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About Information Literacy

'Information Literacy' is a set of skills that encompasses understanding the information environment, scoping, sourcing and using information in a productive and ethical way. These skills are vital to success in any academic discipline.

Research consistently suggests that improving students' Information Literacy correlates with improved outcomes, not just for academic work, but in health and well-being as well.

Academic Service Librarians are experts in the use of the Library's resources and also these wider information and research skills. They are a valuable source of advice and also provide instruction in Information Literacy to complement your modules and programmes.

We can help you improve your students’ use of the library and their information literacy skills through our classroom-based teaching sessions, our regular student workshops, and individual support tutorials.

In-module teaching sessions

We tailor our in-class sessions to the needs of your subject area and module. To arrange a session, please contact your Academic Service Librarian.

Level 4

Sessions at this level are designed to:

  • introduce students to academic study.
  • introduce students to the source materials they need and give students the skills they need to evaluate and critique them.
  • introduce students to reading strategies and managing time in research.
  • help students develop confidence and resilience.

Level 5

Sessions at this level are designed to:

  • consolidate skills learnt at level 4.
  • address gaps in knowledge from level 4.
  • foster increased independent learning.

Level 6

Sessions at this level are designed to:

  • support students with more advanced academic enquiry.
  • enable students to ‘catch-up’ with the skills they will need for dissertations or final projects

Subject Guides

We have a bespoke library guide for each subject offered at Birmingham Newman University. Each subject guide contains contact details of the subject area's Academic Service Librarian, and presents students with the opportunity to book an appointment with them. The subject guides contain links to key academic databases for that subject area, as well as prominent journal titles and other specialist tools that the library recommends to students.

Library workshops

We offer a wide range of self-bookable workshops for students throughout the year. Workshops cover topics that range from tours and introductions to Library systems to overcome initial hurdles and anxieties of using an academic library through to referencing and ethical academic practice and the advanced research techniques needed for tackling a large research project. We announce the dates of all upcoming workshops well in advance, and your students can sign up for these workshops through our online booking system.

One-to-one student appointments

Students can book one-to-one support tutorials with Academic Support Librarians to get help using the Library, working on assignments, searching databases or referencing.

Last reviewed: 14 March 2024

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