Eleven scholarly papers and six abstracts comprise the content of the twenty-fourth annual Brick & Click Libraries Conference, held annually at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. The 2024 paper and abstract titles include:(1) Love it or Leery? Rapid AI Aided Instructional Design for Library Learning (Sean Cordes); (2)…

The research examined the use of Information Retrieval Tools (IRTs) by the post graduate students of Mehran University of Engineering and Technology. The research used descriptive survey and was carried out over a period of six months between August 2016 and January, 2017. The sample size comprise of 2,000 postgraduate students which were randomly…

Boolean logic can be a difficult concept for first-year, introductory students to grasp. This paper compares the results of Boolean and natural language searching across several databases with searches created from student research questions. Performance differences between databases varied. Overall, natural search language is at least as good as…

By first reassessing the role of search in the literacy event of the lower division undergraduate paper, this article argues that searching is not a lower-order mental activity but a concurrent, integral component of the research-writing process. This conclusion has large implications for information literacy instructional design, and several…

As the international student population continues to grow, librarians must adjust their instruction to meet the needs of students who are adapting to a new country, culture, and language. This study assesses first-year international students as they engage in the research process through the completion of concept maps that precede database…

Librarians regularly encounter students who struggle to understand and apply information literacy concepts. A qualitative survey administered to information literacy practitioners asked about troublesome content and analyzed results using the threshold concepts pedagogical framework first described by Jan Meyer and Ray Land. A threshold concept…

The Foundations of Inquiry (FOI) course at Illinois State University was a required freshmen course designed to prepare incoming students for the requirements of their various academic programs. One of the course's goals was for students to receive instruction in information literacy (IL) skills and become accustomed to locating and retrieving…

The purpose of this project was to investigate how students' search strategies changed over the course of a semester-long information literacy class. Data collection included four different paper questionnaires corresponding to course content in the spring 2008 semester. Seventy-seven participants completed the questionnaires and course work in…

Modern composition instructors often use and teach research methods for Internet search engines and electronic databases. It is not their intent to turn back the clock. However, if they can help students connect the world of Internet searches and the university library, they can promote information literacy in its broadest sense by developing…

Can we use the methods of Web usability testing to learn about library instruction? This article is among the first in the field trying to establish a link between usability and instruction. The author discusses useful insights that Web usability can bring to our pedagogy as well as to the efficiency of library instruction. The result of a Web…

Federated search products are becoming more and more prevalent in academic libraries. What are the implications of this phenomenon for instruction librarians? An analysis of federated search products using the "Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education" and a thorough review of the literature offer insight concerning whether…

Examines what occurred when the mental models of library media specialists teaching electronic information literacy database access interconnected in the complex changing environment of a lesson. Discusses changes to the mental models the library media specialists held with respect to the electronic database, role of the library media specialist,…

While the "information superhighway" offers new opportunities for independent research and study, the amount of information available requires users to have a high level of information-literacy skills. Librarians are in the best position to facilitate the development of these skills and to instruct clients in the use of search and…

Investigates the capabilities of graduate students to effectively use library resources and their awareness of the resources and services available at the University of Botswana Library. Concludes that to enable students to make maximum use of resources and sources, training must be provided. (Author/AEF)

A new model for bibliographic instruction that includes computer and multimedia technologies is necessary. Information literacy should be redefined as the knowledge needed by information specialists to redesign information retrieval within libraries. A user-friendly library should provide both print sources and the new information technologies.…