ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

CONFERENCE CIRCUIT: Institute for Information Literacy Immersion ’99: An invitation to apply

ACRL’s Institute for Information Literacy (IIL) is pleased to announce ILL’s Immersion ’99 pro- gram. Whether your insti- tution is just beginning to think about implementing an information literacy component or whether you have a program well under way, Immersion ’99 will provide instruction librarians with the intellectual tools and practical techniques to help institutions build or enhance their instruction pro- grams.

This program will be four-and-one-half days of intensive training and education (July 23-28, 1999, at Plattsburgh State University of New York) for current and future instruction librarians. Participation is limited to 80 to ensure an environment that fosters group interaction and active participation. Acceptance to the Immersion Program is competitive.

Description

Immersion ’99 will offer two tracks:

TRACK I: designed for new librarians and librarians new to teaching.The curriculum will focus on six fundamental areas including:

• foundations: concepts of information literacy and its relationship to critical thinking;

• learning theory: as it relates to instructional design and developing as a teacher;

• praxis: making the connection between theory and practice using teaching techniques and learning technologies;

• assessment: including theory and practice;

• programming and management; and

• working in the academic environment.

Participants will develop personal portfolios and group projects based on individual needs and interests. Participants will also have opportunities to work with the librarians enrolled in Track II throughout the program.

TRACK II: designed for experienced instruction librarians who seek to further develop, integrate, or advance an information literacy program within their institution.

Participants will develop and share individual case studies in advance of the immersion program through the Immersion ’99 class Web site. Change dynamics, systems thinking, institutional outcomes assessment, scalability, distributed learning and the integration of teaching, learning, and technology will be brought to bear on analyzing the various programmatic challenges presented in the case studies. Seminar participants will be expected to develop an action plan for implementation and possible inclusion in a “best practices” report six months after the program.

A faculty of nationally recognized librarians and scholars is developing the curriculum and will be teaching the program. Members of the faculty are Mary Jane Petrowksi, lead faculty member (Colgate University); Eugene Engeldinger (Carthage College); Randy Hensley (University of Hawaii); Debra Gilchrist (Pierce College); Joan Kaplowitz (University of California at Los Angeles); and Sharon Mader (Christian Brothers University).

Costs

Registration: $995 includes tuition, instructional materials, Friday night reception, room (residence hall living), and all meals, with the exception of one evening (which will be on your own).

Application information

1. The IIL application process requires that all documents in the application package be received by the due date, including cover letter, statement, recommendations, one-page resume, and scholarship application.

2. Read this information carefully. Make sure you address each element of the process.

3. No handwritten information may be submitted.

4. Please provide four copies of your complete application.

Your entire application package is due by january8,1999, and should be sent to: Cerise Oberman, Institute for Information Literacy, Feinberg Library, 2 Draper Avenue, Plattsburgh, NY 12901, Fax: (518) 564-5100, e-mail: Cerise.Obemian@plattsburgh.edu.

Your completed application package should contain:

1. A cover letter that confirms your application and the financial support if you are accepted to the program.

2. A one-page resume.

3. Two letters of reference from your current supervisor, a professor, a colleague, faculty member, or anyone who can explain how Immersion ’99 will enhance your professional development and further institutional goals. Graduate students should submit a letter from their dean and a professor. Please note, letters must accompany the application.

4. For Track I applicants, no more than a two- page statement that includes:

• an explanation of why you want to attend;

• your interest in and experience with information literacy;

• your teaching experience; and

• an indication of scholarship need, if you are applying for one of the three types of scholarships being offered. Please be clear which of the scholarships you are interested in and why. See below for details:

—new librarian —minority librarian —graduate school student.

5. For Track II applicants, no more than a three-page statement that includes:

• a 500-600 word description of the problems or challenges you would like to address with respect to your current information literacy program. In preparing your statement, please review “The Information Literacy Institutional Quotient Test” in the May 1998 C&RL News, pp. 348-349 and on the Web ‹http:// www. ala. org/acrl/nili/nilihp. html›;

• an assessment of your institution’s current commitment to information literacy;

• an explanation of how you and your institution will enhance information literacy in your environment following the Immersions program; and

• your interest in and experience with information literacy.

The Institute for Information Literacy Advisory Group will review all applications. Successful applicants will be notified by mail or e- mail by late February; successful applicants will be asked to confirm their acceptance shortly thereafter. Questions concerning the application process, finances, and/or available scholarships should be addressed to: Mary Ellen Davis, ACRL, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611, (800) 545-2433, ext. 2511, e- mail: medavis@ala.org.

Scholarships

ACRL is offering ten scholarships to the Immersion ’99 program. The scholarships will cover registration, room, and board. Recipients must be ACRL members, currently employed in an academic library, or a library school student in good standing.

• New librarians (4 scholarships): These scholarships are limited to applicants who have been in academic librarianship for two years or less.

• Minority librarians (4 scholarships): These scholarships are limited to those who have been in academic librarianship for five years or less.

• Library school graduate students (2 scholarships): These scholarships are limited to individuals planning a career in academic librarianship with instruction as a primary interest or specialization. Scholarship recipients must be graduate students in good standing.

Location

Plattsburgh State University of New York is located in the fabulous Lake Champlain/Adirondack Mountain region. The campus is an hour drive to Montreal, Canada; Lake Placid, New York; and Burlington, Vermont. ■