About Your Library

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About Your Library

The main entrance of the library is located on the 5th floor of the Learning Resources Center/ Library building on NVCC's Waterbury campus. NVCC's library offers a comprehensive collection of electronic resources, books, periodicals, maps, DVDs, videos, music CDs, and reference resources all reflecting the current college curriculum.

"The library is the temple of learning and learning has liberated more people than all the wars in the history."--Carl Thomas Rowan

Winner of the Excellence in Academic Libraries Award

NVCC's Max R. Traurig Library is the winner of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Excellence in Academic Libraries Award. Read more about the award.

Jaime Hammond

Full Profile

203-575-8199 (p)

203-575-8062 (f)

Room: L410 (Loft)

750 Chase Parkway

Waterbury, CT 06708

Information Literacy Instruction at Naugatuck Valley Community College

The Grid

Our aim in creating the grid was to maximize classroom time when teaching information literacy instruction by identifying the most important skills and concepts that students would encounter at each level. We sought to achieve a scaffolded approach as students moved from FYE to 100- to 200- level courses. To do this, we examined course syllabi, the ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education¹, and assessment data from years of FYE Library instruction.

The Framework is a flexible document that guides academic library professionals in defining the six “Frames” or core ideas of information literacy and lists Knowledge Practices and Dispositions for each Frame. We identified the Frames and subsequent Knowledge Practices and Dispositions that most closely aligned with the academic program at each level.

We then moved from the Frames to writing our own measurable learning outcomes for each course level; beginning with an awareness of Library resources, moving toward strategies for putting them to use, and finally emerging with a firm grasp on research practices in their field of study, ready for their career or transfer institution.

The Methods and Pedagogy and Assessment rows on the grid also establish what we have determined to be best practices for engaging students in active learning during library instruction and measuring the effectiveness of these techniques toward achieving the learning outcomes.

This document signifies that instruction librarians at NVCC are committed to a standard of excellence in each class we teach and that we strive to offer a holistic approach to information literacy instruction during a student’s time at NVCC.

Click here to download a copy of the NVCC Library's Framework Grid.

¹This page features content from the ACRL’s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Information Literacy Program Grid

First Year Experience

Corresponding Frames, Knowledge Practices, and Dispositions from the Framework

Searching as Strategic Exploration

Knowledge Practices:

utilize divergent (e.g., brainstorming) and convergent (e.g., selecting the best source) thinking when searching
match information needs and search strategies to appropriate search tools
design and refine needs and search strategies as necessary, based on search results
understand how information systems (i.e., collections of recorded information) are organized in order to access relevant information
manage searching processes and results effectively

Dispositions:

exhibit mental flexibility and creativity
understand that first attempts at searching do not always produce adequate results
persist in the face of search challenges, and know when they have enough information to complete the information task

Information Has Value

Knowledge Practices:

Give credit to original ideas of others through proper attribution

Dispositions:

Respect the original ideas of others
Value the skills, time, and effort needed to produce knowledge

Learning Outcomes

Identify key topics and keywords that can be used to perform an effective search
Explain why a particular resource (NV-Search, Catalog, Web) was chosen to perform the search
Select a source that is relevant to the given topic and is appropriate for use on a college research assignment
Correctly identify information that requires attribution, and distinguish that information from common knowledge

Pedagogy/Methods

Pre-class video and questions in Blackboard
Overview of NV Search, using sources and citation tool
Explain wiki activity
Group activity building wikis and report back to group
Individual assessment quiz in Blackboard

Assessment/Tools for Assessment

Pre-class assignment questions (to measure completion of task)
Scoring wikis with rubric (librarians will do as a group with norming)
Individual assessment questions based on learning outcomes in Blackboard

100 Level

Corresponding Frames, Knowledge Practices, and Dispositions from the Framework

Searching as Strategic Exploration

Knowledge Practices:

match information needs and search strategies to appropriate search tools
design and refine needs and search strategies as necessary, based on search results

Research As Inquiry

Knowledge Practices:

determine an appropriate scope of investigation

Dispositions:

value intellectual curiosity in developing questions and learning new investigative methods
seek appropriate help when needed

Authority is Constructed and Contextual

Knowledge Practices:

define different types of authority, such as subject expertise (e.g., scholarship), societal position (e.g., public office or title), or special experience (e.g., participating in a historic event)
use research tools and indicators of authority to determine the credibility of sources, understanding the elements that might temper this credibility

Dispositions:

motivate themselves to find authoritative sources, recognizing that authority may be conferred or manifested in unexpected ways
develop awareness of the importance of assessing content with a skeptical stance and with a self-awareness of their own biases and worldview

Information Creation as a Process

Knowledge Practices:

assess the fit between an information product’s creation process and a particular information need

Dispositions:

value the process of matching an information need with an appropriate product
accept that the creation of information may begin initially through communicating in a range of formats or modes

Information Has Value

Knowledge Practices:

Give credit to original ideas of others through proper attribution

Learning Outcomes

Determine key concepts for searching and select appropriate tools or sources
Identify popular sources as separate from scholarly sources and be able to define credibility
Select a variety of sources that can help answer the research question and are appropriate for college-level work
Correctly identify information that requires attribution, and distinguish that information from common knowledge through the use of properly formatted citations

Pedagogy/Methods

Mapping out a plan for research and identifying helpful resources at each step before beginning a search
Creating mind maps or concept maps to determine keywords and phrases
Student groups learn to navigate different resources and then teach their classmates
Encouraging independent searching
Using primary sources
Demonstrating highlighting/note-taking techniques for gathering evidence and recording information for in-text citations

Assessment/Tools for Assessment

Tools from previous level, plus:
Classroom evaluation/quick feedback (ex. Muddiest Point exercise)
Student submissions for online tutorials (ex. “Reading a Peer-Reviewed Article: Guided Practice”)
Student artifacts – References and Works Cited lists; Research Award submissions

200 Level

Corresponding Frames, Knowledge Practices, and Dispositions from the Framework

Research as Inquiry

Knowledge Practices :

organize information in meaningful ways
synthesize ideas gathered from multiple sources

draw reasonable conclusions based on the analysis and interpretation of information

Disposition

follow ethical and legal guidelines in gathering and using information

Scholarship as Conversation

Knowledge Practice

cite the contributing work of others in their own information production

Disposition

see themselves as contributors to scholarship rather than only consumers of it

Information Creation as a Process

Knowledge Practices

recognize that information may be perceived differently based on the format in which it is packaged
develop, in their own creation processes, an understanding that their choices impact the purposes for which the information product will be used and the message it conveys

Authority is Constructed and Contextual

Dispositions

question traditional notions of granting authority and recognize the value of diverse ideas and worldviews

Learning Outcomes

Synthesize ideas from a variety of sources and articulate how sources relate to one-another.
Recognize that discipline or subject determines how information is packaged and presented, and adhere to organization, format, and style conventions in the creation of their own work.
Identify prominent voices, publications, and professional organizations in a specific field or discipline.
Perform multi-step searches, using results from one search to guide a subsequent search.

Pedagogy/Methods

Practice finding an article listed in the reference list of another article
Emphasize importance of engaging with sources that may present different perspectives
Provide examples of professional associations
Exercises on exploring the prominent voices and discovering underrepresented voices in a field

Assessment/Tools for Assessment

Tools from previous levels, plus:
Student artifacts – References and Works Cited lists; Research Award submissions
Student research logs
Honors Institute presentations

Text/HTML

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Content Layout

Mission & goals

Our Mission & Goals

Mission:
The Max R. Traurig Library/Learning Resources Center supports and enhances the active learning and success of its diverse community. A well-trained library staff provides services and instruction in a welcoming atmosphere to help students navigate the college and the research process. Access to technology and information resources relevant to the college curriculum is provided in a timely and fair manner, in a variety of formats.
Goals:
- Provide the materials needed to support the mission of the college and its academic curriculum.
- Manage and organize the library collection to make it easily accessible to patrons.
- Provide quiet and safe academic space conducive to a variety of study modalities.
- Teach information literacy skills to the college community.
- Encourage life-long information literacy.

Continuing Notice of Nondiscrimination

Continuing Notice of Nondiscrimination: Naugatuck Valley Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, sex, national origin, marital status, ancestry, disability, including but not limited to present or past history of mental disability, learning disability or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or genetic information in treatment or employment at the College, in admission or access to the College, or in any other aspect of its programs and activities. In addition, the College does not discriminate in employment on the additional basis of veteran status or criminal record. The College is required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Title II), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (Age Act), and their respective implementing regulations at 28 C.F.R. Part 35 and 34 C.F.R. Parts 100, 104, 106 and 110, not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin (Title VI); disability (Section 504/Title II); sex (Title IX); or age (Age Act). Inquiries concerning the application of each of the aforementioned statutes and their implementing regulations to the College may be referred to the applicable College Coordinators: Kimberly Carolina, CSCU Manager of Equal Employment Opportunity, kcarolina@commnet.edu ; Angelo Simoni, CSCU Title IX Coordinator – CSU System Office, 860-723-0165; Sarah Gager, Dean of Student Services/Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Section 504/Title II/ADA/Age Act Coordinator (Students), Naugatuck Valley Community College, Room K509a, 750 Chase Parkway, Waterbury, CT, 203-575-8086 or to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, at (617) 289-0111 or 5 Post Office Square, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02109-3921 (Rev 10/22/21)