Introduction

This chapter focuses on integration of library user education into the general education curriculum of academic institutions. In recent years there has been a renewed emphasis on general education curricular reform. The new general education curricula will require writing-intensive assignments and integrated library course-related assignments whenever possible. A threetiered course framework if approved, will require general education courses from the freshman through the senior year, with writing placement and proficiency examinations prior to graduation, along with other assessment methodologies. The plan is not a smorgasbord approach to general education courses, but a carefully planned, limited selection of course requirements to ensure a common body of knowledge in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities, and the development of critical thinking and reasoning skills, basic mathematical skills, an understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge, awareness of cultural diversity, and the ability to use libraries and new technologies effectively and efficiently for lifelong learning.