UNIV 100 is a full semester course at FCC, to help freshmen students effectively connect to the campus resources they will need during their 4-years in the University and to make a smooth transition into University life by bridging the gap between high school and college. The Ewing Library delivered its Information Literacy Program as a 3-part Library Safari Workshop, embedded into the UNIV-100 Course. This is the first formal Information Literacy Program in a University in Pakistan.
Library Safari is planned by the Ewing Library based on the ACRLInformation Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education .
The Program aims at helping UNIV 100 students to reduce their library anxiety by helping them learn how to navigate our complex library system. The Library also has a mandate that essential life-long learning skills should be developed in the students before they
After attending the Library Safari Workshop the students are now able to:
- Identify the different ways to get help from librarians. [ACRL Standard 2]
- Select appropriate library resources for their information need (e.g., knowing when to use the catalog versus a database). [ACRL Standard 1]
- Interpret how to read a Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) Call Number in order to locate research materials on Library Shelves.[ACRL Standard 2]
A total of 720 students in 26 classes, (approximately 25 students in each class) experienced Library Safari this year. The program started out in Fall Semester 2011. The Library staff delivered 52 guided Library tours and 29 Computer lab workshops under this program.
For the Library Tours, the classes were divided into 52 groups for students’ choice according to their class schedules. The objective of working with smaller groups was to make a closer one-to-one interaction possible with the Library staff for familiarizing them with the Ewing Memorial Library systems and services.
The UNIV 100 students and teachers both appreciated the Library Safari exercise as a high impact Program. The students particularly found the session on, “Online Search Techniques” as very interesting and useful. They were also excited to learn how to find books in the library and to Log-in the Library Information Portal to reserve or renew books online.
