Posted on: February 11, 2025
The TRU Library is changing Information Literacy education through collaboration with faculty and departments to build relationships and boost student success. In 2023, a group of dedicated librarians joined forces with TRU’s English Department at the Kamloops and Williams Lake campuses to kick off a 3-class tutorial series for English 1100 students. This initiative, called the English Library Instruction Pilot (ELIP), moved beyond the usual one-shot workshop format, giving students a more integrated learning experience through a series of three tutorials.
The ELIP tutorials were designed to align with the learning outcomes of both the English department and the library. Over three weeks, students explored the concept of authority in academic research, tried out different search strategies, and placed their work within the broader scholarly conversation. Librarian instructors were on hand to provide ongoing feedback and support, helping students to feel a sense of belonging within the larger academic community.
The article “Three shots are better than one: Establishing and evaluating the English library instruction pilot,” recently published in the Journal of Information Literacy, dives deeper into the key findings of the project. Feedback from English Department faculty consistently showed that students who participated in ELIP were better at finding, identifying, and using appropriate sources in their coursework compared to their peers who didn’t attend the program. This collaborative effort not only improved students’ research skills but also strengthened the bond between the English Department and the library. It sets the stage for future partnerships and is a great example of what can happen when faculty and librarians work together.
Positive relationships between students and academic supports can be crucial for long-term student success. If you’re interested in learning more about the program or other opportunities for integrated information literacy, please contact Amy McLay Paterson (apaterson@tru.ca).
Feature Image: Coyote on roof of Brown Family House of Learning, 2018, Thompson Rivers University. CC BY-NC-SA
