The NOLA Information Literacy Collective (nolaILC) fosters the development of information literacy instructors, reference librarians, and library professionals in all kinds of libraries (academic, public, school, archival, and special) throughout the Greater New Orleans area. The nolaILC guides the NOLA Information Literacy Forum which was first held in 2012.
The NOLA ILC presents
Our TENTH ANNIVERSARY FORUM
Monday-Thursday, August 2-5, 2021
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
The Board of the NOLA Information Literacy Collective is dedicated to providing a safe and healthy conference environment. After the success of last year’s virtual conference, this year our Forum will again be 100% virtual.
The New Orleans Information Literacy Collective’s annual Forum will be held Monday-Thursday, August 2-5, 2021, from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. CST with two back-to-back presentations followed by Questions and Answers. Session details are listed below.
Additionally, please join us for two SPECIAL events! On Monday, August 2 at 6:00 p.m. CST, we will host a Facebook LIVE session for the community. Join us to hear short (5 min.) presentations about information literacy and new research/trends in the field. On Thursday, August 5, after the last presentation, stay online with the NOLA ILC for a virtual picnic lunch. Bring your own food and beverage and join us for networking, some online games, and informal informational literacy discussions.
MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 10:00-11:30 a.m. CST
“Mapping Information Literacy through the Northwestern State University Curriculum: An Overview“
Patricia Brown, Northwestern State University of Louisiana Libraries
After more than forty years of information literacy (IL) as an increasingly necessary component of an educational system dependent on computers and awash in unfiltered information, and after a pandemic year of providing services mostly online, where is IL at Northwestern State University? Library instruction needs are now being met primarily with online LibGuides, some classroom sessions, individual research consultations and reference questions, and a brief yearly faculty orientation. “Information literacy programs often fail because ‘they are parochial and eventually come to be seen as only a library effort'” without deep cooperation among faculty and administration,” writes librarian Molly Flaspohler. The common assumption that most college students can competently perform library research has been disproved repeatedly in the library and education literature and in surveys of employers. Faculty members who do assign library-related work are often reluctant to give up a class period to a teaching librarian. However, given the 21st-century landscape of knowledge and information, a piecemeal effort is not enough: information literacy education needs a campus-wide effort. It needs a campus-wide effort, and curriculum mapping may support that effort.
“Using Wikipedia to Teach the Framework” (Workshop)
Brandon Adler, University of New Orleans
The pandemic had instructors scrambling to move their content online, which was daunting, especially if you had never traditionally worked in such an environment. Believe active learning to be essential for an online, asynchronous environment? WikiEdu is the answer. Not only does Wikipedia aid the instructor by offering instructional design consultation, but it is also an immensely powerful Open Educational learning tool for students highlighting the work they contribute on a global scale. The WikiEdu platform teaches students to begin looking at information with an eye toward equity, inclusion, and diversity. By contributing research and writing to a Wikipedia article, students can tackle important issues with information and content gaps, such as Wikipedia’s gender and minority gaps. Likewise, learning about and identifying content gaps teaches students to recognize research and writing with an eye toward “notability” and “neutrality” which helps to identify information written with biased or subjective points of view. This workshop will teach instructors/librarians about the application process for the WikiEdu platform as well as crucial instructional design assistance the platform provides. Instructors will learn how the speaker designed an information literacy course to highlight the 6 threshold concepts of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and the pedagogical value of WikiEdu in an online asynchronous format.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 10:00-11:30 a.m. CST
“Conducting Feminist Centered Socially Justice Research”
Melissa Chomintra, Tulane University
Like many academic librarians, I spend a lot of time in the classroom providing students with information literacy and data literacy skills, as well as battling fake news and misinformation during a time when the truth is challenged by political agendas and ideologies. Information is now often used to obfuscate instead of illuminate (Barack, 2005). It has become increasingly important to learn how to conduct feminist-centered, socially just research while recognizing systems of oppression in research/academia, and develop new research skills that help dismantle those systems. Scholarship shapes what we think about a given topic/field. Traditional constructs of authority are inherently designed to exclude diverse ideas and experiences; favoring Western systems of knowledge. What roles do librarians play in creating, maintaining, and uplifting cultures of inequality in information literacy instruction? This presentation will discuss ways in which librarians can implement equitable and inclusive pedagogy into their library instruction by dismantling, reexamining, and reconstructing notions of authority and re-framing ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and its concept; authority is constructed and contextual.
“How Photographs Can Tell Lies”
Ashley Kauschinger, Gwinnett County Public Library
Since the invention of photography, it has been used as evidence and manipulated to tell lies. Billions of photographs create our surrounding visual culture, making reading and interpreting photos a vital part of understanding the world. This is not always easy or simple to do. Photography has a long and complex history with the truth. No matter how much we may logically know that photographs can be manipulated, humans are very persuaded by visual evidence. This presentation discusses various ways photographs can be manipulated to lie, including altering contexts, personal bias, the observer effect, staging, physical manipulation, false equivalencies, and deep fakes.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 10:00-11:30 a.m. CST
“Using Kahoot! and Padlet for Information Literacy Instruction“
Rob Stephens and Brandy Burbante, Nicholls State University
During the Fall 2021 semester, Ellender Memorial Library offered six online, asynchronous information literacy classes, each designed around one of the Frameworks for Information Literacy. These classes used the platforms Kahoot! and Padlet to deliver instructional content with the hopes of creating a more dynamic learning experience for online students. This presentation will introduce Kahoot! and Padlet as platforms suited to deliver information literacy instruction. We will give a brief introduction to our classes, followed by a demonstration of how we used Kahoot! and Padlet and the types of exercises students completed on those platforms. We will explain the design choices we made while working in Kahoot! and Padlet that helped students understand and complete the work. Finally, we will examine student reactions to and engagement with Kahoot! and Padlet in those information literacy classes. Attendees to this session will get ideas for new ways to deliver instructional content, will get some insight into student perception of online content delivery, and will see an example of how an asynchronous information literacy program can be built.
“The Task Master: Utilizing Task Managing Apps to Make the Most of Your Day”
Elizabeth Layton, Nicholls State University
It is no secret to anyone that librarians are jugglers, working their hardest to balance projects, meetings, research, and more all with rotating deadlines. Task management apps such as Tick Tick, Trello, and Padlet can help streamline tasks as well as share progress with others for larger projects. During the past year, I have delved into and tested different types of task management apps to find the best one that works for me. Innovation paired with technology has been the theme of this academic year as we strive to stay connected and productive in this unprecedented time, these apps help do just that. This presentation will include brief summaries of different types of task management apps both for group projects and individual daily tasks and goals. These task managers can be used in a variety of ways, either for virtual meetings, team dashboards, and even communicating with student workers, and the best part is, they are all user-friendly.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 10:00-11:30 a.m. CST
“Business Information Essentials”
Ellen Jenkins, Nicholls State University
Do you find yourself new to providing business information literacy and not sure where to start? If you are a College of Business Liaison at a university or would just like to learn more about business information essentials, this is the presentation for you. Learn business research competencies and best places online to access business information. Discover databases you can teach your students to conduct business research. Learn about Business Librarian conferences, social groups online, and other social media you can tap into to help sharpen your business librarianship skills.
“What Happened to You? Transforming Library Interactions with a Trauma-Informed Approach” (Workshop)
Jessica Styons, State Library of Louisiana
Repeated exposure to trauma in one’s lifetime can make it difficult to control emotions which in turn can make important social interactions – such as seeking help from a library – more difficult. Library staff who view interactions through a trauma-informed lens can better understand and navigate these encounters. This session will introduce participants to the concept of a trauma-informed approach, along with some strategies to better work with library users and colleagues. Additionally, library staff will learn to recognize secondary trauma, or compassion fatigue, in themselves in order to better cope and mitigate the effects.
NOLA Information Literacy Collective 