ABSTRACT
Information literacy goals need not be limited to the parameters of the information literacy standards developed by the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL). These standards can be used to meet library “bottom line” goals such as increasing collection usage. “Build it and they will come,” the one-sided library philosophy of program accreditation boards everywhere, was challenged at Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Programs had a “right” to adequate holdings but there would be a “responsibility” attached to using the collections. Using information literacy as the catalyst for combining collections with curricula, faculty were given professional development mini-sessions at the beginning of each semester and insight into integrating library research and resources into their courses. All Seneca students, each September, are given an introductory class to review research basics and orient them to their discipline’s literature. When compared with work completed by students in years prior to the instruction classes, faculty reported that students were integrating a greater variety and diversity of sources that were more authoritative, more current, and more international in scope. This information literacy program has successfully increased collection usage and increased student success in program coursework.
