Library Instruction & Information Literacy

Upon graduation from Siena College, each graduate will be able to:

• Find relevant general and scholarly information for professional, personal, and civic purposes.
• Formulate, and refine as necessary, a comprehensive and appropriate research strategy for the task/project required.
• Critically evaluate information in a variety of formats including, but not limited to, books, journals, electronic databases, broadcast media and the Internet.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the structure, formats, and content of scholarly communication in the graduate’s chosen major discipline.
• Recognize the ethical considerations of obtaining, using, and citing information in a variety of contexts.

This is the responsibility of the library faculty and the teaching faculty working in close collaboration throughout the general and disciplinary curricula

We believe that information literacy is a required element of an undergraduate education for all majors. Siena College graduates must have the essential information literacy competencies to succeed as independent, lifelong learners in their careers, in civic leadership, and in all aspects of their personal lives.   The Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) emphasize the collaborative nature of information literacy:  librarians and classroom faculty working together on teaching research and information literacy skills to students. We recommend an integrated approach to learning throughout the four-year undergraduate experience.  We encourage the setting of information literacy goals as a part of the further refinement of the College’s general education program (Core Curriculum and First Year Seminar), as well as departmental learning goals.