The Role of Information Literacy in
Service Learning Courses: A Case
Study and Best Practices
CHRIS SWEET
ILLINOIS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY
LOEX ENCORE VIRTUAL SESSION
5/31/2012
The Big Picture
Service Learning Experiences?
 How many are aware of service-learning courses on
your campus?
Service Learning Experiences?
 How many are aware of service-learning courses on
your campus?
 Of these, do you know of any that seek library
support?
Service Learning Experiences?
 How many are aware of service-learning courses on
your campus?
 Of these, do you know of any that seek library
support?
 Of these, who has personally worked with a service-
learning course?
Service Learning Experiences?
If you were in an elevator for
1 minute with a faculty
member who teaches a
service-learning course
could you make a good case
for integrating information
literacy?
Where we’re headed
 Defining Service-Learning
 History of Service-Learning in Higher Education
 Pedagogical and Theoretical Foundations
 Service-Learning and Information Literacy
 Environmental Studies Seminar Case Study
 Emerging Best Practices
 Final Thoughts and Questions
Definitions
“Service-Learning is a teaching and learning strategy
that integrates meaningful community service with
instruction and reflection to enrich the learning
experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen
communities.”
(National Service-Learning Clearinghouse)
Definitions
 The basic principle: “Service, combined with
learning, adds value to each and transforms both”
(Honnet & Poulsen, 1996).
 My contention: “Service-Learning, combined with
information literacy, adds value to each and
transforms both.”
 Service-learning is not: an internship, community
service, or volunteerism
Andrew Furco Diagram
By way of illustration…
 Cleaning up a riverbank is SERVICE
 Sitting in a science classroom looking at water
samples under a microscope is LEARNING
 Science students taking samples from local water
sources, then analyzing the samples, documenting
the results and presenting the scientific information
to a pollution control agency is SERVICELEARNING
(National Youth Leadership Council)
Characteristics of Service-Learning
 Connects with and reinforces the academic subject

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material of a course
Addresses a problem or contributes to the
betterment of the local community or a specific
group
Demonstrates reciprocity between students and
groups being served
Teaches civic and social responsibility
Requires critical reflection and analysis from
students
Brief History of Service-Learning
and Educational Reform Movements
 Understanding these contexts is essential if you are
advocating for service-learning
 1960’s: social turmoil, activism, civil rights,
formation of Peace Corps and Volunteers in Service
to America (VISTA)
 1970’s: Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Nat’l
student volunteer program
 1980’s: A Nation at Risk, formation of Campus
Compact, Wingspread Conference
Brief History of Service-Learning
and Educational Reform Movements
 1999:Wingspread Declaration of Renewing the
Civic Mission of the American Research University
 2008: Association of American Colleges and
Universities (AACU) releases a report on HighImpact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who
Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter.
Pedagogical and Theoretical Foundations
 Service-learning relies heavily on constructivist
educational theories.
 Constructivist theorists contend that people
construct their own understanding and knowledge of
the world, through experiencing things and
reflecting on those experiences
 Experiential / active learning are common
constructivist pedagogies.
The Other Dewey
 John Dewey (1859-1952) is generally
recognized as the founding father of
constructivism.
 Dewey’s educational philosophy is
largely based on three principles:

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
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Education must lead to personal growth
Education must contribute to humane
conditions
Education must engage citizens in
association with one another
(Hatcher, 1997)
Pedagogical and Theoretical Foundations
 Paulo Freire (1921-1997)
 Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970)
 Education should develop “Critical
Consciousness”-the ability to perceive
social, political, and economic
oppression and to take action against the
oppressive elements of society.
Pedagogical and Theoretical Foundations
 Kolb Experiential Learning Cycle
Concrete Experience (or “DO”)
 Reflective Observation (or “OBSERVE”)
 Abstract Conceptualization (or “THINK”)
 Active Experimentation (or “PLAN”)

Service-Learning and Information Literacy
 “Where’s the Library in Service Learning?” John
Riddle, 2003.
 ALA Information Literacy Definition
 IFLA Alexandria Proclamation
Service-Learning and Information Literacy
 Where’s the Learning in Service-
Learning? Eyler and Giles, 1999.
 National survey of 1500 students in
service-learning classes.

Conclusions related to Info Lit
Service-Learning and Information Literacy
 2011 ACRL strategic plan: ACRL Plan for Excellence
“Librarians transform student learning, pedagogy,
and instructional practices through creative and
innovative collaborations”
 The simplest reason for combining service-learning
and information literacy is to assist students with
understanding the “why” and “how” behind a
service-learning project.
Libraries and Service-Learning
 In 1907 at the Illinois Library School at the
University of Illinois in Champaign, upper-level
students could add a month of fieldwork in a public
library to their coursework. (Roy & Sheldon, 1998).
 Service-learning courses have been incorporated into
many LIS programs
 In the last 15 years, service-learning has been a
major trend in education at all levels, but library
support for these courses has been sporadic at best
Questions?
 Any brief questions before the case study?
Case Study
 Illinois Wesleyan University: private,
liberal arts, 2100 students
 CFP: Teagle Foundation Teaching Grants
 Environmental Studies Senior Seminar
already met criteria for 4 of 10 high-impact
practices: service-learning, writingintensive, undergraduate research and
capstone courses.
Case Study
 ENST Senior Seminar: Creating a Sustainable
Society
 Course Description
 Major course goal: show students that they could
make a real contribution towards sustainability in
their own communities
Case Study
 Fully “embedded” as a co-teacher
 Shared responsibilities for grading, leading class sessions,
meeting with students, coordinating with community partners
 Students must work collaboratively with a
community partner on their projects
 Requires a full literature review to provide context
for each project
Case Study
Some project examples:
 LINK cards at farmers markets
 Improving Inclusion of Minorities in local
Environmental Work
 Bringing Back Endangered Barn Owls
 Establishing a Campus Eco-House
 Documenting the environmental benefits of roadside
prairies
My Conclusions
 The single most meaningful teaching experience in
my career as an academic librarian
 Service-learning is one of the most effective methods
for teaching students information literacy skills and
concepts

Models how information literacy is used outside academia
 Co-Teaching (or lead teaching) can be incredibly
rewarding and beneficial
 What about scalability and sustainability?!
Student Evaluations
 What did your experience conducting research and
working on a real world problem teach you?
 What is the most significant outcome you’ve gained
from this course?
 How do you feel the class benefitted from having the
perspectives of two instructors?
Emerging Best Practices for Library Support of
Service-Learning Courses
 Be able to situate both service-learning and information
literacy within pedagogical theory and higher education
reform movements
 When appropriate be able to tie service-learning to
institutional and library mission statements and/or
strategic plans
 Identify existing information literacy elements in servicelearning courses and explain how they could be
strengthened through collaboration with the library
 Focus on information literacy’s ability to strengthen the
contextualizing and reflection portions of servicelearning courses
Emerging Best Practices for Library Support of
Service-Learning Courses
 Know your campus organizations and faculty that are involved
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in service-learning
Know your local social service organizations and their needs
Monitor listservs that focus on service-learning such as those
maintained by Campus Compact and the National ServiceLearning Clearinghouse
Collaborative, embedded librarian models are one of the best
ways to support service-learning, but one-shot research
instruction sessions can also be of benefit to service-learning
courses
Librarian-led courses –particularly information literacy
courses- can also benefit when structured around a servicelearning model
Final Thoughts
 “Information Literacy and Reflective Pedagogical
Praxis” Heidi Jacobs, 2008
“What I am suggesting is that the dialogues we have
surrounding information literacy instruction strive
to find a balance in the daily and the visionary, the
local and the global, the practices and the theories,
the ideal and the possible” p. 258.
Final Thoughts
 “Service-Learning, combined with information
literacy, adds value to each and transforms both.”
 Service-learning is challenging for both students and
instructors, but it is not an educational fad. To the
contrary, it may be one of the best ways to return to a
system of education that engages students in the
learning process and strengthens civic ties to local
communities.
Forthcoming Book Chapter
 Information Literacy and Service-Learning:
Creating Powerful Synergies
 Forthcoming in: Information Literacy and Social
Justice: Radical Professional Praxis, Library Juice
Press, Fall 2012
 Questions?
 [email protected]
Bibliography

Eyler, J., & Giles, D. E., Jr. (1999). Where's the learning in service-learning?
jossey-bass higher and adult education series
 Hatcher, J. A. (1997). The moral dimensions of john dewey's philosophy:
Implications for undergraduate education. Michigan Journal of Community Service
Learning, 4, 22-29.

Honnet, E., & Poulsen, S. (1996). Principles of good practice for combining service
and learning. Johnson Foundation, Inc. Retrieved from
http://www.nationalserviceresources.org/files/Principles-of-Good-Practice-forCombining-Service-and-Learning.pdf
 Jacobs, H. L. M. (2008). Information literacy and reflective pedagogical praxis.
Journal of Academic Librarianship, 34(3), 256-262.
 Kendall, J. C., National Society for Internships and Experiential Education (U.S.),
Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, & Charles F. Kettering Foundation. (1990).
Combining service and learning : A resource book for community and public
service. Raleigh, N.C: National Society for Internships and Experiential Education.
Bibliography
 Kolb, D. (1981). Learning styles and disciplinary differences. In A. W.
Chickering (Ed.), The modern american college (pp. 232). San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.
 Kuh, G. D., & Schneider, C. G. (2008). High-impact educational practices :
What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter Washington, DC
: Association of American Colleges and Universities, c2008.
 Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone : The collapse and revival of american
community / robert D. putnam New York : Simon & Schuster, c2000.
 Riddle, J. S. (2003). Where’s the library in service learning?: Models for
engaged library instruction. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 29(2), 71-81.
 Roy, L., & Sheldon, B. E. (1998). Library and information studies education in
the united states. London ; Washington, D.C: Mansell.