CHECK THESE OUT!

Callison, Daniel.  "Key Words in Instruction:  Critical Thinking."  School Library Media Activities Monthly  15(Nov. 1998):  40-42. 

Callison lists behaviors that demonstrate critical thinking skills.  This list will be useful both to school librarians and to academic librarians. 
 

Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J.  and Qun G. Jiao.  "The Relationship Between Library Anxiety and Learning Styles among Graduate Students: Implications for Library Instruction."  Library & Information Science Research  20(1998):  235-249. 

The authors define learning styles as the way learners typically acquire, retain, and retrieve information.  They focus their research on adult learning styles and make recommendations for planning library instruction to reach adult audiences. An important discussion that applies not only to graduate students, but to other adult learners as well. 
 

Winner, Marian C.  "Librarians as Partners in the Classroom:  An Increasing Imperative."  RSR  26(Spring 1998): 25-29. 

Winner asserts that the role of librarians as partners with academic classroom faculty needs further expansion.  She suggests methods to develop faculty-librarian partnerships, describes training and administrative support needed by librarians, and makes recommendations for position descriptions, workloads and compensation.   An appendix includes a resource list of Web sources on critical information competence from the California State University Information Competence Web site "IC sites on the Web" <http://multiweb.lib.calpoly.edu/infocomp/related.html>. 
 

LOOKING FOR PRACTICAL IDEAS? 

Bull, Glen, Gina Bull, and Dave Lewis.  "Introducing Dynamic HTML."  Learning & Leading with Technology   26(Oct. 1998):  43-45. 

This is a nice introduction to Dynamic HTML (DHTML), a new standard that will help web developers create more interactive pages.  Includes a sample program for an interactive quiz.  This article (part of a column called "Mining the Internet") also has a Web site that contains sample tutorials using DHTML <http://teach.virginia.edu/go/mining>. 
 

Evans, Beth, and Wilma Lesley Jones.  "Demonstrating the World Wide Web as an Academic Research Tool."  Journal of Computing in Higher Education 9(Spring 1998): 113-134. 

Describes a program offered to administrators in the City University of New York (CUNY) to demonstrate the academic research potential of the World Wide Web.  The program covered indexes, virtual libraries, selective annotated Web guides, library catalogs, and academic library Web sites. An HTML document to recreate the presentation is appended. 

  
Milbury, Peter, and Brett Silva.  "Problem-Based Learning, Primary Sources, and Information Literacy."   MultiMedia Schools   5(Sept./Oct. 
1998): 40-44.  

Outlines a problem-based learning unit with a Native American theme developed jointly by a high school librarian and a history-social sciences teacher.   The unit used primary sources included in the American Memory Project on the Web for two scenarios.  The first makes the student an applicant for a position with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1873 and the second finds the student as a 1998 Congressional intern assigned to research Indian casinos and make a recommendation to a member of Congress.  
 
 

INFORMATION FOR MEDICAL AND SPECIAL LIBRARIANS 

The new "Competencies for Special Librarians of the 21st Century" <http://www.sla.org/professional/comp.html> includes professional competency 1.4: "provides excellent instruction and support for library and information service users."  A number of recent articles will interest special librarians who do instruction. 

Ardis, Susan.  "Creating Internet-based Tutorials."  Information Outlook  2(Oct. 1998): 17-20.  (Also available online at: http://www.informationoutlook.com/oct98/ardis.html) 

Recommends that special librarians develop online tutorials for their users, outlines the process of development and makes suggestions for design, legibility and layout using sample screens to show legibility and color use.  Includes URL's for good tutorial examples available on the Internet. 

Coulson, Marirose.  "Great Expectations:  Reach to Teach."   Information Outlook  2(Sept. 1998):  13-15.  (Also available online: 
http://informationoutlook.com/sep98/coulson.html.) 

Shows how adult learning principles can be used to plan instruction on the use of electronic information resources.  Includes information about learning expectations, use of mistakes and discovery learning, learning styles, and special tips for computer training. 
 

A recent issue of  Medical Reference Services Quarterly --17.3 (Fall 1998)-- includes several useful articles about instruction in medical settings.  Among these are Ohles, Janet A. and Carol A. Maritz, "Integrating Core Information Competencies into a Traditional Curriculum: A Collaborative Approach," (13-24);  Hartmann, Jonathan, "An Educational Program in the Medical Uses of Computers for Rural Physicians," (25-34);  Wrosch, Jacqueline A., et. al., "Instruction of Evidence-Based Medicine Searching Skills During First-Year Epidemiology," (49-57); and Loven, Bridget, et. al., "Information Skills for Distance Learning," (71-75), which covers Web tutorials. 
 

BIG 6 NEWSLETTER 

Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz have a newsletter devoted to issues related to their Big 6 approach to information literacy. Published 6 times per year, the newsletter features articles about information literacy for students of all ages.  It has been available since September 1997.  For more information, write to Linworth Publishing, Inc., 480 East Wilson Bridge Rd., Suite L, Worthington, Ohio 43085-2372. 

IN BRIEF 

Carter, Elizabeth W., and Timothy K. Daugherty.  "Library Instruction and Psychology: A Cooperative Effort."  Technical Services Quarterly 16.1(1998): 33-41. 

Julien, Heidi.  "User Education in New Zealand Tertiary Libraries:  An International Comparison."  Journal of Academic Librarianship  24(July 1998): 304-313. 

Stamatopolos, Anthony and Robert Mackoy.  "Effects of Library Instruction on University Students' Satisfaction with the Library:  A Longitudinal Study."  College and Research Libraries_ 59(July 1998): 323-334. 

Tait, Kenneth.  "Replacing Lectures with Multimedia CBL: Student Attitudes and Reactions."  Instructional Science 26(1998):  409-438. 

Wilson, Patricia Potter, and Angus J. MacNeil.  "In the Dark: What's Keeping Principals from Understanding Libraries?"  School Library Journal  44(Sept. 1998):  114-116. (Also available on SLJ Online at http://www.bookwire.com/SLJ/articles.article$25872)  

Yerbury, Hilary, and Joan Parker.  "Novice Searchers' Use of Familiar Structures in Searching Bibliographic Information Retrieval Systems."   Journal of Information Science  24.4(1998): 207-214. 
 

Mary Pagliero Popp is Information Technologies Public Services Librarian at Indiana University Bloomington Libraries.