A blended method for integrating information literacy instruction into English composition classes

Purpose - During Spring semester 2005, budgetary constraints, personnel reductions, and questions of efficacy challenged librarians at the University of Arizona to develop more integrated methods for assisting faculty, instructors, and students in teaching and learning information literacy skills. In order to meet this challenge, University of Arizona librarians collaborated with the University's English Composition Program to develop an instructor-led, librarian facilitated approach to integrating information literacy instruction into the English Composition curriculum. This was a natural fit because there are fundamental similarities between the educational goals of the English Composition Program and the outcomes espoused by the Association of College and Research Libraries Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. The approach that the University of Arizona Library has developed is described in the following pages in the hopes that it can serve to assist librarians elsewhere in developing their own responses to similar challenges. Design/methodology/approach - A discussion of the development process as well as information gleaned from interviewing and surveying English composition instructors is presented. Findings - The development process of the approach is described in detail, and the overall efficacy of the approach is addressed. Practical implications - The approach to integrating information literacy skills into the University of Arizona English Composition Curriculum is presented in order to provide guidelines and practical assistance to librarians facing similar challenges. Originality/value - This paper describes and addresses the benefits and challenges of moving towards more blended forms of instruction and library information literacy skills integration.