Developing an Information Skills Curriculum for the Sciences

Abstract

Information literacy, an important conceptual framework for library instruction, needs to be embedded within a disciplinary context. Discipline-specific literacy in the sciences is valuable because it establishes meaning and context for learners, is based on the structure of knowledge and information-seeking practices within the sciences, and takes into account subject-specific tools, resources, and methods of searching. Curriculum-integrated instruction provides an optimal approach, in both planning and implementation, to helping science students develop general and discipline-specific information skills. This paper describes a curriculum-based approach for the strategic planning of information skills instruction in the sciences. This approach incorporates an understanding of the information skills needed at various points during the scientific education process; awareness of public and professional policies, standards, and recommendations for science education; and an awareness of trends and methods in science education. Relevant resources for planning are presented. A description of the scientific education process provides a framework for a generalized information skills curriculum in the sciences. The curriculum is presented as an aid to planning and as a stimulus to further dialogue and standards development in the area of information literacy in the sciences.