Do you know how to:
...Ask the Right Questions? You have to start somewhere. If you can articulate and define what you're looking for, where you might find it, and what costs and benefits you might accrue in the search, you're on the right track.
...Find the Best Resources? Google is not always the most appropriate investigative method. If your students are able to access information effectively and efficiently, with a solid search strategy and an awareness of the best information retrieval tools for their purpose, they've met this standard.
...Consider the Quality? How do you know whether or not you can trust a website? Do your students understand why Wikipedia isn't a great source for a research paper? Are you aware of the bias in media and do you take that into account when synthesizing information? Understanding and interpreting information is the core of this standard.
...Complete Your Project? Once you find the information, can you use it to accomplish your purpose? We help students find resources for projects and papers constantly, but if they can't use that information to develop and communicate a final project, they aren't handling information effectively.
...Cite Your Sources? Our students need to be able to create a bibliography, but it's even more important that they understand why a bibliography is important. Knowing about copyright, fair use, and the ethics of information are vital for today's students, especially as multimedia and licensed technology become a bigger part of scholarship.

At the Helmke Library, we are committed to teaching and promoting information literacy not just in October, but all year long. We can help you develop assignments that integrate these concepts, show you performance indicators and learning outcomes, and work with your students on the mastery of these skills. These standards lend themselves to active learning and critical thinking models, too! Contact your librarian directly or visit us at library.ipfw.edu for more information.

Employers look for workers with these skills. Problem solving, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and self-management skills are often referred to as "21st century skills" or "deeper learning".  Teaching for this deeper learning involves teaching not only the important content knowledge, but also how, when, and why to apply this knowledge, in other words, how to apply it outside of the classroom in the workplace and in lifelong problem-solving.

Recent reports have looked at the skills (and skills gaps) that newly graduated workers bring to the workplace...and the news is not encouraging. These reports offer an overview of the issues and ways that higher education teaching, classrooms and libraries can be part of the solution.

Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century. James W. Pellegrino and Margaret L. Hilton, Editors; Committee on Defining Deeper Learning and 21st Century Skills; Center for Education; Division on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; National Research Council. 2012. Read the Report Brief.

LEARNING CURVE: How College Graduates Solve Information Problems Once They Join the Workplace. Project Information Literacy (PIL). October 16, 2012. 38p.   "College hires may be as surprised by the information competencies needed as employers are by the practices most new hires fail to bring with them." How do college students solve information problems in the workplace once they graduate? PIL research highlights key findings from the 2012 Study about College Graduates in the Workplace, based on findings from interviews with employers and focus groups with recent graduates from four US campuses. One of the findings: "More than any other competency, participants credited their college training with making them critical evaluators of information". PIL's Day after Graduation Study on YouTube has other highlights in just 3 minutes and 30 seconds.