Information Literacy in Academic Curricula - A Case Study of Integration at the Biomedical Faculties of K.U. Leuven University

Abstract

Since 2006, the Campus Library of Biomedical Sciences of K.U.Leuven University is reconsidering its role in education and research. Giving access to scientific information is still our libraryâ s most important mission. However, teaching our students and academic staff the skills for efficient retrieval and use of scientific information is increasingly becoming an important task too. In the past, instruction was limited to guided tours and short library instruction sessions, organized on an individual and unsystematic basis. This changed in 2006, when we were asked by the Faculty of Medicine to reconsider part of the medical curriculum in the light of integrating information literacy in it. The following considerations were made: 1. information literacy should be integrated in a systematic way in the curriculum 2. minimal skills of information literacy should be determined for each level 3. instruction in information literacy should be a continuous line starting in the first and ending in the last year (vertical line) 4. information literacy should be acquired in an active way in as many courses as possible (horizontal line) 5. instruction in information literacy is a shared responsibility of library and academic staff As a result, the biomedical library was given the responsibility of information literacy in the beginning of the curriculum of medical students, while academic staff took the responsibility of the rest. At the same time, the library was investing a lot in providing our academic staff with tools, formats and learning objects for integrating information literacy in their lessons. We also started planning systematic trainings for keeping our academic staff up to date with major changes in scientific information. The new curriculum of the Faculty of Medicine was put into practice in October 2006. It was soon followed by similar projects in all other biomedical faculties of our university.