Next Generation Library Tutorials for the Academic Setting

Anne Graham
Senior Computer Specialist
University of Washington

John Holmes
UWILL Coordinator
University of Washington

The University of Washington Libraries is currently creating a next-generation series of Web-based tools for teaching information fluency concepts in an academic setting. What makes UW’s approach noteworthy is that the tools will be part of a database-driven Web application, allowing instructors to edit, create, or enhance the tool’s content. Faculty and librarians will be able to insert discipline-specific examples and other content into the tutorials, helping to bridge the span between standardized, transferable content and the specific objectives of a course or assignment. This dynamic will allow more seamless incorporation of the learning content for information competencies into other domain content of a course. By reaching outside the libraries to faculty of many disciplines, the UW Information Literacy Learning (UWILL) group is hoping to incorporate the learning of basic information-based research skills with specific curriculum elements of coursework.