Britt Foster | California State University, Fresno (original) (raw)

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Papers by Britt Foster

Research paper thumbnail of Collaborating with an Institutional Research Office: Benefits, Lessons Learned, and Initial Insights into Faculty Information Literacy Teaching Practice

Research paper thumbnail of Assessing Information Literacy of Undergraduates at a Point Near Graduation: A Pilot Study

Research paper thumbnail of Not Just Another Brick in the Wall: Ideas for Constructing a Culture of Giving with Students and Young Alumni

Research paper thumbnail of Professional Practice: Using Case Studies in Information Literacy Instruction Towards Career Readiness

Communications in Computer and Information Science, 2018

The potential of case-based learning, or the use of case studies for information literacy instruc... more The potential of case-based learning, or the use of case studies for information literacy instruction is explored within the context of information literacy for workplace readiness. Taking a constructivist approach, students were asked to use their professional experience to analyze a case study for information needs and resources, and then create a recommendation based on this evaluation. Student learning was assessed through similar reflective prompts applied to their own wine business plan. Using qualitative content analysis, reflections demonstrated students were able to use diverse information sources to apply to complex information needs, mirroring the complex information environment of the modern workplace. Results indicate case-based learning has value for information literacy for career readiness.

Research paper thumbnail of Grape, Wine, and Raisin Research Grey Literature: A Case Study for Describing and Digitizing a Specialized Commodity Collection

Journal of Agricultural & Food Information, 2020

, is a current and historic driver of grape and wine research, with much of this research capture... more , is a current and historic driver of grape and wine research, with much of this research captured in internal reports rather than published articles. This case study details the method by which the V.E. Petrucci Library described and digitized this research grey literature collection. In addition to providing a workflow for other specialized commodity collections, this study discusses challenges encountered, including description of non-standardized documents and intellectual property concerns of grey literature. This case study also presents the value of describing and digitizing such collections for the agricultural community.

Research paper thumbnail of Initial Development of the Perception of Information Literacy Scale (PILS)

Communications in Information Literacy, 2019

The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education has provided academic librarians... more The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education has provided academic librarians a guiding document to facilitate the development of information literacy skills in students. Despite widespread adoption of the Framework in academic libraries, a lack of valid and reliable Framework-based scales for assessing students' knowledge practices and dispositions hinders further understanding of student information literacy. The current article describes the development and testing of the Perception of Information Literacy Scale (PILS). The participants in this study were 443 graduate students. The resulting scale is made up of 36 items that measure seven distinct constructs of information literacy. The subscales of the PILS had good estimates of internal consistency and showed evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. PILS allows academic librarians to measure how students perceive their own information literacy knowledge practices and dispositions and could be useful for outreach, instructional design, and assessment activities.

Research paper thumbnail of Information Literacy Beyond Librarians: A Data/Methods Triangulation Approach to Investigating Disciplinary IL Teaching Practices

Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 2020

Objective – While library literature contains many studies examining faculty perceptions of the v... more Objective – While library literature contains many studies examining faculty perceptions of the value of librarian-led information literacy (IL)instruction, there is little evidence regarding IL instruction practices of disciplinary faculty independent of librarians. In a climate of uncertain budgets, increasing student enrollment, and increased conversation around the need for IL, media, and digital literacy skills, this study aimed to investigate a little-researched area of the IL instruction, learning, and development milieu. Methods – In collaboration with the institutional research office, a data and methods triangulation approach was used. A survey of disciplinary faculty was administered and disciplinary faculty focus groups were also conducted. Student outcomes and annual assessment reports, documents that describe teaching and assessment methods for courses across the university, were analyzed. Voyant, a text-mining tool, was also used to determine key phrases and terms rel...

Research paper thumbnail of California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. (https://crfg.org/)

Journal of Agricultural & Food Information

Research paper thumbnail of Collaborating with an Institutional Research Office: Benefits, Lessons Learned, and Initial Insights into Faculty Information Literacy Teaching Practice

Research paper thumbnail of Assessing Information Literacy of Undergraduates at a Point Near Graduation: A Pilot Study

Research paper thumbnail of Not Just Another Brick in the Wall: Ideas for Constructing a Culture of Giving with Students and Young Alumni

Research paper thumbnail of Professional Practice: Using Case Studies in Information Literacy Instruction Towards Career Readiness

Communications in Computer and Information Science, 2018

The potential of case-based learning, or the use of case studies for information literacy instruc... more The potential of case-based learning, or the use of case studies for information literacy instruction is explored within the context of information literacy for workplace readiness. Taking a constructivist approach, students were asked to use their professional experience to analyze a case study for information needs and resources, and then create a recommendation based on this evaluation. Student learning was assessed through similar reflective prompts applied to their own wine business plan. Using qualitative content analysis, reflections demonstrated students were able to use diverse information sources to apply to complex information needs, mirroring the complex information environment of the modern workplace. Results indicate case-based learning has value for information literacy for career readiness.

Research paper thumbnail of Grape, Wine, and Raisin Research Grey Literature: A Case Study for Describing and Digitizing a Specialized Commodity Collection

Journal of Agricultural & Food Information, 2020

, is a current and historic driver of grape and wine research, with much of this research capture... more , is a current and historic driver of grape and wine research, with much of this research captured in internal reports rather than published articles. This case study details the method by which the V.E. Petrucci Library described and digitized this research grey literature collection. In addition to providing a workflow for other specialized commodity collections, this study discusses challenges encountered, including description of non-standardized documents and intellectual property concerns of grey literature. This case study also presents the value of describing and digitizing such collections for the agricultural community.

Research paper thumbnail of Initial Development of the Perception of Information Literacy Scale (PILS)

Communications in Information Literacy, 2019

The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education has provided academic librarians... more The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education has provided academic librarians a guiding document to facilitate the development of information literacy skills in students. Despite widespread adoption of the Framework in academic libraries, a lack of valid and reliable Framework-based scales for assessing students' knowledge practices and dispositions hinders further understanding of student information literacy. The current article describes the development and testing of the Perception of Information Literacy Scale (PILS). The participants in this study were 443 graduate students. The resulting scale is made up of 36 items that measure seven distinct constructs of information literacy. The subscales of the PILS had good estimates of internal consistency and showed evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. PILS allows academic librarians to measure how students perceive their own information literacy knowledge practices and dispositions and could be useful for outreach, instructional design, and assessment activities.

Research paper thumbnail of Information Literacy Beyond Librarians: A Data/Methods Triangulation Approach to Investigating Disciplinary IL Teaching Practices

Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 2020

Objective – While library literature contains many studies examining faculty perceptions of the v... more Objective – While library literature contains many studies examining faculty perceptions of the value of librarian-led information literacy (IL)instruction, there is little evidence regarding IL instruction practices of disciplinary faculty independent of librarians. In a climate of uncertain budgets, increasing student enrollment, and increased conversation around the need for IL, media, and digital literacy skills, this study aimed to investigate a little-researched area of the IL instruction, learning, and development milieu. Methods – In collaboration with the institutional research office, a data and methods triangulation approach was used. A survey of disciplinary faculty was administered and disciplinary faculty focus groups were also conducted. Student outcomes and annual assessment reports, documents that describe teaching and assessment methods for courses across the university, were analyzed. Voyant, a text-mining tool, was also used to determine key phrases and terms rel...

Research paper thumbnail of California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc. (https://crfg.org/)

Journal of Agricultural & Food Information

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