)

Using the ALA (1989) definition of information literacy business in-formation literacy (BIL) was defined on the survey as

specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed andhave the ability to locate evaluate and use effectively the neededinformationrdquo

Of the 132 who responded affirmatively 80 provide BIL instruc-tion in the campus library 77 provide BIL in a classroom and 20provide BIL in the business library Respondents were asked to checkall venues that applied In addition 14 indicated that they offer BIL inother places such as in computer and trading labs in the businessschool or through the Web In reviewing these results the researcherrealized there may have been some confusion as to the meaning of theclassroom as a place of instruction The original intent of this questionwas to differentiate between instruction offered in the library and in-struction offered by librarians in business program classrooms Somerespondents may have interpreted this question to mean a library class-room rather than a business school classroom

BIL instruction is provided by reference or instruction librarians(51) business librarians in the general library (50) librarian liaisons(23) and business librarians in the business library (17) Seven per-cent of respondents commented that others such as school of businessfaculty a graduate services librarian a distance education librarian gov-

10 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

TABLE 2 Respondents by Title

Title Number of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Business LibrarianLiaison 73 57

Instruction Librarian 28 22

Reference Librarian 16 13

Head of Library 5 4

Other 5 4

Total Responding 127 100

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ernment documents librarians and reference assistantsspecialists whodo not have MLS degrees also provide BIL instruction

The results in Figure 2 show that information literacy instruction is mostoften provided in on-demand instruction presentations to business classes(92) Next in frequency was 38 who provide BIL instruction in a gen-eral (non-discipline specific) information literacy program Thirty-five per-cent providing BIL instruction do so by integrating it into core businessprogram courses and 17 integrate BIL instruction in other business pro-gram courses Quite a number of respondents 23 use an online tutorial aswell Only 3 and 4 respectively provide instruction in a BIL course forno credit or a BIL course for credit In comments that were made to this ques-tion respondents most frequently mentioned that they also provide BIL in-struction through print and online (Web-based) pathfinders and guidesregular orientations to new graduate students and consultations with stu-dents either at the reference desk or in one-to-one meetings Databaseinstruction specialized workshops and a CD-ROM orientation disk wereeach mentioned once

Information literacy instruction is most often provided to businessstudents who are graduate students (86) or juniors or seniors (each85) Sixty-four percent of respondents indicated that they provide in-formation literacy instruction to freshmen and 69 provide informationliteracy instruction to sophomores

In describing their business information literacy instruction so far (Figure3) 37 stated that their efforts are established 36 are mid-way and 27feel that their efforts are just starting Several respondents commented thattheir efforts are always evolving and that although they have been provid-ing bibliographic instruction all along information literacy is fairly new

Collaboration

The majority of respondents 103 or 78 describe their BIL instruc-tion as collaborative Of this number 73 state there is some collabora-

Martha Cooney 11

10 Do NotProvide BIL

90 Provide BIL

FIGURE 1 Business Information Literacy (BIL) Instruction

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tion 20 indicate there is quite a bit of collaboration and 7 feel thatthere is full collaboration between their library and the business facultyat their institution (Figure 4) The most common responses to the kindsof collaborative efforts include jointly developed goals and objectivesfor business information literacy instruction (51) and jointly devel-oped information literacy-related assignments (50) (Figure 5) Veryfew only 6 of respondents indicated that they collaborated in jointlygraded information literacy-related assignments When commenting onother collaborative efforts respondents mentioned most often that theycollaborate through discussions with faculty prior to instruction ses-sions and by gearing the instruction sessions to specific assignments

12 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIPP

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents 100

80

60

40

20

0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

FIGURE 2 How Is BIL Instruction Provided

1 in a general IL program2 in on-demand instruction to business classes3 integrated in core business courses4 integrated in other business courses5 in a BIL course (no credit)6 in a BIL course (for credit)7 in a print tutorial8 in an online tutorial9 other

37Established

27 JustStarting

36 Mid-way

FIGURE 3 BIL Instruction Efforts So Far

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and course objectives A challenge to collaboration mentioned by sev-eral respondents is getting faculty interested and involved Some facultyand Deans are very interested and others are not at all

Information Literacy Competency Standards

Of the 132 institutions responding to the questionnaire 34 or 45 re-spondents have incorporated ACRLrsquos Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards into their BIL instruction and 66 or 87 respondentshave not (Figure 6)

Of the 45 respondents who have incorporated the Standards 76 useStandard one (The information literate student determines the nature andextent of information needed) 98 use Standard two (The informationliterate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently)

Martha Cooney 13

20 Quite a bit ofCollaboration

7 FullCollaboration

73 SomeCollaboration

FIGURE 4 Level of Collaboration

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4

FIGURE 5 Types of Collaboration

1 jointly developed IL assignments2 jointly graded IL assignments3 jointly developed goals and objectives for BIL instruction4 other collaborative efforts

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89 use Standard three (The information literate student evaluates infor-mation and its sources critically and incorporates selected informationinto his or her knowledge base and value system) 84 use Standard four(The information literate student individually or as a member of a groupuses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose) and 62use Standard five (The information literate student understands many ofthe economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) (Figure 7)

This group was also asked what they have found as a result of incor-porating the Standards into their BIL instruction (Table 3) Although amajority of respondents state that the Standards have for the most parthad a positive impact on their teaching efforts (59) especially in re-gard to providing more focus (74) and providing a good means tomeasure student learning outcomes (49) only 38 assert that theStandards have made the assessment process easier and 55 of thisgroup are undecided Although the results relating to the use of the Stan-dards are mixed the comments of several respondents are echoed in thewords of one who said

The Standards make it easier to talk to faculty about incorporatinginformation literacy into their instruction for a number of reasonsthey are written in academic language for one and they also showfaculty that information literacy is an achievable rather than mys-terious goal

While 34 have incorporated the use of the Standards into their BILinstruction efforts clearly a large majority 66 have not (Figure 6)When asked to respond to statements on why they are not using theStandards 43 stated that they plan to in the future 31 have no plansto incorporate the Standards and 22 are not familiar with the Stan-dards Four percent (3 respondents) stated that they do not agree withthe Standards Several respondents who made comments stated that the

14 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

66 Do not usein BIL

instruction

34 Use in BILinstruction

FIGURE 6 IL Competency Standards and BIL

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Standards are not appropriate for graduate business students Two re-spondents felt that the Standards are too complex and wordy and that itis difficult to know where to begin Others reported that they are alreadyaddressing the Standards in instruction without formally doing so orthat the Standards are used in a freshman information literacy course

Assessment

In the area of assessment only 27 assess their studentsrsquo businessinformation literacy (Figure 8)

Martha Cooney 15

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4 5

FIGURE 7 Use of IL Competency Standards

Information Literacy Competency StandardsThe information literate student1 determines the nature and extent of information needed2 accesses needed information effectively and efficiently3 evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into

his or her knowledge base and value system4 uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose5 understands many of the economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informa-

tion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally(ACRLndashhttpwwwALAorgacrlilcomstanhtml)

TABLE 3 Information Literacy Competency Standards What Have You Found

Statement Yes No Undecided

The Standards provide more focus to our teaching efforts 74 2 24

The Standards make the assessment process easier 38 7 55

The Standards provide a good means to measure studentlearning outcomes

49 12 39

The Standards have positively affected the results of ourteaching efforts

59 2 39

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

4035

30

25

2015

10

50P

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

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tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

Martha Cooney 21

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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sub-licensing systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone isexpressly forbidden Terms amp Conditions of access and use can be found athttpwwwtandfonlinecompageterms-and-conditions

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Business Information Literacy InstructionA Survey and Progress Report

Martha Cooney

ABSTRACT Business leaders have long known that information canprovide a significant strategic advantage to companies and is indeed animportant business asset While information literacy efforts continue togrow on campuses across the nation what is the progress of informationliteracy instruction with business students In order to find out a surveyof librarians at AACSB-accredited schools was conducted The resultsof the survey reveal that business information literacy instruction whilewidespread and prevalent is still developing Collaboration between li-brarians and business faculty is overwhelmingly described as moderateand only about a third of respondents have incorporated the InformationLiteracy Competency Standards for Higher Education into their instruc-tion efforts with business students Assessment of business studentsrsquo in-formation literacy remains an area for continued growth as the majority

Martha Cooney is Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean for User Services B DavisSchwartz Memorial Library C W Post Campus Long Island University BrookvilleNY 11548 (E-mail mcooneyliuedu) Formerly Director of the Center for BusinessResearch she holds an MLS from Pratt Institute and an MS in Interdisciplinary Studies(with a concentration in Management) from Long Island University

Journal of Business amp Finance Librarianship Vol 11(1) 2005Available online at httpwwwhaworthpresscomwebJBFL

copy 2005 by The Haworth Press Inc All rights reserveddoi101300J109v11n01_02 3

ARTICLE

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of librarians report that they do not assess their studentsrsquo business infor-mation literacy The results of this survey are comparable to the NationalInformation Literacy Survey conducted in 2001 It appears that informa-tion literacy both in general as well as in discipline-specific forms isevolving [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document DeliveryService 1-800-HAWORTH E-mail address ltdocdeliveryhaworthpresscomgtWebsite lthttpwwwHaworthPresscomgt copy 2005 by The Haworth Press IncAll rights reserved]

KEYWORDS Business students information literacy instruction col-laboration assessment surveys

INTRODUCTION

Information literacy has been defined as a set of abilities requiring in-dividuals to ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo (Ameri-can Library Association 1989) Information literacy is essential to busi-ness students for the acquisition analysis and use of information areimportant factors for success in the business world Business leadershave long known that information often provides a significant strategicadvantage and is in fact a competitive resource for successful compa-nies (Rosenberg 2002 Kanter 1996) In todayrsquos knowledge economyldquoinformation has become the leading business assetrdquo (Kanter 2003p 23) Indeed ldquoreducing the costs of information is one of our last bigchances to increase the return on physical and human assetsrdquo (Albrecht2001 p 11) OrsquoSullivan (2002) finds that although there is a heightenedawareness about the value of information and knowledge workers are

floundering with too much information readily available too littlerelevant and timely information when they need it and with fewtools or skills to deal with information effectively (p 9)

When workers lack information literacy skills there are tangible coststo the business that can result in both operational inefficiency and lossof business opportunities (Cheuk 2002) Information literacy is rele-vant now more than ever to business students Faced with an increas-ingly complex and competitive workplace business students must beinformation literate

4 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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The past five years have seen a steady development in informationliteracy efforts at colleges and universities across the nation The publi-cation of the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation in 2000 by the Association of College and Research Librar-ies (ACRL) have provided a means to focus and to assess informationliteracy efforts Increasing emphasis by accrediting agencies on devel-oping information literacy in students promoting collaboration be-tween library and classroom and assessing student learning outcomeshave provided added motivation to academic libraries to continue to de-velop and integrate information literacy into their instruction effortsboth in the library and on campus

LITERATURE REVIEW

While many articles and books have been written on informationliteracy instruction at institutions of higher education the publicationof the National Information Literacy Survey (ACRL 2001) providesconcrete results on the scope breadth and penetration of these effortson college campuses The findings indicate that campuses across thecountry are actively engaged in discussions about information literacyand that information literacy is included in the curriculum in a varietyof ways most often as an integral part of at least one course on campusor as part of general education requirements In responses regardingthe use of the Information Literacy Competency Standards 50 of re-spondents were aware of them although not as yet using them 23 re-ported being aware of the Standards and using them and 24responded that they did not know about the Standards Consideringthat the Standards were distributed only about a year prior to the sur-vey these numbers reveal a rather high awareness and acceptance ofthe Standards The Survey also found that very few respondents assessstudent performance in a formal way and generally most respondentshave not gotten to the assessment stage yet Merz and Mark (2002)found in a survey of assessment in college libraries that although theuse of the Standards is widespread and that there is a substantialamount of formative assessment taking place (ie that which mea-sures the quality of instruction) there is very little assessment of ac-tual learning outcomes (p 16)

Responding to the need for the assessment of learning outcomes theProject for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills(SAILS) currently in the last year of a three-year grant is attempting to

Martha Cooney 5

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develop a standardized assessment instrument (in support of ACRLrsquosInformation Literacy Competency Standards) that can be applied to anyinstitution or library If the project is successful it will provide a validand reliable standardized tool to measure information literacy skills atindividual institutions and enable cross-institutional comparison

In addition to the general information literacy efforts documented inthe data collected on the National Information Literacy Survey and inthe on-going work on assessment Feast (2003) has noted the impor-tance of course-integrated information literacy and has found that

Students engage in a more meaningful way in developing informa-tion literacy when these skills are directly pertinent to the coursesthey are studying and in particular when they have an imminentimpact on their course assessment (p 82)

Many researchers agree that relating information literacy to a specificdiscipline not only provides a more effective learning experience but isalso important in becoming more fully information literate (Grafstein2002 Roldan and Wu 2004 Smith 2003) Becoming information liter-ate in general terms is not sufficient for information literacy within adisciplinary context and being information literate in one disciplinedoes not automatically mean one is information literate in another disci-pline (Manuel 2002) Regarding business information Lavin (1995)has pointed out the inherent abundance diversity and specializationof business resources as well as the complex nature of business que-ries

The literature on the information literacy instruction of business stu-dents is growing and continuing to develop In 1994 Hawes assertedthe need for instructing business students in information literacy andconcluded that not enough was being done Since then several studieshave been conducted that not only confirm the need for information lit-eracy instruction for business students but provide models for collabo-rative instruction between business faculty and librarians and provideinsights into assessment Sterngold and Hurlbert (1998) designed agroup research project in a marketing course to develop several aspectsof information literacy in their students Working closely with class-room faculty Fiegen Cherry and Watson (2002) created a model forintegrating the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation into the business curriculum and assessing student learningoutcomes Cooney and Hiris (2003) developed a collaborative frame-work for integrating information literacy into a graduate finance course

6 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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and assessing the results Students received a score for their informationliteracy competency along with a grade for the content of their finalprojects

In the area of assessment although some discipline-specific modulesof the SAILS instrument are currently in development there is as yetnot a specific tool under development for business (M Thompson Proj-ect SAILS Coordinator personal communication December 3 2004)

With the importance of information literacy for business students es-tablished and the reports of specific projects that have begun to emergethe purpose of this study was to investigate the scope and prevalence ofinformation literacy efforts with business students Specifically thestudy sought to find answers to the following questions

bull How are business students being instructed in information literacyand how widespread are these practices

bull How prevalent is collaboration between librarian and business fac-ulty and what types of collaboration are being practiced

bull Are the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation being used in business information literacy instruction

bull Is the information literacy of business students being assessed andif so how

METHODOLOGY

Respondents

A total of 399 libraries of the colleges and universities accredited byThe Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)were surveyed The sample was developed from the lists of accreditedschools and newly accredited institutions available at the AACSB Website Only US schools were included in the survey Rather than sendthe questionnaire to a general library address the appropriate businesslibrarian business liaison or instruction librarian at each accreditedschool was located by searching the libraryrsquos Web site When a businessor instruction librarian could not be located the contact used was thehead of reference or the head of the library Because the method of dis-tribution was to be through e-mail contact information included e-mailaddress as well as name and title of individual and institution nameThe survey sample and e-mail distribution methodologies were mod-eled on the work of McDermott (2000) who received a successful re-

Martha Cooney 7

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sponse when she surveyed libraries concerning document delivery ofbusiness articles

The Questionnaire

A questionnaire was developed to explore the business informationliteracy (BIL) practices at AACSB-accredited colleges and universitiesQuestions focused on who provides BIL instruction how it is providedand for which students the nature of collaborative efforts between li-brarian and business faculty use of the Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards for Higher Education and the assessment of businessstudentsrsquo information literacy The questionnaire included 18 multi-partquestions for a total of 78 items Most questions asked the respondentto check items from a list Of the 78 questionnaire items there wereeight open-ended questions in the form of comments sections or ldquootherplease specifyrdquo items A copy of the questionnaire is included in the Ap-pendix

Procedure

The e-mail survey was conducted in June and July of 2003 success-fully delivering the questionnaire to 392 or 98 of the librarians tar-geted at the 399 AACSB accredited schools E-mail addresses could notbe located for four schools and for three other schools the question-naire could not be delivered despite repeated attempts

In order to have more control over the sending of the questionnairefive separate distribution lists with 70-80 names each were created andsent out over a period of nine days The e-mail distribution lists weresent as blind copies so that recipients did not have to scroll through longlists of recipient names to get to the body of the e-mail and also to pro-vide a level of privacy The questionnaire was embedded in the body ofthe e-mail rather than as an attachment so recipients did not have to openanother document Recipients were asked to forward the questionnaireto a colleague if they were not the appropriate person to fill out the ques-tionnaire Respondents filled out the questionnaire by pressing the replybutton in their e-mail program and placing an X in the appropriate spacenext to the question After each questionnaire was returned an ac-knowledgement was sent to the respondent

A total of 146 questionnaires were returned for an overall responserate of 37 Of the 146 completed questionnaires two were returned intraditional mail A reminder e-mail message sent on day 25 of the sur-

8 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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vey significantly increased the total response to the survey from 24(pre-reminder) to the final 37 response The response to this surveysurpassed the response rate of 26 achieved by the National Informa-tion Literacy Survey in 2001

RESULTS

Respondents

An analysis (Table 1) of the 146 responding libraries using the Car-negie Classification (2000) shows that the majority are at doctoralre-search universities (56) and masterrsquos level (40) colleges anduniversities Sixty-eight percent of the responding libraries are publicinstitutions and 32 are private

An analysis by title of the person filling out the questionnaire (Table2) indicates that 57 are either a business librarian or a business liaison22 are instruction librarians 13 are reference librarians 4 areheads of library and 4 indicated another title This result confirmsthat the questionnaire was received and filled out by the librarians that itwas intended for

Questionnaires were received from respondents in 42 states with thehighest number of responses coming from California and Texas eachrepresented by 11 responses and New York with 10 responses The aver-age number of librarians providing information literacy instruction tobusiness students per year at responding institutions was 24 and the av-erage number of information literacy sessions taught per year was 344

Martha Cooney 9

TABLE 1 Respondents by Institution Type

Governance Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

Public 100 68

Private 46 32

Carnegie Classification Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

DoctoralResearch 82 56

Masterrsquos 59 40

Baccalaureate 4 3

Specialized 1 1

TOTAL 146 100

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Business Information Literacy Instruction

Ninety percent or 132 of the respondents answered that they provideinformation literacy instruction to business majors or to students whowill become business majors (Figure 1)

Using the ALA (1989) definition of information literacy business in-formation literacy (BIL) was defined on the survey as

specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed andhave the ability to locate evaluate and use effectively the neededinformationrdquo

Of the 132 who responded affirmatively 80 provide BIL instruc-tion in the campus library 77 provide BIL in a classroom and 20provide BIL in the business library Respondents were asked to checkall venues that applied In addition 14 indicated that they offer BIL inother places such as in computer and trading labs in the businessschool or through the Web In reviewing these results the researcherrealized there may have been some confusion as to the meaning of theclassroom as a place of instruction The original intent of this questionwas to differentiate between instruction offered in the library and in-struction offered by librarians in business program classrooms Somerespondents may have interpreted this question to mean a library class-room rather than a business school classroom

BIL instruction is provided by reference or instruction librarians(51) business librarians in the general library (50) librarian liaisons(23) and business librarians in the business library (17) Seven per-cent of respondents commented that others such as school of businessfaculty a graduate services librarian a distance education librarian gov-

10 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

TABLE 2 Respondents by Title

Title Number of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Business LibrarianLiaison 73 57

Instruction Librarian 28 22

Reference Librarian 16 13

Head of Library 5 4

Other 5 4

Total Responding 127 100

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2014

ernment documents librarians and reference assistantsspecialists whodo not have MLS degrees also provide BIL instruction

The results in Figure 2 show that information literacy instruction is mostoften provided in on-demand instruction presentations to business classes(92) Next in frequency was 38 who provide BIL instruction in a gen-eral (non-discipline specific) information literacy program Thirty-five per-cent providing BIL instruction do so by integrating it into core businessprogram courses and 17 integrate BIL instruction in other business pro-gram courses Quite a number of respondents 23 use an online tutorial aswell Only 3 and 4 respectively provide instruction in a BIL course forno credit or a BIL course for credit In comments that were made to this ques-tion respondents most frequently mentioned that they also provide BIL in-struction through print and online (Web-based) pathfinders and guidesregular orientations to new graduate students and consultations with stu-dents either at the reference desk or in one-to-one meetings Databaseinstruction specialized workshops and a CD-ROM orientation disk wereeach mentioned once

Information literacy instruction is most often provided to businessstudents who are graduate students (86) or juniors or seniors (each85) Sixty-four percent of respondents indicated that they provide in-formation literacy instruction to freshmen and 69 provide informationliteracy instruction to sophomores

In describing their business information literacy instruction so far (Figure3) 37 stated that their efforts are established 36 are mid-way and 27feel that their efforts are just starting Several respondents commented thattheir efforts are always evolving and that although they have been provid-ing bibliographic instruction all along information literacy is fairly new

Collaboration

The majority of respondents 103 or 78 describe their BIL instruc-tion as collaborative Of this number 73 state there is some collabora-

Martha Cooney 11

10 Do NotProvide BIL

90 Provide BIL

FIGURE 1 Business Information Literacy (BIL) Instruction

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tion 20 indicate there is quite a bit of collaboration and 7 feel thatthere is full collaboration between their library and the business facultyat their institution (Figure 4) The most common responses to the kindsof collaborative efforts include jointly developed goals and objectivesfor business information literacy instruction (51) and jointly devel-oped information literacy-related assignments (50) (Figure 5) Veryfew only 6 of respondents indicated that they collaborated in jointlygraded information literacy-related assignments When commenting onother collaborative efforts respondents mentioned most often that theycollaborate through discussions with faculty prior to instruction ses-sions and by gearing the instruction sessions to specific assignments

12 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIPP

erce

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Res

po

nd

ents 100

80

60

40

20

0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

FIGURE 2 How Is BIL Instruction Provided

1 in a general IL program2 in on-demand instruction to business classes3 integrated in core business courses4 integrated in other business courses5 in a BIL course (no credit)6 in a BIL course (for credit)7 in a print tutorial8 in an online tutorial9 other

37Established

27 JustStarting

36 Mid-way

FIGURE 3 BIL Instruction Efforts So Far

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and course objectives A challenge to collaboration mentioned by sev-eral respondents is getting faculty interested and involved Some facultyand Deans are very interested and others are not at all

Information Literacy Competency Standards

Of the 132 institutions responding to the questionnaire 34 or 45 re-spondents have incorporated ACRLrsquos Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards into their BIL instruction and 66 or 87 respondentshave not (Figure 6)

Of the 45 respondents who have incorporated the Standards 76 useStandard one (The information literate student determines the nature andextent of information needed) 98 use Standard two (The informationliterate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently)

Martha Cooney 13

20 Quite a bit ofCollaboration

7 FullCollaboration

73 SomeCollaboration

FIGURE 4 Level of Collaboration

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4

FIGURE 5 Types of Collaboration

1 jointly developed IL assignments2 jointly graded IL assignments3 jointly developed goals and objectives for BIL instruction4 other collaborative efforts

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89 use Standard three (The information literate student evaluates infor-mation and its sources critically and incorporates selected informationinto his or her knowledge base and value system) 84 use Standard four(The information literate student individually or as a member of a groupuses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose) and 62use Standard five (The information literate student understands many ofthe economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) (Figure 7)

This group was also asked what they have found as a result of incor-porating the Standards into their BIL instruction (Table 3) Although amajority of respondents state that the Standards have for the most parthad a positive impact on their teaching efforts (59) especially in re-gard to providing more focus (74) and providing a good means tomeasure student learning outcomes (49) only 38 assert that theStandards have made the assessment process easier and 55 of thisgroup are undecided Although the results relating to the use of the Stan-dards are mixed the comments of several respondents are echoed in thewords of one who said

The Standards make it easier to talk to faculty about incorporatinginformation literacy into their instruction for a number of reasonsthey are written in academic language for one and they also showfaculty that information literacy is an achievable rather than mys-terious goal

While 34 have incorporated the use of the Standards into their BILinstruction efforts clearly a large majority 66 have not (Figure 6)When asked to respond to statements on why they are not using theStandards 43 stated that they plan to in the future 31 have no plansto incorporate the Standards and 22 are not familiar with the Stan-dards Four percent (3 respondents) stated that they do not agree withthe Standards Several respondents who made comments stated that the

14 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

66 Do not usein BIL

instruction

34 Use in BILinstruction

FIGURE 6 IL Competency Standards and BIL

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Standards are not appropriate for graduate business students Two re-spondents felt that the Standards are too complex and wordy and that itis difficult to know where to begin Others reported that they are alreadyaddressing the Standards in instruction without formally doing so orthat the Standards are used in a freshman information literacy course

Assessment

In the area of assessment only 27 assess their studentsrsquo businessinformation literacy (Figure 8)

Martha Cooney 15

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4 5

FIGURE 7 Use of IL Competency Standards

Information Literacy Competency StandardsThe information literate student1 determines the nature and extent of information needed2 accesses needed information effectively and efficiently3 evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into

his or her knowledge base and value system4 uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose5 understands many of the economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informa-

tion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally(ACRLndashhttpwwwALAorgacrlilcomstanhtml)

TABLE 3 Information Literacy Competency Standards What Have You Found

Statement Yes No Undecided

The Standards provide more focus to our teaching efforts 74 2 24

The Standards make the assessment process easier 38 7 55

The Standards provide a good means to measure studentlearning outcomes

49 12 39

The Standards have positively affected the results of ourteaching efforts

59 2 39

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

4035

30

25

2015

10

50P

erce

nta

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of

Res

po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

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tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

Martha Cooney 21

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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Business Information Literacy InstructionA Survey and Progress Report

Martha Cooney

ABSTRACT Business leaders have long known that information canprovide a significant strategic advantage to companies and is indeed animportant business asset While information literacy efforts continue togrow on campuses across the nation what is the progress of informationliteracy instruction with business students In order to find out a surveyof librarians at AACSB-accredited schools was conducted The resultsof the survey reveal that business information literacy instruction whilewidespread and prevalent is still developing Collaboration between li-brarians and business faculty is overwhelmingly described as moderateand only about a third of respondents have incorporated the InformationLiteracy Competency Standards for Higher Education into their instruc-tion efforts with business students Assessment of business studentsrsquo in-formation literacy remains an area for continued growth as the majority

Martha Cooney is Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean for User Services B DavisSchwartz Memorial Library C W Post Campus Long Island University BrookvilleNY 11548 (E-mail mcooneyliuedu) Formerly Director of the Center for BusinessResearch she holds an MLS from Pratt Institute and an MS in Interdisciplinary Studies(with a concentration in Management) from Long Island University

Journal of Business amp Finance Librarianship Vol 11(1) 2005Available online at httpwwwhaworthpresscomwebJBFL

copy 2005 by The Haworth Press Inc All rights reserveddoi101300J109v11n01_02 3

ARTICLE

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of librarians report that they do not assess their studentsrsquo business infor-mation literacy The results of this survey are comparable to the NationalInformation Literacy Survey conducted in 2001 It appears that informa-tion literacy both in general as well as in discipline-specific forms isevolving [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document DeliveryService 1-800-HAWORTH E-mail address ltdocdeliveryhaworthpresscomgtWebsite lthttpwwwHaworthPresscomgt copy 2005 by The Haworth Press IncAll rights reserved]

KEYWORDS Business students information literacy instruction col-laboration assessment surveys

INTRODUCTION

Information literacy has been defined as a set of abilities requiring in-dividuals to ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo (Ameri-can Library Association 1989) Information literacy is essential to busi-ness students for the acquisition analysis and use of information areimportant factors for success in the business world Business leadershave long known that information often provides a significant strategicadvantage and is in fact a competitive resource for successful compa-nies (Rosenberg 2002 Kanter 1996) In todayrsquos knowledge economyldquoinformation has become the leading business assetrdquo (Kanter 2003p 23) Indeed ldquoreducing the costs of information is one of our last bigchances to increase the return on physical and human assetsrdquo (Albrecht2001 p 11) OrsquoSullivan (2002) finds that although there is a heightenedawareness about the value of information and knowledge workers are

floundering with too much information readily available too littlerelevant and timely information when they need it and with fewtools or skills to deal with information effectively (p 9)

When workers lack information literacy skills there are tangible coststo the business that can result in both operational inefficiency and lossof business opportunities (Cheuk 2002) Information literacy is rele-vant now more than ever to business students Faced with an increas-ingly complex and competitive workplace business students must beinformation literate

4 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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The past five years have seen a steady development in informationliteracy efforts at colleges and universities across the nation The publi-cation of the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation in 2000 by the Association of College and Research Librar-ies (ACRL) have provided a means to focus and to assess informationliteracy efforts Increasing emphasis by accrediting agencies on devel-oping information literacy in students promoting collaboration be-tween library and classroom and assessing student learning outcomeshave provided added motivation to academic libraries to continue to de-velop and integrate information literacy into their instruction effortsboth in the library and on campus

LITERATURE REVIEW

While many articles and books have been written on informationliteracy instruction at institutions of higher education the publicationof the National Information Literacy Survey (ACRL 2001) providesconcrete results on the scope breadth and penetration of these effortson college campuses The findings indicate that campuses across thecountry are actively engaged in discussions about information literacyand that information literacy is included in the curriculum in a varietyof ways most often as an integral part of at least one course on campusor as part of general education requirements In responses regardingthe use of the Information Literacy Competency Standards 50 of re-spondents were aware of them although not as yet using them 23 re-ported being aware of the Standards and using them and 24responded that they did not know about the Standards Consideringthat the Standards were distributed only about a year prior to the sur-vey these numbers reveal a rather high awareness and acceptance ofthe Standards The Survey also found that very few respondents assessstudent performance in a formal way and generally most respondentshave not gotten to the assessment stage yet Merz and Mark (2002)found in a survey of assessment in college libraries that although theuse of the Standards is widespread and that there is a substantialamount of formative assessment taking place (ie that which mea-sures the quality of instruction) there is very little assessment of ac-tual learning outcomes (p 16)

Responding to the need for the assessment of learning outcomes theProject for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills(SAILS) currently in the last year of a three-year grant is attempting to

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develop a standardized assessment instrument (in support of ACRLrsquosInformation Literacy Competency Standards) that can be applied to anyinstitution or library If the project is successful it will provide a validand reliable standardized tool to measure information literacy skills atindividual institutions and enable cross-institutional comparison

In addition to the general information literacy efforts documented inthe data collected on the National Information Literacy Survey and inthe on-going work on assessment Feast (2003) has noted the impor-tance of course-integrated information literacy and has found that

Students engage in a more meaningful way in developing informa-tion literacy when these skills are directly pertinent to the coursesthey are studying and in particular when they have an imminentimpact on their course assessment (p 82)

Many researchers agree that relating information literacy to a specificdiscipline not only provides a more effective learning experience but isalso important in becoming more fully information literate (Grafstein2002 Roldan and Wu 2004 Smith 2003) Becoming information liter-ate in general terms is not sufficient for information literacy within adisciplinary context and being information literate in one disciplinedoes not automatically mean one is information literate in another disci-pline (Manuel 2002) Regarding business information Lavin (1995)has pointed out the inherent abundance diversity and specializationof business resources as well as the complex nature of business que-ries

The literature on the information literacy instruction of business stu-dents is growing and continuing to develop In 1994 Hawes assertedthe need for instructing business students in information literacy andconcluded that not enough was being done Since then several studieshave been conducted that not only confirm the need for information lit-eracy instruction for business students but provide models for collabo-rative instruction between business faculty and librarians and provideinsights into assessment Sterngold and Hurlbert (1998) designed agroup research project in a marketing course to develop several aspectsof information literacy in their students Working closely with class-room faculty Fiegen Cherry and Watson (2002) created a model forintegrating the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation into the business curriculum and assessing student learningoutcomes Cooney and Hiris (2003) developed a collaborative frame-work for integrating information literacy into a graduate finance course

6 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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and assessing the results Students received a score for their informationliteracy competency along with a grade for the content of their finalprojects

In the area of assessment although some discipline-specific modulesof the SAILS instrument are currently in development there is as yetnot a specific tool under development for business (M Thompson Proj-ect SAILS Coordinator personal communication December 3 2004)

With the importance of information literacy for business students es-tablished and the reports of specific projects that have begun to emergethe purpose of this study was to investigate the scope and prevalence ofinformation literacy efforts with business students Specifically thestudy sought to find answers to the following questions

bull How are business students being instructed in information literacyand how widespread are these practices

bull How prevalent is collaboration between librarian and business fac-ulty and what types of collaboration are being practiced

bull Are the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation being used in business information literacy instruction

bull Is the information literacy of business students being assessed andif so how

METHODOLOGY

Respondents

A total of 399 libraries of the colleges and universities accredited byThe Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)were surveyed The sample was developed from the lists of accreditedschools and newly accredited institutions available at the AACSB Website Only US schools were included in the survey Rather than sendthe questionnaire to a general library address the appropriate businesslibrarian business liaison or instruction librarian at each accreditedschool was located by searching the libraryrsquos Web site When a businessor instruction librarian could not be located the contact used was thehead of reference or the head of the library Because the method of dis-tribution was to be through e-mail contact information included e-mailaddress as well as name and title of individual and institution nameThe survey sample and e-mail distribution methodologies were mod-eled on the work of McDermott (2000) who received a successful re-

Martha Cooney 7

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sponse when she surveyed libraries concerning document delivery ofbusiness articles

The Questionnaire

A questionnaire was developed to explore the business informationliteracy (BIL) practices at AACSB-accredited colleges and universitiesQuestions focused on who provides BIL instruction how it is providedand for which students the nature of collaborative efforts between li-brarian and business faculty use of the Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards for Higher Education and the assessment of businessstudentsrsquo information literacy The questionnaire included 18 multi-partquestions for a total of 78 items Most questions asked the respondentto check items from a list Of the 78 questionnaire items there wereeight open-ended questions in the form of comments sections or ldquootherplease specifyrdquo items A copy of the questionnaire is included in the Ap-pendix

Procedure

The e-mail survey was conducted in June and July of 2003 success-fully delivering the questionnaire to 392 or 98 of the librarians tar-geted at the 399 AACSB accredited schools E-mail addresses could notbe located for four schools and for three other schools the question-naire could not be delivered despite repeated attempts

In order to have more control over the sending of the questionnairefive separate distribution lists with 70-80 names each were created andsent out over a period of nine days The e-mail distribution lists weresent as blind copies so that recipients did not have to scroll through longlists of recipient names to get to the body of the e-mail and also to pro-vide a level of privacy The questionnaire was embedded in the body ofthe e-mail rather than as an attachment so recipients did not have to openanother document Recipients were asked to forward the questionnaireto a colleague if they were not the appropriate person to fill out the ques-tionnaire Respondents filled out the questionnaire by pressing the replybutton in their e-mail program and placing an X in the appropriate spacenext to the question After each questionnaire was returned an ac-knowledgement was sent to the respondent

A total of 146 questionnaires were returned for an overall responserate of 37 Of the 146 completed questionnaires two were returned intraditional mail A reminder e-mail message sent on day 25 of the sur-

8 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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vey significantly increased the total response to the survey from 24(pre-reminder) to the final 37 response The response to this surveysurpassed the response rate of 26 achieved by the National Informa-tion Literacy Survey in 2001

RESULTS

Respondents

An analysis (Table 1) of the 146 responding libraries using the Car-negie Classification (2000) shows that the majority are at doctoralre-search universities (56) and masterrsquos level (40) colleges anduniversities Sixty-eight percent of the responding libraries are publicinstitutions and 32 are private

An analysis by title of the person filling out the questionnaire (Table2) indicates that 57 are either a business librarian or a business liaison22 are instruction librarians 13 are reference librarians 4 areheads of library and 4 indicated another title This result confirmsthat the questionnaire was received and filled out by the librarians that itwas intended for

Questionnaires were received from respondents in 42 states with thehighest number of responses coming from California and Texas eachrepresented by 11 responses and New York with 10 responses The aver-age number of librarians providing information literacy instruction tobusiness students per year at responding institutions was 24 and the av-erage number of information literacy sessions taught per year was 344

Martha Cooney 9

TABLE 1 Respondents by Institution Type

Governance Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

Public 100 68

Private 46 32

Carnegie Classification Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

DoctoralResearch 82 56

Masterrsquos 59 40

Baccalaureate 4 3

Specialized 1 1

TOTAL 146 100

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Business Information Literacy Instruction

Ninety percent or 132 of the respondents answered that they provideinformation literacy instruction to business majors or to students whowill become business majors (Figure 1)

Using the ALA (1989) definition of information literacy business in-formation literacy (BIL) was defined on the survey as

specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed andhave the ability to locate evaluate and use effectively the neededinformationrdquo

Of the 132 who responded affirmatively 80 provide BIL instruc-tion in the campus library 77 provide BIL in a classroom and 20provide BIL in the business library Respondents were asked to checkall venues that applied In addition 14 indicated that they offer BIL inother places such as in computer and trading labs in the businessschool or through the Web In reviewing these results the researcherrealized there may have been some confusion as to the meaning of theclassroom as a place of instruction The original intent of this questionwas to differentiate between instruction offered in the library and in-struction offered by librarians in business program classrooms Somerespondents may have interpreted this question to mean a library class-room rather than a business school classroom

BIL instruction is provided by reference or instruction librarians(51) business librarians in the general library (50) librarian liaisons(23) and business librarians in the business library (17) Seven per-cent of respondents commented that others such as school of businessfaculty a graduate services librarian a distance education librarian gov-

10 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

TABLE 2 Respondents by Title

Title Number of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Business LibrarianLiaison 73 57

Instruction Librarian 28 22

Reference Librarian 16 13

Head of Library 5 4

Other 5 4

Total Responding 127 100

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ernment documents librarians and reference assistantsspecialists whodo not have MLS degrees also provide BIL instruction

The results in Figure 2 show that information literacy instruction is mostoften provided in on-demand instruction presentations to business classes(92) Next in frequency was 38 who provide BIL instruction in a gen-eral (non-discipline specific) information literacy program Thirty-five per-cent providing BIL instruction do so by integrating it into core businessprogram courses and 17 integrate BIL instruction in other business pro-gram courses Quite a number of respondents 23 use an online tutorial aswell Only 3 and 4 respectively provide instruction in a BIL course forno credit or a BIL course for credit In comments that were made to this ques-tion respondents most frequently mentioned that they also provide BIL in-struction through print and online (Web-based) pathfinders and guidesregular orientations to new graduate students and consultations with stu-dents either at the reference desk or in one-to-one meetings Databaseinstruction specialized workshops and a CD-ROM orientation disk wereeach mentioned once

Information literacy instruction is most often provided to businessstudents who are graduate students (86) or juniors or seniors (each85) Sixty-four percent of respondents indicated that they provide in-formation literacy instruction to freshmen and 69 provide informationliteracy instruction to sophomores

In describing their business information literacy instruction so far (Figure3) 37 stated that their efforts are established 36 are mid-way and 27feel that their efforts are just starting Several respondents commented thattheir efforts are always evolving and that although they have been provid-ing bibliographic instruction all along information literacy is fairly new

Collaboration

The majority of respondents 103 or 78 describe their BIL instruc-tion as collaborative Of this number 73 state there is some collabora-

Martha Cooney 11

10 Do NotProvide BIL

90 Provide BIL

FIGURE 1 Business Information Literacy (BIL) Instruction

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tion 20 indicate there is quite a bit of collaboration and 7 feel thatthere is full collaboration between their library and the business facultyat their institution (Figure 4) The most common responses to the kindsof collaborative efforts include jointly developed goals and objectivesfor business information literacy instruction (51) and jointly devel-oped information literacy-related assignments (50) (Figure 5) Veryfew only 6 of respondents indicated that they collaborated in jointlygraded information literacy-related assignments When commenting onother collaborative efforts respondents mentioned most often that theycollaborate through discussions with faculty prior to instruction ses-sions and by gearing the instruction sessions to specific assignments

12 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIPP

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Res

po

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ents 100

80

60

40

20

0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

FIGURE 2 How Is BIL Instruction Provided

1 in a general IL program2 in on-demand instruction to business classes3 integrated in core business courses4 integrated in other business courses5 in a BIL course (no credit)6 in a BIL course (for credit)7 in a print tutorial8 in an online tutorial9 other

37Established

27 JustStarting

36 Mid-way

FIGURE 3 BIL Instruction Efforts So Far

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and course objectives A challenge to collaboration mentioned by sev-eral respondents is getting faculty interested and involved Some facultyand Deans are very interested and others are not at all

Information Literacy Competency Standards

Of the 132 institutions responding to the questionnaire 34 or 45 re-spondents have incorporated ACRLrsquos Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards into their BIL instruction and 66 or 87 respondentshave not (Figure 6)

Of the 45 respondents who have incorporated the Standards 76 useStandard one (The information literate student determines the nature andextent of information needed) 98 use Standard two (The informationliterate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently)

Martha Cooney 13

20 Quite a bit ofCollaboration

7 FullCollaboration

73 SomeCollaboration

FIGURE 4 Level of Collaboration

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4

FIGURE 5 Types of Collaboration

1 jointly developed IL assignments2 jointly graded IL assignments3 jointly developed goals and objectives for BIL instruction4 other collaborative efforts

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89 use Standard three (The information literate student evaluates infor-mation and its sources critically and incorporates selected informationinto his or her knowledge base and value system) 84 use Standard four(The information literate student individually or as a member of a groupuses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose) and 62use Standard five (The information literate student understands many ofthe economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) (Figure 7)

This group was also asked what they have found as a result of incor-porating the Standards into their BIL instruction (Table 3) Although amajority of respondents state that the Standards have for the most parthad a positive impact on their teaching efforts (59) especially in re-gard to providing more focus (74) and providing a good means tomeasure student learning outcomes (49) only 38 assert that theStandards have made the assessment process easier and 55 of thisgroup are undecided Although the results relating to the use of the Stan-dards are mixed the comments of several respondents are echoed in thewords of one who said

The Standards make it easier to talk to faculty about incorporatinginformation literacy into their instruction for a number of reasonsthey are written in academic language for one and they also showfaculty that information literacy is an achievable rather than mys-terious goal

While 34 have incorporated the use of the Standards into their BILinstruction efforts clearly a large majority 66 have not (Figure 6)When asked to respond to statements on why they are not using theStandards 43 stated that they plan to in the future 31 have no plansto incorporate the Standards and 22 are not familiar with the Stan-dards Four percent (3 respondents) stated that they do not agree withthe Standards Several respondents who made comments stated that the

14 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

66 Do not usein BIL

instruction

34 Use in BILinstruction

FIGURE 6 IL Competency Standards and BIL

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Standards are not appropriate for graduate business students Two re-spondents felt that the Standards are too complex and wordy and that itis difficult to know where to begin Others reported that they are alreadyaddressing the Standards in instruction without formally doing so orthat the Standards are used in a freshman information literacy course

Assessment

In the area of assessment only 27 assess their studentsrsquo businessinformation literacy (Figure 8)

Martha Cooney 15

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4 5

FIGURE 7 Use of IL Competency Standards

Information Literacy Competency StandardsThe information literate student1 determines the nature and extent of information needed2 accesses needed information effectively and efficiently3 evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into

his or her knowledge base and value system4 uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose5 understands many of the economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informa-

tion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally(ACRLndashhttpwwwALAorgacrlilcomstanhtml)

TABLE 3 Information Literacy Competency Standards What Have You Found

Statement Yes No Undecided

The Standards provide more focus to our teaching efforts 74 2 24

The Standards make the assessment process easier 38 7 55

The Standards provide a good means to measure studentlearning outcomes

49 12 39

The Standards have positively affected the results of ourteaching efforts

59 2 39

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

4035

30

25

2015

10

50P

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

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tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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ber

2014

Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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of librarians report that they do not assess their studentsrsquo business infor-mation literacy The results of this survey are comparable to the NationalInformation Literacy Survey conducted in 2001 It appears that informa-tion literacy both in general as well as in discipline-specific forms isevolving [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document DeliveryService 1-800-HAWORTH E-mail address ltdocdeliveryhaworthpresscomgtWebsite lthttpwwwHaworthPresscomgt copy 2005 by The Haworth Press IncAll rights reserved]

KEYWORDS Business students information literacy instruction col-laboration assessment surveys

INTRODUCTION

Information literacy has been defined as a set of abilities requiring in-dividuals to ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo (Ameri-can Library Association 1989) Information literacy is essential to busi-ness students for the acquisition analysis and use of information areimportant factors for success in the business world Business leadershave long known that information often provides a significant strategicadvantage and is in fact a competitive resource for successful compa-nies (Rosenberg 2002 Kanter 1996) In todayrsquos knowledge economyldquoinformation has become the leading business assetrdquo (Kanter 2003p 23) Indeed ldquoreducing the costs of information is one of our last bigchances to increase the return on physical and human assetsrdquo (Albrecht2001 p 11) OrsquoSullivan (2002) finds that although there is a heightenedawareness about the value of information and knowledge workers are

floundering with too much information readily available too littlerelevant and timely information when they need it and with fewtools or skills to deal with information effectively (p 9)

When workers lack information literacy skills there are tangible coststo the business that can result in both operational inefficiency and lossof business opportunities (Cheuk 2002) Information literacy is rele-vant now more than ever to business students Faced with an increas-ingly complex and competitive workplace business students must beinformation literate

4 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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The past five years have seen a steady development in informationliteracy efforts at colleges and universities across the nation The publi-cation of the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation in 2000 by the Association of College and Research Librar-ies (ACRL) have provided a means to focus and to assess informationliteracy efforts Increasing emphasis by accrediting agencies on devel-oping information literacy in students promoting collaboration be-tween library and classroom and assessing student learning outcomeshave provided added motivation to academic libraries to continue to de-velop and integrate information literacy into their instruction effortsboth in the library and on campus

LITERATURE REVIEW

While many articles and books have been written on informationliteracy instruction at institutions of higher education the publicationof the National Information Literacy Survey (ACRL 2001) providesconcrete results on the scope breadth and penetration of these effortson college campuses The findings indicate that campuses across thecountry are actively engaged in discussions about information literacyand that information literacy is included in the curriculum in a varietyof ways most often as an integral part of at least one course on campusor as part of general education requirements In responses regardingthe use of the Information Literacy Competency Standards 50 of re-spondents were aware of them although not as yet using them 23 re-ported being aware of the Standards and using them and 24responded that they did not know about the Standards Consideringthat the Standards were distributed only about a year prior to the sur-vey these numbers reveal a rather high awareness and acceptance ofthe Standards The Survey also found that very few respondents assessstudent performance in a formal way and generally most respondentshave not gotten to the assessment stage yet Merz and Mark (2002)found in a survey of assessment in college libraries that although theuse of the Standards is widespread and that there is a substantialamount of formative assessment taking place (ie that which mea-sures the quality of instruction) there is very little assessment of ac-tual learning outcomes (p 16)

Responding to the need for the assessment of learning outcomes theProject for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills(SAILS) currently in the last year of a three-year grant is attempting to

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develop a standardized assessment instrument (in support of ACRLrsquosInformation Literacy Competency Standards) that can be applied to anyinstitution or library If the project is successful it will provide a validand reliable standardized tool to measure information literacy skills atindividual institutions and enable cross-institutional comparison

In addition to the general information literacy efforts documented inthe data collected on the National Information Literacy Survey and inthe on-going work on assessment Feast (2003) has noted the impor-tance of course-integrated information literacy and has found that

Students engage in a more meaningful way in developing informa-tion literacy when these skills are directly pertinent to the coursesthey are studying and in particular when they have an imminentimpact on their course assessment (p 82)

Many researchers agree that relating information literacy to a specificdiscipline not only provides a more effective learning experience but isalso important in becoming more fully information literate (Grafstein2002 Roldan and Wu 2004 Smith 2003) Becoming information liter-ate in general terms is not sufficient for information literacy within adisciplinary context and being information literate in one disciplinedoes not automatically mean one is information literate in another disci-pline (Manuel 2002) Regarding business information Lavin (1995)has pointed out the inherent abundance diversity and specializationof business resources as well as the complex nature of business que-ries

The literature on the information literacy instruction of business stu-dents is growing and continuing to develop In 1994 Hawes assertedthe need for instructing business students in information literacy andconcluded that not enough was being done Since then several studieshave been conducted that not only confirm the need for information lit-eracy instruction for business students but provide models for collabo-rative instruction between business faculty and librarians and provideinsights into assessment Sterngold and Hurlbert (1998) designed agroup research project in a marketing course to develop several aspectsof information literacy in their students Working closely with class-room faculty Fiegen Cherry and Watson (2002) created a model forintegrating the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation into the business curriculum and assessing student learningoutcomes Cooney and Hiris (2003) developed a collaborative frame-work for integrating information literacy into a graduate finance course

6 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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and assessing the results Students received a score for their informationliteracy competency along with a grade for the content of their finalprojects

In the area of assessment although some discipline-specific modulesof the SAILS instrument are currently in development there is as yetnot a specific tool under development for business (M Thompson Proj-ect SAILS Coordinator personal communication December 3 2004)

With the importance of information literacy for business students es-tablished and the reports of specific projects that have begun to emergethe purpose of this study was to investigate the scope and prevalence ofinformation literacy efforts with business students Specifically thestudy sought to find answers to the following questions

bull How are business students being instructed in information literacyand how widespread are these practices

bull How prevalent is collaboration between librarian and business fac-ulty and what types of collaboration are being practiced

bull Are the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation being used in business information literacy instruction

bull Is the information literacy of business students being assessed andif so how

METHODOLOGY

Respondents

A total of 399 libraries of the colleges and universities accredited byThe Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)were surveyed The sample was developed from the lists of accreditedschools and newly accredited institutions available at the AACSB Website Only US schools were included in the survey Rather than sendthe questionnaire to a general library address the appropriate businesslibrarian business liaison or instruction librarian at each accreditedschool was located by searching the libraryrsquos Web site When a businessor instruction librarian could not be located the contact used was thehead of reference or the head of the library Because the method of dis-tribution was to be through e-mail contact information included e-mailaddress as well as name and title of individual and institution nameThe survey sample and e-mail distribution methodologies were mod-eled on the work of McDermott (2000) who received a successful re-

Martha Cooney 7

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sponse when she surveyed libraries concerning document delivery ofbusiness articles

The Questionnaire

A questionnaire was developed to explore the business informationliteracy (BIL) practices at AACSB-accredited colleges and universitiesQuestions focused on who provides BIL instruction how it is providedand for which students the nature of collaborative efforts between li-brarian and business faculty use of the Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards for Higher Education and the assessment of businessstudentsrsquo information literacy The questionnaire included 18 multi-partquestions for a total of 78 items Most questions asked the respondentto check items from a list Of the 78 questionnaire items there wereeight open-ended questions in the form of comments sections or ldquootherplease specifyrdquo items A copy of the questionnaire is included in the Ap-pendix

Procedure

The e-mail survey was conducted in June and July of 2003 success-fully delivering the questionnaire to 392 or 98 of the librarians tar-geted at the 399 AACSB accredited schools E-mail addresses could notbe located for four schools and for three other schools the question-naire could not be delivered despite repeated attempts

In order to have more control over the sending of the questionnairefive separate distribution lists with 70-80 names each were created andsent out over a period of nine days The e-mail distribution lists weresent as blind copies so that recipients did not have to scroll through longlists of recipient names to get to the body of the e-mail and also to pro-vide a level of privacy The questionnaire was embedded in the body ofthe e-mail rather than as an attachment so recipients did not have to openanother document Recipients were asked to forward the questionnaireto a colleague if they were not the appropriate person to fill out the ques-tionnaire Respondents filled out the questionnaire by pressing the replybutton in their e-mail program and placing an X in the appropriate spacenext to the question After each questionnaire was returned an ac-knowledgement was sent to the respondent

A total of 146 questionnaires were returned for an overall responserate of 37 Of the 146 completed questionnaires two were returned intraditional mail A reminder e-mail message sent on day 25 of the sur-

8 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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vey significantly increased the total response to the survey from 24(pre-reminder) to the final 37 response The response to this surveysurpassed the response rate of 26 achieved by the National Informa-tion Literacy Survey in 2001

RESULTS

Respondents

An analysis (Table 1) of the 146 responding libraries using the Car-negie Classification (2000) shows that the majority are at doctoralre-search universities (56) and masterrsquos level (40) colleges anduniversities Sixty-eight percent of the responding libraries are publicinstitutions and 32 are private

An analysis by title of the person filling out the questionnaire (Table2) indicates that 57 are either a business librarian or a business liaison22 are instruction librarians 13 are reference librarians 4 areheads of library and 4 indicated another title This result confirmsthat the questionnaire was received and filled out by the librarians that itwas intended for

Questionnaires were received from respondents in 42 states with thehighest number of responses coming from California and Texas eachrepresented by 11 responses and New York with 10 responses The aver-age number of librarians providing information literacy instruction tobusiness students per year at responding institutions was 24 and the av-erage number of information literacy sessions taught per year was 344

Martha Cooney 9

TABLE 1 Respondents by Institution Type

Governance Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

Public 100 68

Private 46 32

Carnegie Classification Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

DoctoralResearch 82 56

Masterrsquos 59 40

Baccalaureate 4 3

Specialized 1 1

TOTAL 146 100

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Business Information Literacy Instruction

Ninety percent or 132 of the respondents answered that they provideinformation literacy instruction to business majors or to students whowill become business majors (Figure 1)

Using the ALA (1989) definition of information literacy business in-formation literacy (BIL) was defined on the survey as

specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed andhave the ability to locate evaluate and use effectively the neededinformationrdquo

Of the 132 who responded affirmatively 80 provide BIL instruc-tion in the campus library 77 provide BIL in a classroom and 20provide BIL in the business library Respondents were asked to checkall venues that applied In addition 14 indicated that they offer BIL inother places such as in computer and trading labs in the businessschool or through the Web In reviewing these results the researcherrealized there may have been some confusion as to the meaning of theclassroom as a place of instruction The original intent of this questionwas to differentiate between instruction offered in the library and in-struction offered by librarians in business program classrooms Somerespondents may have interpreted this question to mean a library class-room rather than a business school classroom

BIL instruction is provided by reference or instruction librarians(51) business librarians in the general library (50) librarian liaisons(23) and business librarians in the business library (17) Seven per-cent of respondents commented that others such as school of businessfaculty a graduate services librarian a distance education librarian gov-

10 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

TABLE 2 Respondents by Title

Title Number of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Business LibrarianLiaison 73 57

Instruction Librarian 28 22

Reference Librarian 16 13

Head of Library 5 4

Other 5 4

Total Responding 127 100

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ernment documents librarians and reference assistantsspecialists whodo not have MLS degrees also provide BIL instruction

The results in Figure 2 show that information literacy instruction is mostoften provided in on-demand instruction presentations to business classes(92) Next in frequency was 38 who provide BIL instruction in a gen-eral (non-discipline specific) information literacy program Thirty-five per-cent providing BIL instruction do so by integrating it into core businessprogram courses and 17 integrate BIL instruction in other business pro-gram courses Quite a number of respondents 23 use an online tutorial aswell Only 3 and 4 respectively provide instruction in a BIL course forno credit or a BIL course for credit In comments that were made to this ques-tion respondents most frequently mentioned that they also provide BIL in-struction through print and online (Web-based) pathfinders and guidesregular orientations to new graduate students and consultations with stu-dents either at the reference desk or in one-to-one meetings Databaseinstruction specialized workshops and a CD-ROM orientation disk wereeach mentioned once

Information literacy instruction is most often provided to businessstudents who are graduate students (86) or juniors or seniors (each85) Sixty-four percent of respondents indicated that they provide in-formation literacy instruction to freshmen and 69 provide informationliteracy instruction to sophomores

In describing their business information literacy instruction so far (Figure3) 37 stated that their efforts are established 36 are mid-way and 27feel that their efforts are just starting Several respondents commented thattheir efforts are always evolving and that although they have been provid-ing bibliographic instruction all along information literacy is fairly new

Collaboration

The majority of respondents 103 or 78 describe their BIL instruc-tion as collaborative Of this number 73 state there is some collabora-

Martha Cooney 11

10 Do NotProvide BIL

90 Provide BIL

FIGURE 1 Business Information Literacy (BIL) Instruction

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tion 20 indicate there is quite a bit of collaboration and 7 feel thatthere is full collaboration between their library and the business facultyat their institution (Figure 4) The most common responses to the kindsof collaborative efforts include jointly developed goals and objectivesfor business information literacy instruction (51) and jointly devel-oped information literacy-related assignments (50) (Figure 5) Veryfew only 6 of respondents indicated that they collaborated in jointlygraded information literacy-related assignments When commenting onother collaborative efforts respondents mentioned most often that theycollaborate through discussions with faculty prior to instruction ses-sions and by gearing the instruction sessions to specific assignments

12 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIPP

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents 100

80

60

40

20

0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

FIGURE 2 How Is BIL Instruction Provided

1 in a general IL program2 in on-demand instruction to business classes3 integrated in core business courses4 integrated in other business courses5 in a BIL course (no credit)6 in a BIL course (for credit)7 in a print tutorial8 in an online tutorial9 other

37Established

27 JustStarting

36 Mid-way

FIGURE 3 BIL Instruction Efforts So Far

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and course objectives A challenge to collaboration mentioned by sev-eral respondents is getting faculty interested and involved Some facultyand Deans are very interested and others are not at all

Information Literacy Competency Standards

Of the 132 institutions responding to the questionnaire 34 or 45 re-spondents have incorporated ACRLrsquos Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards into their BIL instruction and 66 or 87 respondentshave not (Figure 6)

Of the 45 respondents who have incorporated the Standards 76 useStandard one (The information literate student determines the nature andextent of information needed) 98 use Standard two (The informationliterate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently)

Martha Cooney 13

20 Quite a bit ofCollaboration

7 FullCollaboration

73 SomeCollaboration

FIGURE 4 Level of Collaboration

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4

FIGURE 5 Types of Collaboration

1 jointly developed IL assignments2 jointly graded IL assignments3 jointly developed goals and objectives for BIL instruction4 other collaborative efforts

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89 use Standard three (The information literate student evaluates infor-mation and its sources critically and incorporates selected informationinto his or her knowledge base and value system) 84 use Standard four(The information literate student individually or as a member of a groupuses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose) and 62use Standard five (The information literate student understands many ofthe economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) (Figure 7)

This group was also asked what they have found as a result of incor-porating the Standards into their BIL instruction (Table 3) Although amajority of respondents state that the Standards have for the most parthad a positive impact on their teaching efforts (59) especially in re-gard to providing more focus (74) and providing a good means tomeasure student learning outcomes (49) only 38 assert that theStandards have made the assessment process easier and 55 of thisgroup are undecided Although the results relating to the use of the Stan-dards are mixed the comments of several respondents are echoed in thewords of one who said

The Standards make it easier to talk to faculty about incorporatinginformation literacy into their instruction for a number of reasonsthey are written in academic language for one and they also showfaculty that information literacy is an achievable rather than mys-terious goal

While 34 have incorporated the use of the Standards into their BILinstruction efforts clearly a large majority 66 have not (Figure 6)When asked to respond to statements on why they are not using theStandards 43 stated that they plan to in the future 31 have no plansto incorporate the Standards and 22 are not familiar with the Stan-dards Four percent (3 respondents) stated that they do not agree withthe Standards Several respondents who made comments stated that the

14 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

66 Do not usein BIL

instruction

34 Use in BILinstruction

FIGURE 6 IL Competency Standards and BIL

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Standards are not appropriate for graduate business students Two re-spondents felt that the Standards are too complex and wordy and that itis difficult to know where to begin Others reported that they are alreadyaddressing the Standards in instruction without formally doing so orthat the Standards are used in a freshman information literacy course

Assessment

In the area of assessment only 27 assess their studentsrsquo businessinformation literacy (Figure 8)

Martha Cooney 15

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4 5

FIGURE 7 Use of IL Competency Standards

Information Literacy Competency StandardsThe information literate student1 determines the nature and extent of information needed2 accesses needed information effectively and efficiently3 evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into

his or her knowledge base and value system4 uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose5 understands many of the economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informa-

tion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally(ACRLndashhttpwwwALAorgacrlilcomstanhtml)

TABLE 3 Information Literacy Competency Standards What Have You Found

Statement Yes No Undecided

The Standards provide more focus to our teaching efforts 74 2 24

The Standards make the assessment process easier 38 7 55

The Standards provide a good means to measure studentlearning outcomes

49 12 39

The Standards have positively affected the results of ourteaching efforts

59 2 39

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

4035

30

25

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10

50P

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nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

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tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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The past five years have seen a steady development in informationliteracy efforts at colleges and universities across the nation The publi-cation of the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation in 2000 by the Association of College and Research Librar-ies (ACRL) have provided a means to focus and to assess informationliteracy efforts Increasing emphasis by accrediting agencies on devel-oping information literacy in students promoting collaboration be-tween library and classroom and assessing student learning outcomeshave provided added motivation to academic libraries to continue to de-velop and integrate information literacy into their instruction effortsboth in the library and on campus

LITERATURE REVIEW

While many articles and books have been written on informationliteracy instruction at institutions of higher education the publicationof the National Information Literacy Survey (ACRL 2001) providesconcrete results on the scope breadth and penetration of these effortson college campuses The findings indicate that campuses across thecountry are actively engaged in discussions about information literacyand that information literacy is included in the curriculum in a varietyof ways most often as an integral part of at least one course on campusor as part of general education requirements In responses regardingthe use of the Information Literacy Competency Standards 50 of re-spondents were aware of them although not as yet using them 23 re-ported being aware of the Standards and using them and 24responded that they did not know about the Standards Consideringthat the Standards were distributed only about a year prior to the sur-vey these numbers reveal a rather high awareness and acceptance ofthe Standards The Survey also found that very few respondents assessstudent performance in a formal way and generally most respondentshave not gotten to the assessment stage yet Merz and Mark (2002)found in a survey of assessment in college libraries that although theuse of the Standards is widespread and that there is a substantialamount of formative assessment taking place (ie that which mea-sures the quality of instruction) there is very little assessment of ac-tual learning outcomes (p 16)

Responding to the need for the assessment of learning outcomes theProject for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills(SAILS) currently in the last year of a three-year grant is attempting to

Martha Cooney 5

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develop a standardized assessment instrument (in support of ACRLrsquosInformation Literacy Competency Standards) that can be applied to anyinstitution or library If the project is successful it will provide a validand reliable standardized tool to measure information literacy skills atindividual institutions and enable cross-institutional comparison

In addition to the general information literacy efforts documented inthe data collected on the National Information Literacy Survey and inthe on-going work on assessment Feast (2003) has noted the impor-tance of course-integrated information literacy and has found that

Students engage in a more meaningful way in developing informa-tion literacy when these skills are directly pertinent to the coursesthey are studying and in particular when they have an imminentimpact on their course assessment (p 82)

Many researchers agree that relating information literacy to a specificdiscipline not only provides a more effective learning experience but isalso important in becoming more fully information literate (Grafstein2002 Roldan and Wu 2004 Smith 2003) Becoming information liter-ate in general terms is not sufficient for information literacy within adisciplinary context and being information literate in one disciplinedoes not automatically mean one is information literate in another disci-pline (Manuel 2002) Regarding business information Lavin (1995)has pointed out the inherent abundance diversity and specializationof business resources as well as the complex nature of business que-ries

The literature on the information literacy instruction of business stu-dents is growing and continuing to develop In 1994 Hawes assertedthe need for instructing business students in information literacy andconcluded that not enough was being done Since then several studieshave been conducted that not only confirm the need for information lit-eracy instruction for business students but provide models for collabo-rative instruction between business faculty and librarians and provideinsights into assessment Sterngold and Hurlbert (1998) designed agroup research project in a marketing course to develop several aspectsof information literacy in their students Working closely with class-room faculty Fiegen Cherry and Watson (2002) created a model forintegrating the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation into the business curriculum and assessing student learningoutcomes Cooney and Hiris (2003) developed a collaborative frame-work for integrating information literacy into a graduate finance course

6 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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and assessing the results Students received a score for their informationliteracy competency along with a grade for the content of their finalprojects

In the area of assessment although some discipline-specific modulesof the SAILS instrument are currently in development there is as yetnot a specific tool under development for business (M Thompson Proj-ect SAILS Coordinator personal communication December 3 2004)

With the importance of information literacy for business students es-tablished and the reports of specific projects that have begun to emergethe purpose of this study was to investigate the scope and prevalence ofinformation literacy efforts with business students Specifically thestudy sought to find answers to the following questions

bull How are business students being instructed in information literacyand how widespread are these practices

bull How prevalent is collaboration between librarian and business fac-ulty and what types of collaboration are being practiced

bull Are the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation being used in business information literacy instruction

bull Is the information literacy of business students being assessed andif so how

METHODOLOGY

Respondents

A total of 399 libraries of the colleges and universities accredited byThe Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)were surveyed The sample was developed from the lists of accreditedschools and newly accredited institutions available at the AACSB Website Only US schools were included in the survey Rather than sendthe questionnaire to a general library address the appropriate businesslibrarian business liaison or instruction librarian at each accreditedschool was located by searching the libraryrsquos Web site When a businessor instruction librarian could not be located the contact used was thehead of reference or the head of the library Because the method of dis-tribution was to be through e-mail contact information included e-mailaddress as well as name and title of individual and institution nameThe survey sample and e-mail distribution methodologies were mod-eled on the work of McDermott (2000) who received a successful re-

Martha Cooney 7

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sponse when she surveyed libraries concerning document delivery ofbusiness articles

The Questionnaire

A questionnaire was developed to explore the business informationliteracy (BIL) practices at AACSB-accredited colleges and universitiesQuestions focused on who provides BIL instruction how it is providedand for which students the nature of collaborative efforts between li-brarian and business faculty use of the Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards for Higher Education and the assessment of businessstudentsrsquo information literacy The questionnaire included 18 multi-partquestions for a total of 78 items Most questions asked the respondentto check items from a list Of the 78 questionnaire items there wereeight open-ended questions in the form of comments sections or ldquootherplease specifyrdquo items A copy of the questionnaire is included in the Ap-pendix

Procedure

The e-mail survey was conducted in June and July of 2003 success-fully delivering the questionnaire to 392 or 98 of the librarians tar-geted at the 399 AACSB accredited schools E-mail addresses could notbe located for four schools and for three other schools the question-naire could not be delivered despite repeated attempts

In order to have more control over the sending of the questionnairefive separate distribution lists with 70-80 names each were created andsent out over a period of nine days The e-mail distribution lists weresent as blind copies so that recipients did not have to scroll through longlists of recipient names to get to the body of the e-mail and also to pro-vide a level of privacy The questionnaire was embedded in the body ofthe e-mail rather than as an attachment so recipients did not have to openanother document Recipients were asked to forward the questionnaireto a colleague if they were not the appropriate person to fill out the ques-tionnaire Respondents filled out the questionnaire by pressing the replybutton in their e-mail program and placing an X in the appropriate spacenext to the question After each questionnaire was returned an ac-knowledgement was sent to the respondent

A total of 146 questionnaires were returned for an overall responserate of 37 Of the 146 completed questionnaires two were returned intraditional mail A reminder e-mail message sent on day 25 of the sur-

8 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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vey significantly increased the total response to the survey from 24(pre-reminder) to the final 37 response The response to this surveysurpassed the response rate of 26 achieved by the National Informa-tion Literacy Survey in 2001

RESULTS

Respondents

An analysis (Table 1) of the 146 responding libraries using the Car-negie Classification (2000) shows that the majority are at doctoralre-search universities (56) and masterrsquos level (40) colleges anduniversities Sixty-eight percent of the responding libraries are publicinstitutions and 32 are private

An analysis by title of the person filling out the questionnaire (Table2) indicates that 57 are either a business librarian or a business liaison22 are instruction librarians 13 are reference librarians 4 areheads of library and 4 indicated another title This result confirmsthat the questionnaire was received and filled out by the librarians that itwas intended for

Questionnaires were received from respondents in 42 states with thehighest number of responses coming from California and Texas eachrepresented by 11 responses and New York with 10 responses The aver-age number of librarians providing information literacy instruction tobusiness students per year at responding institutions was 24 and the av-erage number of information literacy sessions taught per year was 344

Martha Cooney 9

TABLE 1 Respondents by Institution Type

Governance Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

Public 100 68

Private 46 32

Carnegie Classification Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

DoctoralResearch 82 56

Masterrsquos 59 40

Baccalaureate 4 3

Specialized 1 1

TOTAL 146 100

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Business Information Literacy Instruction

Ninety percent or 132 of the respondents answered that they provideinformation literacy instruction to business majors or to students whowill become business majors (Figure 1)

Using the ALA (1989) definition of information literacy business in-formation literacy (BIL) was defined on the survey as

specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed andhave the ability to locate evaluate and use effectively the neededinformationrdquo

Of the 132 who responded affirmatively 80 provide BIL instruc-tion in the campus library 77 provide BIL in a classroom and 20provide BIL in the business library Respondents were asked to checkall venues that applied In addition 14 indicated that they offer BIL inother places such as in computer and trading labs in the businessschool or through the Web In reviewing these results the researcherrealized there may have been some confusion as to the meaning of theclassroom as a place of instruction The original intent of this questionwas to differentiate between instruction offered in the library and in-struction offered by librarians in business program classrooms Somerespondents may have interpreted this question to mean a library class-room rather than a business school classroom

BIL instruction is provided by reference or instruction librarians(51) business librarians in the general library (50) librarian liaisons(23) and business librarians in the business library (17) Seven per-cent of respondents commented that others such as school of businessfaculty a graduate services librarian a distance education librarian gov-

10 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

TABLE 2 Respondents by Title

Title Number of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Business LibrarianLiaison 73 57

Instruction Librarian 28 22

Reference Librarian 16 13

Head of Library 5 4

Other 5 4

Total Responding 127 100

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ernment documents librarians and reference assistantsspecialists whodo not have MLS degrees also provide BIL instruction

The results in Figure 2 show that information literacy instruction is mostoften provided in on-demand instruction presentations to business classes(92) Next in frequency was 38 who provide BIL instruction in a gen-eral (non-discipline specific) information literacy program Thirty-five per-cent providing BIL instruction do so by integrating it into core businessprogram courses and 17 integrate BIL instruction in other business pro-gram courses Quite a number of respondents 23 use an online tutorial aswell Only 3 and 4 respectively provide instruction in a BIL course forno credit or a BIL course for credit In comments that were made to this ques-tion respondents most frequently mentioned that they also provide BIL in-struction through print and online (Web-based) pathfinders and guidesregular orientations to new graduate students and consultations with stu-dents either at the reference desk or in one-to-one meetings Databaseinstruction specialized workshops and a CD-ROM orientation disk wereeach mentioned once

Information literacy instruction is most often provided to businessstudents who are graduate students (86) or juniors or seniors (each85) Sixty-four percent of respondents indicated that they provide in-formation literacy instruction to freshmen and 69 provide informationliteracy instruction to sophomores

In describing their business information literacy instruction so far (Figure3) 37 stated that their efforts are established 36 are mid-way and 27feel that their efforts are just starting Several respondents commented thattheir efforts are always evolving and that although they have been provid-ing bibliographic instruction all along information literacy is fairly new

Collaboration

The majority of respondents 103 or 78 describe their BIL instruc-tion as collaborative Of this number 73 state there is some collabora-

Martha Cooney 11

10 Do NotProvide BIL

90 Provide BIL

FIGURE 1 Business Information Literacy (BIL) Instruction

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tion 20 indicate there is quite a bit of collaboration and 7 feel thatthere is full collaboration between their library and the business facultyat their institution (Figure 4) The most common responses to the kindsof collaborative efforts include jointly developed goals and objectivesfor business information literacy instruction (51) and jointly devel-oped information literacy-related assignments (50) (Figure 5) Veryfew only 6 of respondents indicated that they collaborated in jointlygraded information literacy-related assignments When commenting onother collaborative efforts respondents mentioned most often that theycollaborate through discussions with faculty prior to instruction ses-sions and by gearing the instruction sessions to specific assignments

12 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIPP

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of

Res

po

nd

ents 100

80

60

40

20

0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

FIGURE 2 How Is BIL Instruction Provided

1 in a general IL program2 in on-demand instruction to business classes3 integrated in core business courses4 integrated in other business courses5 in a BIL course (no credit)6 in a BIL course (for credit)7 in a print tutorial8 in an online tutorial9 other

37Established

27 JustStarting

36 Mid-way

FIGURE 3 BIL Instruction Efforts So Far

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and course objectives A challenge to collaboration mentioned by sev-eral respondents is getting faculty interested and involved Some facultyand Deans are very interested and others are not at all

Information Literacy Competency Standards

Of the 132 institutions responding to the questionnaire 34 or 45 re-spondents have incorporated ACRLrsquos Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards into their BIL instruction and 66 or 87 respondentshave not (Figure 6)

Of the 45 respondents who have incorporated the Standards 76 useStandard one (The information literate student determines the nature andextent of information needed) 98 use Standard two (The informationliterate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently)

Martha Cooney 13

20 Quite a bit ofCollaboration

7 FullCollaboration

73 SomeCollaboration

FIGURE 4 Level of Collaboration

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4

FIGURE 5 Types of Collaboration

1 jointly developed IL assignments2 jointly graded IL assignments3 jointly developed goals and objectives for BIL instruction4 other collaborative efforts

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89 use Standard three (The information literate student evaluates infor-mation and its sources critically and incorporates selected informationinto his or her knowledge base and value system) 84 use Standard four(The information literate student individually or as a member of a groupuses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose) and 62use Standard five (The information literate student understands many ofthe economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) (Figure 7)

This group was also asked what they have found as a result of incor-porating the Standards into their BIL instruction (Table 3) Although amajority of respondents state that the Standards have for the most parthad a positive impact on their teaching efforts (59) especially in re-gard to providing more focus (74) and providing a good means tomeasure student learning outcomes (49) only 38 assert that theStandards have made the assessment process easier and 55 of thisgroup are undecided Although the results relating to the use of the Stan-dards are mixed the comments of several respondents are echoed in thewords of one who said

The Standards make it easier to talk to faculty about incorporatinginformation literacy into their instruction for a number of reasonsthey are written in academic language for one and they also showfaculty that information literacy is an achievable rather than mys-terious goal

While 34 have incorporated the use of the Standards into their BILinstruction efforts clearly a large majority 66 have not (Figure 6)When asked to respond to statements on why they are not using theStandards 43 stated that they plan to in the future 31 have no plansto incorporate the Standards and 22 are not familiar with the Stan-dards Four percent (3 respondents) stated that they do not agree withthe Standards Several respondents who made comments stated that the

14 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

66 Do not usein BIL

instruction

34 Use in BILinstruction

FIGURE 6 IL Competency Standards and BIL

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Standards are not appropriate for graduate business students Two re-spondents felt that the Standards are too complex and wordy and that itis difficult to know where to begin Others reported that they are alreadyaddressing the Standards in instruction without formally doing so orthat the Standards are used in a freshman information literacy course

Assessment

In the area of assessment only 27 assess their studentsrsquo businessinformation literacy (Figure 8)

Martha Cooney 15

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4 5

FIGURE 7 Use of IL Competency Standards

Information Literacy Competency StandardsThe information literate student1 determines the nature and extent of information needed2 accesses needed information effectively and efficiently3 evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into

his or her knowledge base and value system4 uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose5 understands many of the economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informa-

tion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally(ACRLndashhttpwwwALAorgacrlilcomstanhtml)

TABLE 3 Information Literacy Competency Standards What Have You Found

Statement Yes No Undecided

The Standards provide more focus to our teaching efforts 74 2 24

The Standards make the assessment process easier 38 7 55

The Standards provide a good means to measure studentlearning outcomes

49 12 39

The Standards have positively affected the results of ourteaching efforts

59 2 39

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

4035

30

25

2015

10

50P

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

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tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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2014

into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

Martha Cooney 21

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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develop a standardized assessment instrument (in support of ACRLrsquosInformation Literacy Competency Standards) that can be applied to anyinstitution or library If the project is successful it will provide a validand reliable standardized tool to measure information literacy skills atindividual institutions and enable cross-institutional comparison

In addition to the general information literacy efforts documented inthe data collected on the National Information Literacy Survey and inthe on-going work on assessment Feast (2003) has noted the impor-tance of course-integrated information literacy and has found that

Students engage in a more meaningful way in developing informa-tion literacy when these skills are directly pertinent to the coursesthey are studying and in particular when they have an imminentimpact on their course assessment (p 82)

Many researchers agree that relating information literacy to a specificdiscipline not only provides a more effective learning experience but isalso important in becoming more fully information literate (Grafstein2002 Roldan and Wu 2004 Smith 2003) Becoming information liter-ate in general terms is not sufficient for information literacy within adisciplinary context and being information literate in one disciplinedoes not automatically mean one is information literate in another disci-pline (Manuel 2002) Regarding business information Lavin (1995)has pointed out the inherent abundance diversity and specializationof business resources as well as the complex nature of business que-ries

The literature on the information literacy instruction of business stu-dents is growing and continuing to develop In 1994 Hawes assertedthe need for instructing business students in information literacy andconcluded that not enough was being done Since then several studieshave been conducted that not only confirm the need for information lit-eracy instruction for business students but provide models for collabo-rative instruction between business faculty and librarians and provideinsights into assessment Sterngold and Hurlbert (1998) designed agroup research project in a marketing course to develop several aspectsof information literacy in their students Working closely with class-room faculty Fiegen Cherry and Watson (2002) created a model forintegrating the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation into the business curriculum and assessing student learningoutcomes Cooney and Hiris (2003) developed a collaborative frame-work for integrating information literacy into a graduate finance course

6 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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and assessing the results Students received a score for their informationliteracy competency along with a grade for the content of their finalprojects

In the area of assessment although some discipline-specific modulesof the SAILS instrument are currently in development there is as yetnot a specific tool under development for business (M Thompson Proj-ect SAILS Coordinator personal communication December 3 2004)

With the importance of information literacy for business students es-tablished and the reports of specific projects that have begun to emergethe purpose of this study was to investigate the scope and prevalence ofinformation literacy efforts with business students Specifically thestudy sought to find answers to the following questions

bull How are business students being instructed in information literacyand how widespread are these practices

bull How prevalent is collaboration between librarian and business fac-ulty and what types of collaboration are being practiced

bull Are the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation being used in business information literacy instruction

bull Is the information literacy of business students being assessed andif so how

METHODOLOGY

Respondents

A total of 399 libraries of the colleges and universities accredited byThe Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)were surveyed The sample was developed from the lists of accreditedschools and newly accredited institutions available at the AACSB Website Only US schools were included in the survey Rather than sendthe questionnaire to a general library address the appropriate businesslibrarian business liaison or instruction librarian at each accreditedschool was located by searching the libraryrsquos Web site When a businessor instruction librarian could not be located the contact used was thehead of reference or the head of the library Because the method of dis-tribution was to be through e-mail contact information included e-mailaddress as well as name and title of individual and institution nameThe survey sample and e-mail distribution methodologies were mod-eled on the work of McDermott (2000) who received a successful re-

Martha Cooney 7

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2014

sponse when she surveyed libraries concerning document delivery ofbusiness articles

The Questionnaire

A questionnaire was developed to explore the business informationliteracy (BIL) practices at AACSB-accredited colleges and universitiesQuestions focused on who provides BIL instruction how it is providedand for which students the nature of collaborative efforts between li-brarian and business faculty use of the Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards for Higher Education and the assessment of businessstudentsrsquo information literacy The questionnaire included 18 multi-partquestions for a total of 78 items Most questions asked the respondentto check items from a list Of the 78 questionnaire items there wereeight open-ended questions in the form of comments sections or ldquootherplease specifyrdquo items A copy of the questionnaire is included in the Ap-pendix

Procedure

The e-mail survey was conducted in June and July of 2003 success-fully delivering the questionnaire to 392 or 98 of the librarians tar-geted at the 399 AACSB accredited schools E-mail addresses could notbe located for four schools and for three other schools the question-naire could not be delivered despite repeated attempts

In order to have more control over the sending of the questionnairefive separate distribution lists with 70-80 names each were created andsent out over a period of nine days The e-mail distribution lists weresent as blind copies so that recipients did not have to scroll through longlists of recipient names to get to the body of the e-mail and also to pro-vide a level of privacy The questionnaire was embedded in the body ofthe e-mail rather than as an attachment so recipients did not have to openanother document Recipients were asked to forward the questionnaireto a colleague if they were not the appropriate person to fill out the ques-tionnaire Respondents filled out the questionnaire by pressing the replybutton in their e-mail program and placing an X in the appropriate spacenext to the question After each questionnaire was returned an ac-knowledgement was sent to the respondent

A total of 146 questionnaires were returned for an overall responserate of 37 Of the 146 completed questionnaires two were returned intraditional mail A reminder e-mail message sent on day 25 of the sur-

8 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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vey significantly increased the total response to the survey from 24(pre-reminder) to the final 37 response The response to this surveysurpassed the response rate of 26 achieved by the National Informa-tion Literacy Survey in 2001

RESULTS

Respondents

An analysis (Table 1) of the 146 responding libraries using the Car-negie Classification (2000) shows that the majority are at doctoralre-search universities (56) and masterrsquos level (40) colleges anduniversities Sixty-eight percent of the responding libraries are publicinstitutions and 32 are private

An analysis by title of the person filling out the questionnaire (Table2) indicates that 57 are either a business librarian or a business liaison22 are instruction librarians 13 are reference librarians 4 areheads of library and 4 indicated another title This result confirmsthat the questionnaire was received and filled out by the librarians that itwas intended for

Questionnaires were received from respondents in 42 states with thehighest number of responses coming from California and Texas eachrepresented by 11 responses and New York with 10 responses The aver-age number of librarians providing information literacy instruction tobusiness students per year at responding institutions was 24 and the av-erage number of information literacy sessions taught per year was 344

Martha Cooney 9

TABLE 1 Respondents by Institution Type

Governance Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

Public 100 68

Private 46 32

Carnegie Classification Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

DoctoralResearch 82 56

Masterrsquos 59 40

Baccalaureate 4 3

Specialized 1 1

TOTAL 146 100

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Business Information Literacy Instruction

Ninety percent or 132 of the respondents answered that they provideinformation literacy instruction to business majors or to students whowill become business majors (Figure 1)

Using the ALA (1989) definition of information literacy business in-formation literacy (BIL) was defined on the survey as

specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed andhave the ability to locate evaluate and use effectively the neededinformationrdquo

Of the 132 who responded affirmatively 80 provide BIL instruc-tion in the campus library 77 provide BIL in a classroom and 20provide BIL in the business library Respondents were asked to checkall venues that applied In addition 14 indicated that they offer BIL inother places such as in computer and trading labs in the businessschool or through the Web In reviewing these results the researcherrealized there may have been some confusion as to the meaning of theclassroom as a place of instruction The original intent of this questionwas to differentiate between instruction offered in the library and in-struction offered by librarians in business program classrooms Somerespondents may have interpreted this question to mean a library class-room rather than a business school classroom

BIL instruction is provided by reference or instruction librarians(51) business librarians in the general library (50) librarian liaisons(23) and business librarians in the business library (17) Seven per-cent of respondents commented that others such as school of businessfaculty a graduate services librarian a distance education librarian gov-

10 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

TABLE 2 Respondents by Title

Title Number of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Business LibrarianLiaison 73 57

Instruction Librarian 28 22

Reference Librarian 16 13

Head of Library 5 4

Other 5 4

Total Responding 127 100

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ernment documents librarians and reference assistantsspecialists whodo not have MLS degrees also provide BIL instruction

The results in Figure 2 show that information literacy instruction is mostoften provided in on-demand instruction presentations to business classes(92) Next in frequency was 38 who provide BIL instruction in a gen-eral (non-discipline specific) information literacy program Thirty-five per-cent providing BIL instruction do so by integrating it into core businessprogram courses and 17 integrate BIL instruction in other business pro-gram courses Quite a number of respondents 23 use an online tutorial aswell Only 3 and 4 respectively provide instruction in a BIL course forno credit or a BIL course for credit In comments that were made to this ques-tion respondents most frequently mentioned that they also provide BIL in-struction through print and online (Web-based) pathfinders and guidesregular orientations to new graduate students and consultations with stu-dents either at the reference desk or in one-to-one meetings Databaseinstruction specialized workshops and a CD-ROM orientation disk wereeach mentioned once

Information literacy instruction is most often provided to businessstudents who are graduate students (86) or juniors or seniors (each85) Sixty-four percent of respondents indicated that they provide in-formation literacy instruction to freshmen and 69 provide informationliteracy instruction to sophomores

In describing their business information literacy instruction so far (Figure3) 37 stated that their efforts are established 36 are mid-way and 27feel that their efforts are just starting Several respondents commented thattheir efforts are always evolving and that although they have been provid-ing bibliographic instruction all along information literacy is fairly new

Collaboration

The majority of respondents 103 or 78 describe their BIL instruc-tion as collaborative Of this number 73 state there is some collabora-

Martha Cooney 11

10 Do NotProvide BIL

90 Provide BIL

FIGURE 1 Business Information Literacy (BIL) Instruction

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tion 20 indicate there is quite a bit of collaboration and 7 feel thatthere is full collaboration between their library and the business facultyat their institution (Figure 4) The most common responses to the kindsof collaborative efforts include jointly developed goals and objectivesfor business information literacy instruction (51) and jointly devel-oped information literacy-related assignments (50) (Figure 5) Veryfew only 6 of respondents indicated that they collaborated in jointlygraded information literacy-related assignments When commenting onother collaborative efforts respondents mentioned most often that theycollaborate through discussions with faculty prior to instruction ses-sions and by gearing the instruction sessions to specific assignments

12 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIPP

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Res

po

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ents 100

80

60

40

20

0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

FIGURE 2 How Is BIL Instruction Provided

1 in a general IL program2 in on-demand instruction to business classes3 integrated in core business courses4 integrated in other business courses5 in a BIL course (no credit)6 in a BIL course (for credit)7 in a print tutorial8 in an online tutorial9 other

37Established

27 JustStarting

36 Mid-way

FIGURE 3 BIL Instruction Efforts So Far

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and course objectives A challenge to collaboration mentioned by sev-eral respondents is getting faculty interested and involved Some facultyand Deans are very interested and others are not at all

Information Literacy Competency Standards

Of the 132 institutions responding to the questionnaire 34 or 45 re-spondents have incorporated ACRLrsquos Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards into their BIL instruction and 66 or 87 respondentshave not (Figure 6)

Of the 45 respondents who have incorporated the Standards 76 useStandard one (The information literate student determines the nature andextent of information needed) 98 use Standard two (The informationliterate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently)

Martha Cooney 13

20 Quite a bit ofCollaboration

7 FullCollaboration

73 SomeCollaboration

FIGURE 4 Level of Collaboration

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4

FIGURE 5 Types of Collaboration

1 jointly developed IL assignments2 jointly graded IL assignments3 jointly developed goals and objectives for BIL instruction4 other collaborative efforts

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89 use Standard three (The information literate student evaluates infor-mation and its sources critically and incorporates selected informationinto his or her knowledge base and value system) 84 use Standard four(The information literate student individually or as a member of a groupuses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose) and 62use Standard five (The information literate student understands many ofthe economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) (Figure 7)

This group was also asked what they have found as a result of incor-porating the Standards into their BIL instruction (Table 3) Although amajority of respondents state that the Standards have for the most parthad a positive impact on their teaching efforts (59) especially in re-gard to providing more focus (74) and providing a good means tomeasure student learning outcomes (49) only 38 assert that theStandards have made the assessment process easier and 55 of thisgroup are undecided Although the results relating to the use of the Stan-dards are mixed the comments of several respondents are echoed in thewords of one who said

The Standards make it easier to talk to faculty about incorporatinginformation literacy into their instruction for a number of reasonsthey are written in academic language for one and they also showfaculty that information literacy is an achievable rather than mys-terious goal

While 34 have incorporated the use of the Standards into their BILinstruction efforts clearly a large majority 66 have not (Figure 6)When asked to respond to statements on why they are not using theStandards 43 stated that they plan to in the future 31 have no plansto incorporate the Standards and 22 are not familiar with the Stan-dards Four percent (3 respondents) stated that they do not agree withthe Standards Several respondents who made comments stated that the

14 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

66 Do not usein BIL

instruction

34 Use in BILinstruction

FIGURE 6 IL Competency Standards and BIL

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Standards are not appropriate for graduate business students Two re-spondents felt that the Standards are too complex and wordy and that itis difficult to know where to begin Others reported that they are alreadyaddressing the Standards in instruction without formally doing so orthat the Standards are used in a freshman information literacy course

Assessment

In the area of assessment only 27 assess their studentsrsquo businessinformation literacy (Figure 8)

Martha Cooney 15

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4 5

FIGURE 7 Use of IL Competency Standards

Information Literacy Competency StandardsThe information literate student1 determines the nature and extent of information needed2 accesses needed information effectively and efficiently3 evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into

his or her knowledge base and value system4 uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose5 understands many of the economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informa-

tion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally(ACRLndashhttpwwwALAorgacrlilcomstanhtml)

TABLE 3 Information Literacy Competency Standards What Have You Found

Statement Yes No Undecided

The Standards provide more focus to our teaching efforts 74 2 24

The Standards make the assessment process easier 38 7 55

The Standards provide a good means to measure studentlearning outcomes

49 12 39

The Standards have positively affected the results of ourteaching efforts

59 2 39

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

4035

30

25

2015

10

50P

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

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tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

Martha Cooney 21

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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and assessing the results Students received a score for their informationliteracy competency along with a grade for the content of their finalprojects

In the area of assessment although some discipline-specific modulesof the SAILS instrument are currently in development there is as yetnot a specific tool under development for business (M Thompson Proj-ect SAILS Coordinator personal communication December 3 2004)

With the importance of information literacy for business students es-tablished and the reports of specific projects that have begun to emergethe purpose of this study was to investigate the scope and prevalence ofinformation literacy efforts with business students Specifically thestudy sought to find answers to the following questions

bull How are business students being instructed in information literacyand how widespread are these practices

bull How prevalent is collaboration between librarian and business fac-ulty and what types of collaboration are being practiced

bull Are the Information Literacy Competency Standards for HigherEducation being used in business information literacy instruction

bull Is the information literacy of business students being assessed andif so how

METHODOLOGY

Respondents

A total of 399 libraries of the colleges and universities accredited byThe Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)were surveyed The sample was developed from the lists of accreditedschools and newly accredited institutions available at the AACSB Website Only US schools were included in the survey Rather than sendthe questionnaire to a general library address the appropriate businesslibrarian business liaison or instruction librarian at each accreditedschool was located by searching the libraryrsquos Web site When a businessor instruction librarian could not be located the contact used was thehead of reference or the head of the library Because the method of dis-tribution was to be through e-mail contact information included e-mailaddress as well as name and title of individual and institution nameThe survey sample and e-mail distribution methodologies were mod-eled on the work of McDermott (2000) who received a successful re-

Martha Cooney 7

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sponse when she surveyed libraries concerning document delivery ofbusiness articles

The Questionnaire

A questionnaire was developed to explore the business informationliteracy (BIL) practices at AACSB-accredited colleges and universitiesQuestions focused on who provides BIL instruction how it is providedand for which students the nature of collaborative efforts between li-brarian and business faculty use of the Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards for Higher Education and the assessment of businessstudentsrsquo information literacy The questionnaire included 18 multi-partquestions for a total of 78 items Most questions asked the respondentto check items from a list Of the 78 questionnaire items there wereeight open-ended questions in the form of comments sections or ldquootherplease specifyrdquo items A copy of the questionnaire is included in the Ap-pendix

Procedure

The e-mail survey was conducted in June and July of 2003 success-fully delivering the questionnaire to 392 or 98 of the librarians tar-geted at the 399 AACSB accredited schools E-mail addresses could notbe located for four schools and for three other schools the question-naire could not be delivered despite repeated attempts

In order to have more control over the sending of the questionnairefive separate distribution lists with 70-80 names each were created andsent out over a period of nine days The e-mail distribution lists weresent as blind copies so that recipients did not have to scroll through longlists of recipient names to get to the body of the e-mail and also to pro-vide a level of privacy The questionnaire was embedded in the body ofthe e-mail rather than as an attachment so recipients did not have to openanother document Recipients were asked to forward the questionnaireto a colleague if they were not the appropriate person to fill out the ques-tionnaire Respondents filled out the questionnaire by pressing the replybutton in their e-mail program and placing an X in the appropriate spacenext to the question After each questionnaire was returned an ac-knowledgement was sent to the respondent

A total of 146 questionnaires were returned for an overall responserate of 37 Of the 146 completed questionnaires two were returned intraditional mail A reminder e-mail message sent on day 25 of the sur-

8 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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vey significantly increased the total response to the survey from 24(pre-reminder) to the final 37 response The response to this surveysurpassed the response rate of 26 achieved by the National Informa-tion Literacy Survey in 2001

RESULTS

Respondents

An analysis (Table 1) of the 146 responding libraries using the Car-negie Classification (2000) shows that the majority are at doctoralre-search universities (56) and masterrsquos level (40) colleges anduniversities Sixty-eight percent of the responding libraries are publicinstitutions and 32 are private

An analysis by title of the person filling out the questionnaire (Table2) indicates that 57 are either a business librarian or a business liaison22 are instruction librarians 13 are reference librarians 4 areheads of library and 4 indicated another title This result confirmsthat the questionnaire was received and filled out by the librarians that itwas intended for

Questionnaires were received from respondents in 42 states with thehighest number of responses coming from California and Texas eachrepresented by 11 responses and New York with 10 responses The aver-age number of librarians providing information literacy instruction tobusiness students per year at responding institutions was 24 and the av-erage number of information literacy sessions taught per year was 344

Martha Cooney 9

TABLE 1 Respondents by Institution Type

Governance Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

Public 100 68

Private 46 32

Carnegie Classification Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

DoctoralResearch 82 56

Masterrsquos 59 40

Baccalaureate 4 3

Specialized 1 1

TOTAL 146 100

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Business Information Literacy Instruction

Ninety percent or 132 of the respondents answered that they provideinformation literacy instruction to business majors or to students whowill become business majors (Figure 1)

Using the ALA (1989) definition of information literacy business in-formation literacy (BIL) was defined on the survey as

specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed andhave the ability to locate evaluate and use effectively the neededinformationrdquo

Of the 132 who responded affirmatively 80 provide BIL instruc-tion in the campus library 77 provide BIL in a classroom and 20provide BIL in the business library Respondents were asked to checkall venues that applied In addition 14 indicated that they offer BIL inother places such as in computer and trading labs in the businessschool or through the Web In reviewing these results the researcherrealized there may have been some confusion as to the meaning of theclassroom as a place of instruction The original intent of this questionwas to differentiate between instruction offered in the library and in-struction offered by librarians in business program classrooms Somerespondents may have interpreted this question to mean a library class-room rather than a business school classroom

BIL instruction is provided by reference or instruction librarians(51) business librarians in the general library (50) librarian liaisons(23) and business librarians in the business library (17) Seven per-cent of respondents commented that others such as school of businessfaculty a graduate services librarian a distance education librarian gov-

10 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

TABLE 2 Respondents by Title

Title Number of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Business LibrarianLiaison 73 57

Instruction Librarian 28 22

Reference Librarian 16 13

Head of Library 5 4

Other 5 4

Total Responding 127 100

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ernment documents librarians and reference assistantsspecialists whodo not have MLS degrees also provide BIL instruction

The results in Figure 2 show that information literacy instruction is mostoften provided in on-demand instruction presentations to business classes(92) Next in frequency was 38 who provide BIL instruction in a gen-eral (non-discipline specific) information literacy program Thirty-five per-cent providing BIL instruction do so by integrating it into core businessprogram courses and 17 integrate BIL instruction in other business pro-gram courses Quite a number of respondents 23 use an online tutorial aswell Only 3 and 4 respectively provide instruction in a BIL course forno credit or a BIL course for credit In comments that were made to this ques-tion respondents most frequently mentioned that they also provide BIL in-struction through print and online (Web-based) pathfinders and guidesregular orientations to new graduate students and consultations with stu-dents either at the reference desk or in one-to-one meetings Databaseinstruction specialized workshops and a CD-ROM orientation disk wereeach mentioned once

Information literacy instruction is most often provided to businessstudents who are graduate students (86) or juniors or seniors (each85) Sixty-four percent of respondents indicated that they provide in-formation literacy instruction to freshmen and 69 provide informationliteracy instruction to sophomores

In describing their business information literacy instruction so far (Figure3) 37 stated that their efforts are established 36 are mid-way and 27feel that their efforts are just starting Several respondents commented thattheir efforts are always evolving and that although they have been provid-ing bibliographic instruction all along information literacy is fairly new

Collaboration

The majority of respondents 103 or 78 describe their BIL instruc-tion as collaborative Of this number 73 state there is some collabora-

Martha Cooney 11

10 Do NotProvide BIL

90 Provide BIL

FIGURE 1 Business Information Literacy (BIL) Instruction

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tion 20 indicate there is quite a bit of collaboration and 7 feel thatthere is full collaboration between their library and the business facultyat their institution (Figure 4) The most common responses to the kindsof collaborative efforts include jointly developed goals and objectivesfor business information literacy instruction (51) and jointly devel-oped information literacy-related assignments (50) (Figure 5) Veryfew only 6 of respondents indicated that they collaborated in jointlygraded information literacy-related assignments When commenting onother collaborative efforts respondents mentioned most often that theycollaborate through discussions with faculty prior to instruction ses-sions and by gearing the instruction sessions to specific assignments

12 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIPP

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Res

po

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ents 100

80

60

40

20

0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

FIGURE 2 How Is BIL Instruction Provided

1 in a general IL program2 in on-demand instruction to business classes3 integrated in core business courses4 integrated in other business courses5 in a BIL course (no credit)6 in a BIL course (for credit)7 in a print tutorial8 in an online tutorial9 other

37Established

27 JustStarting

36 Mid-way

FIGURE 3 BIL Instruction Efforts So Far

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and course objectives A challenge to collaboration mentioned by sev-eral respondents is getting faculty interested and involved Some facultyand Deans are very interested and others are not at all

Information Literacy Competency Standards

Of the 132 institutions responding to the questionnaire 34 or 45 re-spondents have incorporated ACRLrsquos Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards into their BIL instruction and 66 or 87 respondentshave not (Figure 6)

Of the 45 respondents who have incorporated the Standards 76 useStandard one (The information literate student determines the nature andextent of information needed) 98 use Standard two (The informationliterate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently)

Martha Cooney 13

20 Quite a bit ofCollaboration

7 FullCollaboration

73 SomeCollaboration

FIGURE 4 Level of Collaboration

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4

FIGURE 5 Types of Collaboration

1 jointly developed IL assignments2 jointly graded IL assignments3 jointly developed goals and objectives for BIL instruction4 other collaborative efforts

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89 use Standard three (The information literate student evaluates infor-mation and its sources critically and incorporates selected informationinto his or her knowledge base and value system) 84 use Standard four(The information literate student individually or as a member of a groupuses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose) and 62use Standard five (The information literate student understands many ofthe economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) (Figure 7)

This group was also asked what they have found as a result of incor-porating the Standards into their BIL instruction (Table 3) Although amajority of respondents state that the Standards have for the most parthad a positive impact on their teaching efforts (59) especially in re-gard to providing more focus (74) and providing a good means tomeasure student learning outcomes (49) only 38 assert that theStandards have made the assessment process easier and 55 of thisgroup are undecided Although the results relating to the use of the Stan-dards are mixed the comments of several respondents are echoed in thewords of one who said

The Standards make it easier to talk to faculty about incorporatinginformation literacy into their instruction for a number of reasonsthey are written in academic language for one and they also showfaculty that information literacy is an achievable rather than mys-terious goal

While 34 have incorporated the use of the Standards into their BILinstruction efforts clearly a large majority 66 have not (Figure 6)When asked to respond to statements on why they are not using theStandards 43 stated that they plan to in the future 31 have no plansto incorporate the Standards and 22 are not familiar with the Stan-dards Four percent (3 respondents) stated that they do not agree withthe Standards Several respondents who made comments stated that the

14 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

66 Do not usein BIL

instruction

34 Use in BILinstruction

FIGURE 6 IL Competency Standards and BIL

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Standards are not appropriate for graduate business students Two re-spondents felt that the Standards are too complex and wordy and that itis difficult to know where to begin Others reported that they are alreadyaddressing the Standards in instruction without formally doing so orthat the Standards are used in a freshman information literacy course

Assessment

In the area of assessment only 27 assess their studentsrsquo businessinformation literacy (Figure 8)

Martha Cooney 15

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4 5

FIGURE 7 Use of IL Competency Standards

Information Literacy Competency StandardsThe information literate student1 determines the nature and extent of information needed2 accesses needed information effectively and efficiently3 evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into

his or her knowledge base and value system4 uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose5 understands many of the economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informa-

tion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally(ACRLndashhttpwwwALAorgacrlilcomstanhtml)

TABLE 3 Information Literacy Competency Standards What Have You Found

Statement Yes No Undecided

The Standards provide more focus to our teaching efforts 74 2 24

The Standards make the assessment process easier 38 7 55

The Standards provide a good means to measure studentlearning outcomes

49 12 39

The Standards have positively affected the results of ourteaching efforts

59 2 39

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

4035

30

25

2015

10

50P

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

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tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

Martha Cooney 21

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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sponse when she surveyed libraries concerning document delivery ofbusiness articles

The Questionnaire

A questionnaire was developed to explore the business informationliteracy (BIL) practices at AACSB-accredited colleges and universitiesQuestions focused on who provides BIL instruction how it is providedand for which students the nature of collaborative efforts between li-brarian and business faculty use of the Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards for Higher Education and the assessment of businessstudentsrsquo information literacy The questionnaire included 18 multi-partquestions for a total of 78 items Most questions asked the respondentto check items from a list Of the 78 questionnaire items there wereeight open-ended questions in the form of comments sections or ldquootherplease specifyrdquo items A copy of the questionnaire is included in the Ap-pendix

Procedure

The e-mail survey was conducted in June and July of 2003 success-fully delivering the questionnaire to 392 or 98 of the librarians tar-geted at the 399 AACSB accredited schools E-mail addresses could notbe located for four schools and for three other schools the question-naire could not be delivered despite repeated attempts

In order to have more control over the sending of the questionnairefive separate distribution lists with 70-80 names each were created andsent out over a period of nine days The e-mail distribution lists weresent as blind copies so that recipients did not have to scroll through longlists of recipient names to get to the body of the e-mail and also to pro-vide a level of privacy The questionnaire was embedded in the body ofthe e-mail rather than as an attachment so recipients did not have to openanother document Recipients were asked to forward the questionnaireto a colleague if they were not the appropriate person to fill out the ques-tionnaire Respondents filled out the questionnaire by pressing the replybutton in their e-mail program and placing an X in the appropriate spacenext to the question After each questionnaire was returned an ac-knowledgement was sent to the respondent

A total of 146 questionnaires were returned for an overall responserate of 37 Of the 146 completed questionnaires two were returned intraditional mail A reminder e-mail message sent on day 25 of the sur-

8 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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vey significantly increased the total response to the survey from 24(pre-reminder) to the final 37 response The response to this surveysurpassed the response rate of 26 achieved by the National Informa-tion Literacy Survey in 2001

RESULTS

Respondents

An analysis (Table 1) of the 146 responding libraries using the Car-negie Classification (2000) shows that the majority are at doctoralre-search universities (56) and masterrsquos level (40) colleges anduniversities Sixty-eight percent of the responding libraries are publicinstitutions and 32 are private

An analysis by title of the person filling out the questionnaire (Table2) indicates that 57 are either a business librarian or a business liaison22 are instruction librarians 13 are reference librarians 4 areheads of library and 4 indicated another title This result confirmsthat the questionnaire was received and filled out by the librarians that itwas intended for

Questionnaires were received from respondents in 42 states with thehighest number of responses coming from California and Texas eachrepresented by 11 responses and New York with 10 responses The aver-age number of librarians providing information literacy instruction tobusiness students per year at responding institutions was 24 and the av-erage number of information literacy sessions taught per year was 344

Martha Cooney 9

TABLE 1 Respondents by Institution Type

Governance Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

Public 100 68

Private 46 32

Carnegie Classification Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

DoctoralResearch 82 56

Masterrsquos 59 40

Baccalaureate 4 3

Specialized 1 1

TOTAL 146 100

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Business Information Literacy Instruction

Ninety percent or 132 of the respondents answered that they provideinformation literacy instruction to business majors or to students whowill become business majors (Figure 1)

Using the ALA (1989) definition of information literacy business in-formation literacy (BIL) was defined on the survey as

specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed andhave the ability to locate evaluate and use effectively the neededinformationrdquo

Of the 132 who responded affirmatively 80 provide BIL instruc-tion in the campus library 77 provide BIL in a classroom and 20provide BIL in the business library Respondents were asked to checkall venues that applied In addition 14 indicated that they offer BIL inother places such as in computer and trading labs in the businessschool or through the Web In reviewing these results the researcherrealized there may have been some confusion as to the meaning of theclassroom as a place of instruction The original intent of this questionwas to differentiate between instruction offered in the library and in-struction offered by librarians in business program classrooms Somerespondents may have interpreted this question to mean a library class-room rather than a business school classroom

BIL instruction is provided by reference or instruction librarians(51) business librarians in the general library (50) librarian liaisons(23) and business librarians in the business library (17) Seven per-cent of respondents commented that others such as school of businessfaculty a graduate services librarian a distance education librarian gov-

10 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

TABLE 2 Respondents by Title

Title Number of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Business LibrarianLiaison 73 57

Instruction Librarian 28 22

Reference Librarian 16 13

Head of Library 5 4

Other 5 4

Total Responding 127 100

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ernment documents librarians and reference assistantsspecialists whodo not have MLS degrees also provide BIL instruction

The results in Figure 2 show that information literacy instruction is mostoften provided in on-demand instruction presentations to business classes(92) Next in frequency was 38 who provide BIL instruction in a gen-eral (non-discipline specific) information literacy program Thirty-five per-cent providing BIL instruction do so by integrating it into core businessprogram courses and 17 integrate BIL instruction in other business pro-gram courses Quite a number of respondents 23 use an online tutorial aswell Only 3 and 4 respectively provide instruction in a BIL course forno credit or a BIL course for credit In comments that were made to this ques-tion respondents most frequently mentioned that they also provide BIL in-struction through print and online (Web-based) pathfinders and guidesregular orientations to new graduate students and consultations with stu-dents either at the reference desk or in one-to-one meetings Databaseinstruction specialized workshops and a CD-ROM orientation disk wereeach mentioned once

Information literacy instruction is most often provided to businessstudents who are graduate students (86) or juniors or seniors (each85) Sixty-four percent of respondents indicated that they provide in-formation literacy instruction to freshmen and 69 provide informationliteracy instruction to sophomores

In describing their business information literacy instruction so far (Figure3) 37 stated that their efforts are established 36 are mid-way and 27feel that their efforts are just starting Several respondents commented thattheir efforts are always evolving and that although they have been provid-ing bibliographic instruction all along information literacy is fairly new

Collaboration

The majority of respondents 103 or 78 describe their BIL instruc-tion as collaborative Of this number 73 state there is some collabora-

Martha Cooney 11

10 Do NotProvide BIL

90 Provide BIL

FIGURE 1 Business Information Literacy (BIL) Instruction

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tion 20 indicate there is quite a bit of collaboration and 7 feel thatthere is full collaboration between their library and the business facultyat their institution (Figure 4) The most common responses to the kindsof collaborative efforts include jointly developed goals and objectivesfor business information literacy instruction (51) and jointly devel-oped information literacy-related assignments (50) (Figure 5) Veryfew only 6 of respondents indicated that they collaborated in jointlygraded information literacy-related assignments When commenting onother collaborative efforts respondents mentioned most often that theycollaborate through discussions with faculty prior to instruction ses-sions and by gearing the instruction sessions to specific assignments

12 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIPP

erce

nta

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of

Res

po

nd

ents 100

80

60

40

20

0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

FIGURE 2 How Is BIL Instruction Provided

1 in a general IL program2 in on-demand instruction to business classes3 integrated in core business courses4 integrated in other business courses5 in a BIL course (no credit)6 in a BIL course (for credit)7 in a print tutorial8 in an online tutorial9 other

37Established

27 JustStarting

36 Mid-way

FIGURE 3 BIL Instruction Efforts So Far

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and course objectives A challenge to collaboration mentioned by sev-eral respondents is getting faculty interested and involved Some facultyand Deans are very interested and others are not at all

Information Literacy Competency Standards

Of the 132 institutions responding to the questionnaire 34 or 45 re-spondents have incorporated ACRLrsquos Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards into their BIL instruction and 66 or 87 respondentshave not (Figure 6)

Of the 45 respondents who have incorporated the Standards 76 useStandard one (The information literate student determines the nature andextent of information needed) 98 use Standard two (The informationliterate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently)

Martha Cooney 13

20 Quite a bit ofCollaboration

7 FullCollaboration

73 SomeCollaboration

FIGURE 4 Level of Collaboration

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4

FIGURE 5 Types of Collaboration

1 jointly developed IL assignments2 jointly graded IL assignments3 jointly developed goals and objectives for BIL instruction4 other collaborative efforts

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89 use Standard three (The information literate student evaluates infor-mation and its sources critically and incorporates selected informationinto his or her knowledge base and value system) 84 use Standard four(The information literate student individually or as a member of a groupuses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose) and 62use Standard five (The information literate student understands many ofthe economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) (Figure 7)

This group was also asked what they have found as a result of incor-porating the Standards into their BIL instruction (Table 3) Although amajority of respondents state that the Standards have for the most parthad a positive impact on their teaching efforts (59) especially in re-gard to providing more focus (74) and providing a good means tomeasure student learning outcomes (49) only 38 assert that theStandards have made the assessment process easier and 55 of thisgroup are undecided Although the results relating to the use of the Stan-dards are mixed the comments of several respondents are echoed in thewords of one who said

The Standards make it easier to talk to faculty about incorporatinginformation literacy into their instruction for a number of reasonsthey are written in academic language for one and they also showfaculty that information literacy is an achievable rather than mys-terious goal

While 34 have incorporated the use of the Standards into their BILinstruction efforts clearly a large majority 66 have not (Figure 6)When asked to respond to statements on why they are not using theStandards 43 stated that they plan to in the future 31 have no plansto incorporate the Standards and 22 are not familiar with the Stan-dards Four percent (3 respondents) stated that they do not agree withthe Standards Several respondents who made comments stated that the

14 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

66 Do not usein BIL

instruction

34 Use in BILinstruction

FIGURE 6 IL Competency Standards and BIL

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Standards are not appropriate for graduate business students Two re-spondents felt that the Standards are too complex and wordy and that itis difficult to know where to begin Others reported that they are alreadyaddressing the Standards in instruction without formally doing so orthat the Standards are used in a freshman information literacy course

Assessment

In the area of assessment only 27 assess their studentsrsquo businessinformation literacy (Figure 8)

Martha Cooney 15

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4 5

FIGURE 7 Use of IL Competency Standards

Information Literacy Competency StandardsThe information literate student1 determines the nature and extent of information needed2 accesses needed information effectively and efficiently3 evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into

his or her knowledge base and value system4 uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose5 understands many of the economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informa-

tion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally(ACRLndashhttpwwwALAorgacrlilcomstanhtml)

TABLE 3 Information Literacy Competency Standards What Have You Found

Statement Yes No Undecided

The Standards provide more focus to our teaching efforts 74 2 24

The Standards make the assessment process easier 38 7 55

The Standards provide a good means to measure studentlearning outcomes

49 12 39

The Standards have positively affected the results of ourteaching efforts

59 2 39

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

4035

30

25

2015

10

50P

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

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tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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2014

into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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2014

Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

Martha Cooney 21

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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vey significantly increased the total response to the survey from 24(pre-reminder) to the final 37 response The response to this surveysurpassed the response rate of 26 achieved by the National Informa-tion Literacy Survey in 2001

RESULTS

Respondents

An analysis (Table 1) of the 146 responding libraries using the Car-negie Classification (2000) shows that the majority are at doctoralre-search universities (56) and masterrsquos level (40) colleges anduniversities Sixty-eight percent of the responding libraries are publicinstitutions and 32 are private

An analysis by title of the person filling out the questionnaire (Table2) indicates that 57 are either a business librarian or a business liaison22 are instruction librarians 13 are reference librarians 4 areheads of library and 4 indicated another title This result confirmsthat the questionnaire was received and filled out by the librarians that itwas intended for

Questionnaires were received from respondents in 42 states with thehighest number of responses coming from California and Texas eachrepresented by 11 responses and New York with 10 responses The aver-age number of librarians providing information literacy instruction tobusiness students per year at responding institutions was 24 and the av-erage number of information literacy sessions taught per year was 344

Martha Cooney 9

TABLE 1 Respondents by Institution Type

Governance Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

Public 100 68

Private 46 32

Carnegie Classification Number of Respondents Percentage of Total

DoctoralResearch 82 56

Masterrsquos 59 40

Baccalaureate 4 3

Specialized 1 1

TOTAL 146 100

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Business Information Literacy Instruction

Ninety percent or 132 of the respondents answered that they provideinformation literacy instruction to business majors or to students whowill become business majors (Figure 1)

Using the ALA (1989) definition of information literacy business in-formation literacy (BIL) was defined on the survey as

specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed andhave the ability to locate evaluate and use effectively the neededinformationrdquo

Of the 132 who responded affirmatively 80 provide BIL instruc-tion in the campus library 77 provide BIL in a classroom and 20provide BIL in the business library Respondents were asked to checkall venues that applied In addition 14 indicated that they offer BIL inother places such as in computer and trading labs in the businessschool or through the Web In reviewing these results the researcherrealized there may have been some confusion as to the meaning of theclassroom as a place of instruction The original intent of this questionwas to differentiate between instruction offered in the library and in-struction offered by librarians in business program classrooms Somerespondents may have interpreted this question to mean a library class-room rather than a business school classroom

BIL instruction is provided by reference or instruction librarians(51) business librarians in the general library (50) librarian liaisons(23) and business librarians in the business library (17) Seven per-cent of respondents commented that others such as school of businessfaculty a graduate services librarian a distance education librarian gov-

10 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

TABLE 2 Respondents by Title

Title Number of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Business LibrarianLiaison 73 57

Instruction Librarian 28 22

Reference Librarian 16 13

Head of Library 5 4

Other 5 4

Total Responding 127 100

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ernment documents librarians and reference assistantsspecialists whodo not have MLS degrees also provide BIL instruction

The results in Figure 2 show that information literacy instruction is mostoften provided in on-demand instruction presentations to business classes(92) Next in frequency was 38 who provide BIL instruction in a gen-eral (non-discipline specific) information literacy program Thirty-five per-cent providing BIL instruction do so by integrating it into core businessprogram courses and 17 integrate BIL instruction in other business pro-gram courses Quite a number of respondents 23 use an online tutorial aswell Only 3 and 4 respectively provide instruction in a BIL course forno credit or a BIL course for credit In comments that were made to this ques-tion respondents most frequently mentioned that they also provide BIL in-struction through print and online (Web-based) pathfinders and guidesregular orientations to new graduate students and consultations with stu-dents either at the reference desk or in one-to-one meetings Databaseinstruction specialized workshops and a CD-ROM orientation disk wereeach mentioned once

Information literacy instruction is most often provided to businessstudents who are graduate students (86) or juniors or seniors (each85) Sixty-four percent of respondents indicated that they provide in-formation literacy instruction to freshmen and 69 provide informationliteracy instruction to sophomores

In describing their business information literacy instruction so far (Figure3) 37 stated that their efforts are established 36 are mid-way and 27feel that their efforts are just starting Several respondents commented thattheir efforts are always evolving and that although they have been provid-ing bibliographic instruction all along information literacy is fairly new

Collaboration

The majority of respondents 103 or 78 describe their BIL instruc-tion as collaborative Of this number 73 state there is some collabora-

Martha Cooney 11

10 Do NotProvide BIL

90 Provide BIL

FIGURE 1 Business Information Literacy (BIL) Instruction

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tion 20 indicate there is quite a bit of collaboration and 7 feel thatthere is full collaboration between their library and the business facultyat their institution (Figure 4) The most common responses to the kindsof collaborative efforts include jointly developed goals and objectivesfor business information literacy instruction (51) and jointly devel-oped information literacy-related assignments (50) (Figure 5) Veryfew only 6 of respondents indicated that they collaborated in jointlygraded information literacy-related assignments When commenting onother collaborative efforts respondents mentioned most often that theycollaborate through discussions with faculty prior to instruction ses-sions and by gearing the instruction sessions to specific assignments

12 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIPP

erce

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Res

po

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ents 100

80

60

40

20

0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

FIGURE 2 How Is BIL Instruction Provided

1 in a general IL program2 in on-demand instruction to business classes3 integrated in core business courses4 integrated in other business courses5 in a BIL course (no credit)6 in a BIL course (for credit)7 in a print tutorial8 in an online tutorial9 other

37Established

27 JustStarting

36 Mid-way

FIGURE 3 BIL Instruction Efforts So Far

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and course objectives A challenge to collaboration mentioned by sev-eral respondents is getting faculty interested and involved Some facultyand Deans are very interested and others are not at all

Information Literacy Competency Standards

Of the 132 institutions responding to the questionnaire 34 or 45 re-spondents have incorporated ACRLrsquos Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards into their BIL instruction and 66 or 87 respondentshave not (Figure 6)

Of the 45 respondents who have incorporated the Standards 76 useStandard one (The information literate student determines the nature andextent of information needed) 98 use Standard two (The informationliterate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently)

Martha Cooney 13

20 Quite a bit ofCollaboration

7 FullCollaboration

73 SomeCollaboration

FIGURE 4 Level of Collaboration

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4

FIGURE 5 Types of Collaboration

1 jointly developed IL assignments2 jointly graded IL assignments3 jointly developed goals and objectives for BIL instruction4 other collaborative efforts

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89 use Standard three (The information literate student evaluates infor-mation and its sources critically and incorporates selected informationinto his or her knowledge base and value system) 84 use Standard four(The information literate student individually or as a member of a groupuses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose) and 62use Standard five (The information literate student understands many ofthe economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) (Figure 7)

This group was also asked what they have found as a result of incor-porating the Standards into their BIL instruction (Table 3) Although amajority of respondents state that the Standards have for the most parthad a positive impact on their teaching efforts (59) especially in re-gard to providing more focus (74) and providing a good means tomeasure student learning outcomes (49) only 38 assert that theStandards have made the assessment process easier and 55 of thisgroup are undecided Although the results relating to the use of the Stan-dards are mixed the comments of several respondents are echoed in thewords of one who said

The Standards make it easier to talk to faculty about incorporatinginformation literacy into their instruction for a number of reasonsthey are written in academic language for one and they also showfaculty that information literacy is an achievable rather than mys-terious goal

While 34 have incorporated the use of the Standards into their BILinstruction efforts clearly a large majority 66 have not (Figure 6)When asked to respond to statements on why they are not using theStandards 43 stated that they plan to in the future 31 have no plansto incorporate the Standards and 22 are not familiar with the Stan-dards Four percent (3 respondents) stated that they do not agree withthe Standards Several respondents who made comments stated that the

14 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

66 Do not usein BIL

instruction

34 Use in BILinstruction

FIGURE 6 IL Competency Standards and BIL

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Standards are not appropriate for graduate business students Two re-spondents felt that the Standards are too complex and wordy and that itis difficult to know where to begin Others reported that they are alreadyaddressing the Standards in instruction without formally doing so orthat the Standards are used in a freshman information literacy course

Assessment

In the area of assessment only 27 assess their studentsrsquo businessinformation literacy (Figure 8)

Martha Cooney 15

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4 5

FIGURE 7 Use of IL Competency Standards

Information Literacy Competency StandardsThe information literate student1 determines the nature and extent of information needed2 accesses needed information effectively and efficiently3 evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into

his or her knowledge base and value system4 uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose5 understands many of the economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informa-

tion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally(ACRLndashhttpwwwALAorgacrlilcomstanhtml)

TABLE 3 Information Literacy Competency Standards What Have You Found

Statement Yes No Undecided

The Standards provide more focus to our teaching efforts 74 2 24

The Standards make the assessment process easier 38 7 55

The Standards provide a good means to measure studentlearning outcomes

49 12 39

The Standards have positively affected the results of ourteaching efforts

59 2 39

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

4035

30

25

2015

10

50P

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

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tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

Martha Cooney 21

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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Business Information Literacy Instruction

Ninety percent or 132 of the respondents answered that they provideinformation literacy instruction to business majors or to students whowill become business majors (Figure 1)

Using the ALA (1989) definition of information literacy business in-formation literacy (BIL) was defined on the survey as

specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed andhave the ability to locate evaluate and use effectively the neededinformationrdquo

Of the 132 who responded affirmatively 80 provide BIL instruc-tion in the campus library 77 provide BIL in a classroom and 20provide BIL in the business library Respondents were asked to checkall venues that applied In addition 14 indicated that they offer BIL inother places such as in computer and trading labs in the businessschool or through the Web In reviewing these results the researcherrealized there may have been some confusion as to the meaning of theclassroom as a place of instruction The original intent of this questionwas to differentiate between instruction offered in the library and in-struction offered by librarians in business program classrooms Somerespondents may have interpreted this question to mean a library class-room rather than a business school classroom

BIL instruction is provided by reference or instruction librarians(51) business librarians in the general library (50) librarian liaisons(23) and business librarians in the business library (17) Seven per-cent of respondents commented that others such as school of businessfaculty a graduate services librarian a distance education librarian gov-

10 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

TABLE 2 Respondents by Title

Title Number of Respondents Percentage of Respondents

Business LibrarianLiaison 73 57

Instruction Librarian 28 22

Reference Librarian 16 13

Head of Library 5 4

Other 5 4

Total Responding 127 100

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ernment documents librarians and reference assistantsspecialists whodo not have MLS degrees also provide BIL instruction

The results in Figure 2 show that information literacy instruction is mostoften provided in on-demand instruction presentations to business classes(92) Next in frequency was 38 who provide BIL instruction in a gen-eral (non-discipline specific) information literacy program Thirty-five per-cent providing BIL instruction do so by integrating it into core businessprogram courses and 17 integrate BIL instruction in other business pro-gram courses Quite a number of respondents 23 use an online tutorial aswell Only 3 and 4 respectively provide instruction in a BIL course forno credit or a BIL course for credit In comments that were made to this ques-tion respondents most frequently mentioned that they also provide BIL in-struction through print and online (Web-based) pathfinders and guidesregular orientations to new graduate students and consultations with stu-dents either at the reference desk or in one-to-one meetings Databaseinstruction specialized workshops and a CD-ROM orientation disk wereeach mentioned once

Information literacy instruction is most often provided to businessstudents who are graduate students (86) or juniors or seniors (each85) Sixty-four percent of respondents indicated that they provide in-formation literacy instruction to freshmen and 69 provide informationliteracy instruction to sophomores

In describing their business information literacy instruction so far (Figure3) 37 stated that their efforts are established 36 are mid-way and 27feel that their efforts are just starting Several respondents commented thattheir efforts are always evolving and that although they have been provid-ing bibliographic instruction all along information literacy is fairly new

Collaboration

The majority of respondents 103 or 78 describe their BIL instruc-tion as collaborative Of this number 73 state there is some collabora-

Martha Cooney 11

10 Do NotProvide BIL

90 Provide BIL

FIGURE 1 Business Information Literacy (BIL) Instruction

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tion 20 indicate there is quite a bit of collaboration and 7 feel thatthere is full collaboration between their library and the business facultyat their institution (Figure 4) The most common responses to the kindsof collaborative efforts include jointly developed goals and objectivesfor business information literacy instruction (51) and jointly devel-oped information literacy-related assignments (50) (Figure 5) Veryfew only 6 of respondents indicated that they collaborated in jointlygraded information literacy-related assignments When commenting onother collaborative efforts respondents mentioned most often that theycollaborate through discussions with faculty prior to instruction ses-sions and by gearing the instruction sessions to specific assignments

12 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIPP

erce

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ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents 100

80

60

40

20

0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

FIGURE 2 How Is BIL Instruction Provided

1 in a general IL program2 in on-demand instruction to business classes3 integrated in core business courses4 integrated in other business courses5 in a BIL course (no credit)6 in a BIL course (for credit)7 in a print tutorial8 in an online tutorial9 other

37Established

27 JustStarting

36 Mid-way

FIGURE 3 BIL Instruction Efforts So Far

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and course objectives A challenge to collaboration mentioned by sev-eral respondents is getting faculty interested and involved Some facultyand Deans are very interested and others are not at all

Information Literacy Competency Standards

Of the 132 institutions responding to the questionnaire 34 or 45 re-spondents have incorporated ACRLrsquos Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards into their BIL instruction and 66 or 87 respondentshave not (Figure 6)

Of the 45 respondents who have incorporated the Standards 76 useStandard one (The information literate student determines the nature andextent of information needed) 98 use Standard two (The informationliterate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently)

Martha Cooney 13

20 Quite a bit ofCollaboration

7 FullCollaboration

73 SomeCollaboration

FIGURE 4 Level of Collaboration

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4

FIGURE 5 Types of Collaboration

1 jointly developed IL assignments2 jointly graded IL assignments3 jointly developed goals and objectives for BIL instruction4 other collaborative efforts

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89 use Standard three (The information literate student evaluates infor-mation and its sources critically and incorporates selected informationinto his or her knowledge base and value system) 84 use Standard four(The information literate student individually or as a member of a groupuses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose) and 62use Standard five (The information literate student understands many ofthe economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) (Figure 7)

This group was also asked what they have found as a result of incor-porating the Standards into their BIL instruction (Table 3) Although amajority of respondents state that the Standards have for the most parthad a positive impact on their teaching efforts (59) especially in re-gard to providing more focus (74) and providing a good means tomeasure student learning outcomes (49) only 38 assert that theStandards have made the assessment process easier and 55 of thisgroup are undecided Although the results relating to the use of the Stan-dards are mixed the comments of several respondents are echoed in thewords of one who said

The Standards make it easier to talk to faculty about incorporatinginformation literacy into their instruction for a number of reasonsthey are written in academic language for one and they also showfaculty that information literacy is an achievable rather than mys-terious goal

While 34 have incorporated the use of the Standards into their BILinstruction efforts clearly a large majority 66 have not (Figure 6)When asked to respond to statements on why they are not using theStandards 43 stated that they plan to in the future 31 have no plansto incorporate the Standards and 22 are not familiar with the Stan-dards Four percent (3 respondents) stated that they do not agree withthe Standards Several respondents who made comments stated that the

14 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

66 Do not usein BIL

instruction

34 Use in BILinstruction

FIGURE 6 IL Competency Standards and BIL

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Standards are not appropriate for graduate business students Two re-spondents felt that the Standards are too complex and wordy and that itis difficult to know where to begin Others reported that they are alreadyaddressing the Standards in instruction without formally doing so orthat the Standards are used in a freshman information literacy course

Assessment

In the area of assessment only 27 assess their studentsrsquo businessinformation literacy (Figure 8)

Martha Cooney 15

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4 5

FIGURE 7 Use of IL Competency Standards

Information Literacy Competency StandardsThe information literate student1 determines the nature and extent of information needed2 accesses needed information effectively and efficiently3 evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into

his or her knowledge base and value system4 uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose5 understands many of the economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informa-

tion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally(ACRLndashhttpwwwALAorgacrlilcomstanhtml)

TABLE 3 Information Literacy Competency Standards What Have You Found

Statement Yes No Undecided

The Standards provide more focus to our teaching efforts 74 2 24

The Standards make the assessment process easier 38 7 55

The Standards provide a good means to measure studentlearning outcomes

49 12 39

The Standards have positively affected the results of ourteaching efforts

59 2 39

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

4035

30

25

2015

10

50P

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

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tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

Martha Cooney 21

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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ernment documents librarians and reference assistantsspecialists whodo not have MLS degrees also provide BIL instruction

The results in Figure 2 show that information literacy instruction is mostoften provided in on-demand instruction presentations to business classes(92) Next in frequency was 38 who provide BIL instruction in a gen-eral (non-discipline specific) information literacy program Thirty-five per-cent providing BIL instruction do so by integrating it into core businessprogram courses and 17 integrate BIL instruction in other business pro-gram courses Quite a number of respondents 23 use an online tutorial aswell Only 3 and 4 respectively provide instruction in a BIL course forno credit or a BIL course for credit In comments that were made to this ques-tion respondents most frequently mentioned that they also provide BIL in-struction through print and online (Web-based) pathfinders and guidesregular orientations to new graduate students and consultations with stu-dents either at the reference desk or in one-to-one meetings Databaseinstruction specialized workshops and a CD-ROM orientation disk wereeach mentioned once

Information literacy instruction is most often provided to businessstudents who are graduate students (86) or juniors or seniors (each85) Sixty-four percent of respondents indicated that they provide in-formation literacy instruction to freshmen and 69 provide informationliteracy instruction to sophomores

In describing their business information literacy instruction so far (Figure3) 37 stated that their efforts are established 36 are mid-way and 27feel that their efforts are just starting Several respondents commented thattheir efforts are always evolving and that although they have been provid-ing bibliographic instruction all along information literacy is fairly new

Collaboration

The majority of respondents 103 or 78 describe their BIL instruc-tion as collaborative Of this number 73 state there is some collabora-

Martha Cooney 11

10 Do NotProvide BIL

90 Provide BIL

FIGURE 1 Business Information Literacy (BIL) Instruction

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tion 20 indicate there is quite a bit of collaboration and 7 feel thatthere is full collaboration between their library and the business facultyat their institution (Figure 4) The most common responses to the kindsof collaborative efforts include jointly developed goals and objectivesfor business information literacy instruction (51) and jointly devel-oped information literacy-related assignments (50) (Figure 5) Veryfew only 6 of respondents indicated that they collaborated in jointlygraded information literacy-related assignments When commenting onother collaborative efforts respondents mentioned most often that theycollaborate through discussions with faculty prior to instruction ses-sions and by gearing the instruction sessions to specific assignments

12 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIPP

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents 100

80

60

40

20

0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

FIGURE 2 How Is BIL Instruction Provided

1 in a general IL program2 in on-demand instruction to business classes3 integrated in core business courses4 integrated in other business courses5 in a BIL course (no credit)6 in a BIL course (for credit)7 in a print tutorial8 in an online tutorial9 other

37Established

27 JustStarting

36 Mid-way

FIGURE 3 BIL Instruction Efforts So Far

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and course objectives A challenge to collaboration mentioned by sev-eral respondents is getting faculty interested and involved Some facultyand Deans are very interested and others are not at all

Information Literacy Competency Standards

Of the 132 institutions responding to the questionnaire 34 or 45 re-spondents have incorporated ACRLrsquos Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards into their BIL instruction and 66 or 87 respondentshave not (Figure 6)

Of the 45 respondents who have incorporated the Standards 76 useStandard one (The information literate student determines the nature andextent of information needed) 98 use Standard two (The informationliterate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently)

Martha Cooney 13

20 Quite a bit ofCollaboration

7 FullCollaboration

73 SomeCollaboration

FIGURE 4 Level of Collaboration

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Per

cen

tag

eo

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esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4

FIGURE 5 Types of Collaboration

1 jointly developed IL assignments2 jointly graded IL assignments3 jointly developed goals and objectives for BIL instruction4 other collaborative efforts

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89 use Standard three (The information literate student evaluates infor-mation and its sources critically and incorporates selected informationinto his or her knowledge base and value system) 84 use Standard four(The information literate student individually or as a member of a groupuses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose) and 62use Standard five (The information literate student understands many ofthe economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) (Figure 7)

This group was also asked what they have found as a result of incor-porating the Standards into their BIL instruction (Table 3) Although amajority of respondents state that the Standards have for the most parthad a positive impact on their teaching efforts (59) especially in re-gard to providing more focus (74) and providing a good means tomeasure student learning outcomes (49) only 38 assert that theStandards have made the assessment process easier and 55 of thisgroup are undecided Although the results relating to the use of the Stan-dards are mixed the comments of several respondents are echoed in thewords of one who said

The Standards make it easier to talk to faculty about incorporatinginformation literacy into their instruction for a number of reasonsthey are written in academic language for one and they also showfaculty that information literacy is an achievable rather than mys-terious goal

While 34 have incorporated the use of the Standards into their BILinstruction efforts clearly a large majority 66 have not (Figure 6)When asked to respond to statements on why they are not using theStandards 43 stated that they plan to in the future 31 have no plansto incorporate the Standards and 22 are not familiar with the Stan-dards Four percent (3 respondents) stated that they do not agree withthe Standards Several respondents who made comments stated that the

14 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

66 Do not usein BIL

instruction

34 Use in BILinstruction

FIGURE 6 IL Competency Standards and BIL

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Standards are not appropriate for graduate business students Two re-spondents felt that the Standards are too complex and wordy and that itis difficult to know where to begin Others reported that they are alreadyaddressing the Standards in instruction without formally doing so orthat the Standards are used in a freshman information literacy course

Assessment

In the area of assessment only 27 assess their studentsrsquo businessinformation literacy (Figure 8)

Martha Cooney 15

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Per

cen

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den

ts

1 2 3 4 5

FIGURE 7 Use of IL Competency Standards

Information Literacy Competency StandardsThe information literate student1 determines the nature and extent of information needed2 accesses needed information effectively and efficiently3 evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into

his or her knowledge base and value system4 uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose5 understands many of the economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informa-

tion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally(ACRLndashhttpwwwALAorgacrlilcomstanhtml)

TABLE 3 Information Literacy Competency Standards What Have You Found

Statement Yes No Undecided

The Standards provide more focus to our teaching efforts 74 2 24

The Standards make the assessment process easier 38 7 55

The Standards provide a good means to measure studentlearning outcomes

49 12 39

The Standards have positively affected the results of ourteaching efforts

59 2 39

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

4035

30

25

2015

10

50P

erce

nta

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of

Res

po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

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tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

Martha Cooney 21

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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tion 20 indicate there is quite a bit of collaboration and 7 feel thatthere is full collaboration between their library and the business facultyat their institution (Figure 4) The most common responses to the kindsof collaborative efforts include jointly developed goals and objectivesfor business information literacy instruction (51) and jointly devel-oped information literacy-related assignments (50) (Figure 5) Veryfew only 6 of respondents indicated that they collaborated in jointlygraded information literacy-related assignments When commenting onother collaborative efforts respondents mentioned most often that theycollaborate through discussions with faculty prior to instruction ses-sions and by gearing the instruction sessions to specific assignments

12 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIPP

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents 100

80

60

40

20

0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

FIGURE 2 How Is BIL Instruction Provided

1 in a general IL program2 in on-demand instruction to business classes3 integrated in core business courses4 integrated in other business courses5 in a BIL course (no credit)6 in a BIL course (for credit)7 in a print tutorial8 in an online tutorial9 other

37Established

27 JustStarting

36 Mid-way

FIGURE 3 BIL Instruction Efforts So Far

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and course objectives A challenge to collaboration mentioned by sev-eral respondents is getting faculty interested and involved Some facultyand Deans are very interested and others are not at all

Information Literacy Competency Standards

Of the 132 institutions responding to the questionnaire 34 or 45 re-spondents have incorporated ACRLrsquos Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards into their BIL instruction and 66 or 87 respondentshave not (Figure 6)

Of the 45 respondents who have incorporated the Standards 76 useStandard one (The information literate student determines the nature andextent of information needed) 98 use Standard two (The informationliterate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently)

Martha Cooney 13

20 Quite a bit ofCollaboration

7 FullCollaboration

73 SomeCollaboration

FIGURE 4 Level of Collaboration

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4

FIGURE 5 Types of Collaboration

1 jointly developed IL assignments2 jointly graded IL assignments3 jointly developed goals and objectives for BIL instruction4 other collaborative efforts

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89 use Standard three (The information literate student evaluates infor-mation and its sources critically and incorporates selected informationinto his or her knowledge base and value system) 84 use Standard four(The information literate student individually or as a member of a groupuses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose) and 62use Standard five (The information literate student understands many ofthe economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) (Figure 7)

This group was also asked what they have found as a result of incor-porating the Standards into their BIL instruction (Table 3) Although amajority of respondents state that the Standards have for the most parthad a positive impact on their teaching efforts (59) especially in re-gard to providing more focus (74) and providing a good means tomeasure student learning outcomes (49) only 38 assert that theStandards have made the assessment process easier and 55 of thisgroup are undecided Although the results relating to the use of the Stan-dards are mixed the comments of several respondents are echoed in thewords of one who said

The Standards make it easier to talk to faculty about incorporatinginformation literacy into their instruction for a number of reasonsthey are written in academic language for one and they also showfaculty that information literacy is an achievable rather than mys-terious goal

While 34 have incorporated the use of the Standards into their BILinstruction efforts clearly a large majority 66 have not (Figure 6)When asked to respond to statements on why they are not using theStandards 43 stated that they plan to in the future 31 have no plansto incorporate the Standards and 22 are not familiar with the Stan-dards Four percent (3 respondents) stated that they do not agree withthe Standards Several respondents who made comments stated that the

14 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

66 Do not usein BIL

instruction

34 Use in BILinstruction

FIGURE 6 IL Competency Standards and BIL

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Standards are not appropriate for graduate business students Two re-spondents felt that the Standards are too complex and wordy and that itis difficult to know where to begin Others reported that they are alreadyaddressing the Standards in instruction without formally doing so orthat the Standards are used in a freshman information literacy course

Assessment

In the area of assessment only 27 assess their studentsrsquo businessinformation literacy (Figure 8)

Martha Cooney 15

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4 5

FIGURE 7 Use of IL Competency Standards

Information Literacy Competency StandardsThe information literate student1 determines the nature and extent of information needed2 accesses needed information effectively and efficiently3 evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into

his or her knowledge base and value system4 uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose5 understands many of the economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informa-

tion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally(ACRLndashhttpwwwALAorgacrlilcomstanhtml)

TABLE 3 Information Literacy Competency Standards What Have You Found

Statement Yes No Undecided

The Standards provide more focus to our teaching efforts 74 2 24

The Standards make the assessment process easier 38 7 55

The Standards provide a good means to measure studentlearning outcomes

49 12 39

The Standards have positively affected the results of ourteaching efforts

59 2 39

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

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25

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50P

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of

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po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

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tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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2014

can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

Martha Cooney 21

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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and course objectives A challenge to collaboration mentioned by sev-eral respondents is getting faculty interested and involved Some facultyand Deans are very interested and others are not at all

Information Literacy Competency Standards

Of the 132 institutions responding to the questionnaire 34 or 45 re-spondents have incorporated ACRLrsquos Information Literacy Compe-tency Standards into their BIL instruction and 66 or 87 respondentshave not (Figure 6)

Of the 45 respondents who have incorporated the Standards 76 useStandard one (The information literate student determines the nature andextent of information needed) 98 use Standard two (The informationliterate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently)

Martha Cooney 13

20 Quite a bit ofCollaboration

7 FullCollaboration

73 SomeCollaboration

FIGURE 4 Level of Collaboration

60

50

40

30

20

10

0Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4

FIGURE 5 Types of Collaboration

1 jointly developed IL assignments2 jointly graded IL assignments3 jointly developed goals and objectives for BIL instruction4 other collaborative efforts

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89 use Standard three (The information literate student evaluates infor-mation and its sources critically and incorporates selected informationinto his or her knowledge base and value system) 84 use Standard four(The information literate student individually or as a member of a groupuses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose) and 62use Standard five (The information literate student understands many ofthe economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) (Figure 7)

This group was also asked what they have found as a result of incor-porating the Standards into their BIL instruction (Table 3) Although amajority of respondents state that the Standards have for the most parthad a positive impact on their teaching efforts (59) especially in re-gard to providing more focus (74) and providing a good means tomeasure student learning outcomes (49) only 38 assert that theStandards have made the assessment process easier and 55 of thisgroup are undecided Although the results relating to the use of the Stan-dards are mixed the comments of several respondents are echoed in thewords of one who said

The Standards make it easier to talk to faculty about incorporatinginformation literacy into their instruction for a number of reasonsthey are written in academic language for one and they also showfaculty that information literacy is an achievable rather than mys-terious goal

While 34 have incorporated the use of the Standards into their BILinstruction efforts clearly a large majority 66 have not (Figure 6)When asked to respond to statements on why they are not using theStandards 43 stated that they plan to in the future 31 have no plansto incorporate the Standards and 22 are not familiar with the Stan-dards Four percent (3 respondents) stated that they do not agree withthe Standards Several respondents who made comments stated that the

14 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

66 Do not usein BIL

instruction

34 Use in BILinstruction

FIGURE 6 IL Competency Standards and BIL

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Standards are not appropriate for graduate business students Two re-spondents felt that the Standards are too complex and wordy and that itis difficult to know where to begin Others reported that they are alreadyaddressing the Standards in instruction without formally doing so orthat the Standards are used in a freshman information literacy course

Assessment

In the area of assessment only 27 assess their studentsrsquo businessinformation literacy (Figure 8)

Martha Cooney 15

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4 5

FIGURE 7 Use of IL Competency Standards

Information Literacy Competency StandardsThe information literate student1 determines the nature and extent of information needed2 accesses needed information effectively and efficiently3 evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into

his or her knowledge base and value system4 uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose5 understands many of the economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informa-

tion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally(ACRLndashhttpwwwALAorgacrlilcomstanhtml)

TABLE 3 Information Literacy Competency Standards What Have You Found

Statement Yes No Undecided

The Standards provide more focus to our teaching efforts 74 2 24

The Standards make the assessment process easier 38 7 55

The Standards provide a good means to measure studentlearning outcomes

49 12 39

The Standards have positively affected the results of ourteaching efforts

59 2 39

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

4035

30

25

2015

10

50P

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

Dow

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rary

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2014

tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

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into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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89 use Standard three (The information literate student evaluates infor-mation and its sources critically and incorporates selected informationinto his or her knowledge base and value system) 84 use Standard four(The information literate student individually or as a member of a groupuses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose) and 62use Standard five (The information literate student understands many ofthe economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) (Figure 7)

This group was also asked what they have found as a result of incor-porating the Standards into their BIL instruction (Table 3) Although amajority of respondents state that the Standards have for the most parthad a positive impact on their teaching efforts (59) especially in re-gard to providing more focus (74) and providing a good means tomeasure student learning outcomes (49) only 38 assert that theStandards have made the assessment process easier and 55 of thisgroup are undecided Although the results relating to the use of the Stan-dards are mixed the comments of several respondents are echoed in thewords of one who said

The Standards make it easier to talk to faculty about incorporatinginformation literacy into their instruction for a number of reasonsthey are written in academic language for one and they also showfaculty that information literacy is an achievable rather than mys-terious goal

While 34 have incorporated the use of the Standards into their BILinstruction efforts clearly a large majority 66 have not (Figure 6)When asked to respond to statements on why they are not using theStandards 43 stated that they plan to in the future 31 have no plansto incorporate the Standards and 22 are not familiar with the Stan-dards Four percent (3 respondents) stated that they do not agree withthe Standards Several respondents who made comments stated that the

14 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

66 Do not usein BIL

instruction

34 Use in BILinstruction

FIGURE 6 IL Competency Standards and BIL

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Standards are not appropriate for graduate business students Two re-spondents felt that the Standards are too complex and wordy and that itis difficult to know where to begin Others reported that they are alreadyaddressing the Standards in instruction without formally doing so orthat the Standards are used in a freshman information literacy course

Assessment

In the area of assessment only 27 assess their studentsrsquo businessinformation literacy (Figure 8)

Martha Cooney 15

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4 5

FIGURE 7 Use of IL Competency Standards

Information Literacy Competency StandardsThe information literate student1 determines the nature and extent of information needed2 accesses needed information effectively and efficiently3 evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into

his or her knowledge base and value system4 uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose5 understands many of the economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informa-

tion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally(ACRLndashhttpwwwALAorgacrlilcomstanhtml)

TABLE 3 Information Literacy Competency Standards What Have You Found

Statement Yes No Undecided

The Standards provide more focus to our teaching efforts 74 2 24

The Standards make the assessment process easier 38 7 55

The Standards provide a good means to measure studentlearning outcomes

49 12 39

The Standards have positively affected the results of ourteaching efforts

59 2 39

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

4035

30

25

2015

10

50P

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

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tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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2014

can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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ded

by [

Fond

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Lib

rary

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e U

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] a

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43 2

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ovem

ber

2014

Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

Martha Cooney 21

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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Standards are not appropriate for graduate business students Two re-spondents felt that the Standards are too complex and wordy and that itis difficult to know where to begin Others reported that they are alreadyaddressing the Standards in instruction without formally doing so orthat the Standards are used in a freshman information literacy course

Assessment

In the area of assessment only 27 assess their studentsrsquo businessinformation literacy (Figure 8)

Martha Cooney 15

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Per

cen

tag

eo

fR

esp

on

den

ts

1 2 3 4 5

FIGURE 7 Use of IL Competency Standards

Information Literacy Competency StandardsThe information literate student1 determines the nature and extent of information needed2 accesses needed information effectively and efficiently3 evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into

his or her knowledge base and value system4 uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose5 understands many of the economic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informa-

tion and accesses and uses information ethically and legally(ACRLndashhttpwwwALAorgacrlilcomstanhtml)

TABLE 3 Information Literacy Competency Standards What Have You Found

Statement Yes No Undecided

The Standards provide more focus to our teaching efforts 74 2 24

The Standards make the assessment process easier 38 7 55

The Standards provide a good means to measure studentlearning outcomes

49 12 39

The Standards have positively affected the results of ourteaching efforts

59 2 39

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

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30

25

2015

10

50P

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

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2014

tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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2014

can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

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into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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Several respondents commented that they were currently working onassessment measures or that they assess their students in an informalmanner When asked how often they assess their business students (Fig-ure 9) 64 report that they assess them sometimes 24 assess theirbusiness students each time they are provided information literacy in-struction and 12 assess their business students many times when theyare provided information literacy instruction

When asked how they assess their studentsrsquo BIL (Figure 10) respon-dents most often (34) stated that they use a final project 29 use apost-test 20 use a pre-test 14 use a rubric (which was defined onthe questionnaire as a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimesin a rating scale) and 11 use tests or exams other than pre-tests andpost-tests Thirty-one percent also responded that they use a variety ofassignments to assess their studentsrsquo BIL Most of these are research as-signments asking the student to retrieve information Some commentedthat they assign annotated bibliographies or ask students to write up thestrategy they used in researching a specific question Other assessmentmeasures mentioned include discussions with business faculty at theend of the term on how well the information literacy instruction helpedthe students to complete the assignments that the instruction covered

16 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

73 No

27 Yes

FIGURE 8 Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

24 Each time

64 Sometimes12 Many times

FIGURE 9 How Often Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

4035

30

25

2015

10

50P

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

Dow

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rary

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tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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2014

can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

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into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

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Respondents also mentioned getting feedback from business facultythrough comment forms at the end of the instruction session One re-spondent commented that she does a citation analysis of the bibliogra-phies that students hand in with their assignments

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Business information literacy instruction although widespread andprevalent is evolving in the libraries of AACSB-accredited collegesand universities Survey results indicate that librarians across the nationare almost evenly divided in describing their business information liter-acy efforts so far as being just starting mid-way or established Thismay reflect the developing nature of information literacy instructionand its less frequent use with subject-specific courses

While offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels upperclass-men and graduate students more often receive BIL instruction thanfreshmen and sophomores This finding may be attributable to the factthat students often do not declare majors until their junior year and thatfreshmen and sophomores may be receiving information literacy in-struction in general non-discipline specific information literacy pro-grams When business information literacy instruction is provided tostudents it is most often provided in on-demand instruction presenta-

Martha Cooney 17

4035

30

25

2015

10

50P

erce

nta

ge

of

Res

po

nd

ents

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

FIGURE 10 How Do You Assess Your Studentsrsquo BIL

1 pre-test2 post-test3 rubric4 other tests or exams5 final project6 other assignments7 other assessment measures

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tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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2014

can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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Fond

ren

Lib

rary

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e U

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ovem

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2014

into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

Dow

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ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

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e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

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ovem

ber

2014

Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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2014

5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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Lib

rary

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ovem

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2014

tions to business classes It is integrated into core and other businessprogram courses by about one-half of survey respondents The use ofonline tutorials and Web guides were mentioned by many respondentsas an additional frequent mode of instructing business students

Collaboration between librarians and classroom faculty though fre-quent is overwhelmingly described as only at the level of ldquosome collab-orationrdquo Full collaboration is rare Joint efforts most often involveworking together on information literacy assignments and jointly de-veloping goals and objectives for BIL instruction These efforts wereunderscored in the comments made about other types of collaborationMany librarians reported that they discuss instruction both before andafter instruction sessions with business faculty and target their instruc-tion efforts to specific assignments Only a small percentage of librari-ans report jointly grading information literacy assignments withbusiness faculty The collaborative efforts reported for the most part arequite standard Perhaps the greatest challenges to collaboration are en-gaging the interest of faculty who have not collaborated in the past andenlarging upon the collaborative efforts already in place As commentsby several librarians indicate the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide a means to engage faculty in dialogue about informa-tion literacy These discussions may lead to enhanced collaboration be-tween library and classroom

Survey results indicate that Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards two (The information literate student accesses needed informa-tion effectively and efficiently) three (The information literate studentevaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates se-lected information into his or her knowledge base and value system)and four (The information literate student individually or as a memberof a group uses information effectively to accomplish a specific pur-pose) are most commonly used Respondents reported that they useStandard five (The information literate student understands many of theeconomic legal and social issues surrounding the use of informationand accesses and uses information ethically and legally) the leastThese results were similar to those reported by Merz and Mark (2002)who noted widespread usage of Standards one through four but muchless usage of Standard five Results also demonstrate that while only athird (34) of respondents has incorporated the Information LiteracyCompetency Standards into their BIL instruction this is an increase inusage when compared to the results reported in 2001 in the National In-formation Literacy Survey At that time only 23 responded that theywere aware of and using the Standards Another gain although smaller

18 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

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APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

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APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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2014

can be shown when comparing familiarity with the Standards betweenthe current BIL survey and the national survey Of those reporting thatthey do not use the Standards in BIL instruction 22 were not familiarwith the Standards as compared to 24 not knowing about the Stan-dards in 2001 as reported on the national survey Although these com-parisons reflect use and awareness of the Standards by two differentgroups a relatively small discipline-specific sample versus a muchlarger sample of general information literacy practices the data offersome insights into the continuing adoption and developing use of theStandards over time It may also be possible that the use of the Stan-dards has increased even further as many may be using the Standards innon-discipline specific programs versus information literacy instruc-tion of business students

Respondents clearly feel that the Information Literacy CompetencyStandards provide more focus to their teaching efforts and have posi-tively affected these efforts Over 40 also report that although they havenot as yet incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction they planto in the future In regard to the use of the Standards for assessment re-sponses were mixed Although nearly one half of respondents find thatthe Standards are a good means to measure student learning outcomes39 are undecided and 55 are undecided as to whether the Standardsmake the assessment process easier These findings may be related to thefact that less than a third of respondents are assessing their studentsrsquo busi-ness information literacy and therefore are not experienced in this area

Assessment remains perhaps the biggest challenge in the informationliteracy instruction of business students if not library instruction in gen-eral as only 27 of respondents assess their studentsrsquo BIL and whenthey do it is most often only some of the time However of the respon-dents who have incorporated the Standards into their BIL instruction44 report assessing their studentsrsquo business information literacy TheStandards therefore may be providing a much needed means (and stim-ulus) to assess learning outcomes This finding shows a more positiveoutcome than that reported by the National Information Literacy Sur-vey At that time only 14 of institutions who had adopted informationliteracy standards were assessing student skills The success of ProjectSAILS may have a positive impact on assessment and provide a stan-dardized means to assess information literacy at institutions across thenation If a discipline-specific module for business is developed in thefuture more defined assessment may be possible

The results of this survey provide a progress report on informationliteracy instruction with business students The results provide insights

Martha Cooney 19

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ded

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Fond

ren

Lib

rary

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e U

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ovem

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2014

into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

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2014

APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

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t 05

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ovem

ber

2014

5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

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rary

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ovem

ber

2014

APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

Dow

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ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

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rsity

] a

t 05

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ber

2014

15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

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e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

into and reaffirm where we need to focus our efforts for the future (1) in-creasing collaborative efforts with business faculty (2) developing andimplementing assessment measures and techniques and (3) continuingto adopt and use the Information Literacy Competency Standards Asmore research is conducted on these topics standardized assessmenttools are developed and more practice-based reports are published theroad to increased collaboration and more consistent assessment will be-come clearer and perhaps easier

REFERENCES

Albrecht K (2001) Information quality Executive Excellence 18(8) 11American Library Association (1989) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Fi-

nal report (1989) Retrieved July 30 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrllegalishtmlAssociation of College and Research Libraries (2000) Information literacy compe-

tency standards for higher education Retrieved July 6 2004 from httpwwwalaorgacrlilcomstanhtml

Association of College and Research Libraries amp American Association of Higher Ed-ucation (2001) National Information Literacy Survey Retrieved July 5 2004from httpwwwalaorgalaacrlacrlissuesacrlinfolitprofessactivityinfolitsurveysurveyintrohtm

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Schools Accredited in Accounting and Schools Accredited in Businessndashordered bycountry name Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduGeneralInstListsasplid=

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International)Newly Accredited InstitutionsndashBusiness Retrieved March 20 2003 from httpwwwaacsbeduaccreditationprintfasp

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching List of Institutions byCarnegie Classification Control and State (2000) Retrieved July 12 2004 fromhttpwwwcarnegiefoundationorgClassificationCIHE2000PartIfilespartIhtm

Cheuk B Information literacy in the workplace context Issues best practices andchallenges July 2002 White Paper prepared for UNESCO the US National Com-mission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Forum on Informa-tion Literacy for use at the Information Literacy Meeting of Experts Prague TheCzech Republic Retrieved July 26 2004 from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpaperscheuk-fullpaperpdf

Cooney M amp Hiris L (2003) Integrating information literacy and its assessment intoa graduate business course A collaborative framework Research Strategies to bepublished in v 19 no 3

Feast V (2003) Integration of information literacy skills into business courses Refer-ence Services Review 31(1) 81-95

20 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

Martha Cooney 21

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ovem

ber

2014

APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

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ovem

ber

2014

5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

Dow

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ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

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ovem

ber

2014

APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

Fiegen AM Cherry B amp Watson K (2002) Reflections on collaboration Learningoutcomes and information literacy assessment in the business curriculum Refer-ence Services Review 30(4) 307-318

Grafstein A (2002) A discipline-based approach to information literacy The Journalof Academic Librarianship 28(4) 197-204

Hawes DK (1994) Information literacy and the business schools Journal of Educa-tion for Business 70(1) 54-61

Kanter J (1996) Guidelines for attaining information literacy Information StrategyThe Executiversquos Journal 12(3) 6-11

Kanter J (2003) Ten hot information technology (IT) issues and what makes themhot Information Strategy The Executiversquos Journal 19(3) 23-26

Lavin MR (1995) Improving the quality of business reference service The Refer-ence Librarian 48 71-98

Manuel Kate (2002) Discipline-specific information literacy courses Academic Ex-change Quarterly 6(4) 52-60

McDermott D (2000) Combining access with ownership Meeting the need for busi-ness articles in academic libraries Journal of Interlibrary Loan Document Deliv-ery amp Information Supply 11(1) 69-80

Merz LH amp Mark BL (2002) Assessment in college library instruction programs(Clip Note 32) Chicago Association of College amp Research Libraries

OrsquoSullivan C (2002) Is information literacy relevant in the real world ReferenceServices Review 30(1) 7-14

Project for Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) Project De-scription Retrieved December 2 2004 from httpsailslmskenteduprojdescriptionhtml

Roldan M amp Wu YD (2004) Building context-based library instruction Journal ofEducation for Business 79(6) 323-327

Rosenberg V Information literacy and small business July 2002 White Paper pre-pared for UNESCO the US National Commission on Libraries and InformationScience and the National Forum on Information Literacy for use at the InformationLiteracy Meeting of Experts Prague The Czech Republic Retrieved May 23 2004from httpwwwnclisgovlibinterinfolitconfampmeetpapersrosenberg-fullpaperpdf

Smith EM (2003 Spring) Developing an information skills curriculum for the sci-ences Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 37 Retrieved December21 2004 from httpwwwistlorg

Sterngold AH amp Hurlbert JM (1998) Information literacy and the marketing cur-riculum A multidimensional definition and practical application Journal of Mar-keting Education 20(3) 244-249

SUBMITTED 082004REVISION SUBMITTED 110204

ACCEPTED 122204

Martha Cooney 21

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

APPENDIX

BUSINESS INFORMATION LITERACY INSTRUCTION SURVEY

For the purposes of this survey business information literacy instruction willbe defined as specific programs and practices that your library utilizes to helpbusiness students ldquorecognize when information is needed and have the abilityto locate evaluate and use effectively the needed informationrdquo

1 Does your library provide information literacy instruction to business ma-jors or to students who will become business majors___ yes___ no

If you responded ldquonordquo to the above question please stop here and press theSend key in your email program Your response to the questionnaire will besent to marthacooneyliuedu

2 Is your business information literacy instruction provided in (check all thatapply)___ campus library___ business library___ classroom___ other please specify

3 Who provides business information literacy instruction (check all that apply)___ reference or instruction librarian(s)___ business librarian(s) in general library___ business librarian(s) in business library___ librarian liaison(s)___ other please specify

4 How is information literacy instruction provided to your business students(check all that apply)___ in a general (non-discipline specific) information literacy program___ in on-demand instruction presentation(s) to business classes___ integrated in core business program courses___ integrated in other business program courses___ in a business information literacy course (no credit)___ in a business information literacy course (for credit)___ in a print tutorial___ in an online tutorial___ other please specify

22 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

5 For which business students is information literacy instruction provided(check all that apply)___ Freshmen___ Sophomores___ Juniors___ Seniors___ Graduate students

6 Would you describe the business information literacy instruction as a col-laborative effort between your library and the business faculty at your institu-tion___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 9

7 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would describeyour collaborative efforts (check only one)___ some collaboration___ quite a bit of collaboration___ full collaboration

8 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 6 which of the following would apply toyour collaborative efforts (check all that apply)___ jointly developed information literacy-related assignments___ jointly graded information literacy-related assignments___ jointly developed goals and objectives for business information literacy

instruction___ Other collaborative efforts Please specify

9 How would you describe your business information literacy instruction ef-forts so far___ just starting___ mid-way___ established

10 Have you incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Standards(ACRL 2000) into your business information literacy instruction___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 13

Martha Cooney 23

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

APPENDIX (continued)

11 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction which standard(s) do you use(check all that apply)___ 1 The information literate student determines the nature and extent of

information needed___ 2 The information literate student accesses needed information effec-

tively and efficiently___ 3 The information literate student evaluates information and its sources

critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowl-edge base and value system

___ 4 The information literate student individually or as a member of agroup uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose

___ 5 The information literate student understands many of the economiclegal and social issues surrounding the use of information and ac-cesses and uses information ethically and legally

12 If you do incorporate the Information Literacy Competency Standards intobusiness information literacy instruction what have you found___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide more focus to our

teaching efforts___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards make the assessment pro-

cess easier___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards provide a good means to

measure student learning outcomes___ yes ___ no ___ undecided The Standards have positively affected the

results of our teaching effortsComments

13 If you have not incorporated the Information Literacy Competency Stan-dards into your business information literacy instruction is it because you(check only one response)___ have not done so as yet but plan to in future___ have no plans to incorporate the Standards___ not familiar with the Standards___ do not agree with the Standards

Comments

14 Do you assess your studentsrsquo business information literacy___ yes___ no

If you answered ldquonordquo to this question please skip to question 17

24 JOURNAL OF BUSINESS amp FINANCE LIBRARIANSHIP

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Fond

ren

Lib

rary

Ric

e U

nive

rsity

] a

t 05

43 2

2 N

ovem

ber

2014

15 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 do you assess business students(check only one response)___ each time they are provided information literacy instruction___ many times when they are provided information literacy instruction___ sometimes when they are provided information literacy instruction

16 If you answered ldquoyesrdquo to question 14 how do you assess your studentsrsquobusiness information literacy (Check as many as apply)___ pre-test___ post-test___ rubric (eg a list of outcomes to be accomplished sometimes in a rating

scale)___ tests or exams (other than pre-test or post-test)___ final project___ assignments what kind

Other assessment measures Please comment

17 Some general questions about your institution___ usual number of librarians providing information literacy instruction to

business students per year___ avg number of business information literacy sessions taught per year___ number of FTE business students at your institution

18 Title of person filling out this questionnaire

Thank you for your help with this survey Please press the Send key in youremail program (to email your completed questionnaire to marthacooneyliuedu) or send by snail mail to

Prof Martha Cooney DirectorCenter for Business ResearchC W Post CampusLong Island University720 Northern BlvdBrookville NY 11548

Martha Cooney 25

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