York University Libraries

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Open Access
Breaking Barriers: A Seamless Approach to Developing Academic Literacies. Presented at the Inkshed Conference, Toronto, ON. May 29-30 2012.
(2013-11-04) Bury, Sophie; Bernholtz, Marlene; Haller, Jeannie
Open Access
“But How Do We know It’s Working?” Designing Effective Evaluation of Web-Based Information Literacy Instruction. Presented at Pennsylvania Library Association Conference, Hershey, PA. November 2002.
(2009-05-29T20:57:22Z) Bury, Sophie
This presentation outlined the evaluation tools designed by the Wilfrid Laurier University Library to determine the extent of learning among students who completed the library’s online tutorial in basic information competence skills. Practical tips for designing an effective assessment plan and suggestions as to how assessment results can help guide and inform future directions for online instruction are provided. A brief review of the literature as it pertains to the evaluation of library instruction was also incorporated within this presentation.
Open Access
Charting the Course of Information Literacy with SAILS. Presented at Ontario Library Association (OLA) Super Conference, Toronto, Ontario, 2006.
(2006) Taves, Adam; Bury, Sophie; Dekker, Jennifer; Maimets, Ilo; Scott, Tom
Focused on why SAILS was chosen as the instrument to evaluate information literacy competencies among undergraduate students at the University of Western Ontario and at York University, how it was implemented and promoted in each institution, what the test revealed about the students who took it, and lessons learned from the partnerships and collaboration with different communities on campus. The session outlined how the information gathered through SAILS testing can be used for refining and focusing information literacy instruction in the future.
Open Access
Continuing Professional Development and Irish Libraries: Report of Key Survey Findings. Executive Summary. January 2010
(2010-05-28T02:35:14Z) Bury, Sophie
This study was carried out over the months of July to December 2009 by Sophie Bury, Visiting Professional Scholar at the School of Information and Library Studies (SILS), UCD. The primary goals of this study were to gather and analyse data in order to provide an overview of key trends and developments in the current Continuing Professional Development (CPD) landscape for Irish library professionals. It was also designed to obtain insights on a desired future role for SILS, UCD in the CPD arena in Ireland. This executive summary of the full report was shared with Irish library professionals who participated in the research study.
Open Access
Corporate Governance Research on the Free Web: A Selected Annotated Guide
(Emerald, 2007-01) Bury, Sophie; Leblanc, Richard
Purpose – The web offers a large and ever expanding range of information sources on the popular and widely researched topic of corporate governance. This paper aims to introduce keys sites of quality and relevance to those interested in researching the field of corporate governance using freely available web resources. It will also aims to prove useful to librarians who wish to develop web-based subject pathfinders in this field or who want simply to connect with and build their knowledge of major topics and participants in the field of corporate governance. Design/methodology/approach – By way of introduction important or groundbreaking works in the corporate governance literature are identified and cited in the paper to place selected web sites within the context of recent and historic developments in the area of corporate governance. A wide range of web-based sources were consulted and critically evaluated in the study. Findings – The result of this work is a significant sampling of quality web-based information sources with evaluative annotations. Originality/value – Given the recent explosion in information resources available on the topic of corporate governance, this paper will prove especially timely and useful to anyone interested in accessing and interacting with quality information on the free web from a wide range of significant players and stakeholders in the corporate governance arena.
Open Access
Designing Library Research Assignments: Co-operating with Instructors to Create Successful Assignments. Presented at Ontario Library Association (OLA) Super Conference, Toronto, Ontario. 2004.
(2009-05-29T20:50:25Z) Bury, Sophie; LeBlanc, Helene; Wilkins, Diane
With the arrival of the "double cohort" on Ontario's colleges and universities, academic libraries are feeling the strain as more students seek research assistance and resources. On top of all this, struggling with the reality of poorly designed research assignments is an added burden that leads to frustration all around. How can librarians work with instructors and faculty to create clearer, more effective research assignments? What are the realities of student time management and research skills? What are the components of a well-designed research assignment?
Open Access
"Digging Deeper: The Role of An Information Literacy Award as Part of an Undergraduate Research Fair to Profile and Evaluate Students’ Information Literacy Skills at York University," presented at WILU Conference, May 21-23 2014. University of Western Ontario, London, ON
(2014-06-15) Bury, Sophie; Craig, Dana; Shujah, Sarah
This presentation describes the development of the Undergraduate Research Fair at York University as the broader context to York's first Information Literacy Award. We devote special attention to describing the application process, questions asked, criteria applied, and the adjudication process. We discuss how this award, as part of a grander multidisciplinary Fair, provides students with the opportunity to showcase their research, and it provides librarians insight into students' academic literacy skills.
Open Access
Embedding academic literacy in disciplinary courses. Presented at STHLE 2013. June 19-22 2013. Cape Breton University, NS.
(2013-11-03) Bury, Sophie; Sheese, Ron
The growth of the Learning Commons concept has fostered increased adoption of an integrated approach to the support of student learning. Academic support services associated with reading, writing, library research, and learning skills collaborate to offer programming that recognizes the recursive, non-linear nature of scholarly processes. Academic literacy becomes a central focus as educational development offices work with other campus support services to develop faculty-support partnerships and embed literacy instruction within disciplinary courses. A librarian, writing professor, and literacy studies graduate student will describe how the York University Learning Commons is striving to move beyond the library and into the classroom. We will describe our recent efforts to encourage the integration of academic literacy instruction into disciplinary courses through work with instructors on assignment design and curriculum development.
Open Access
Faculty Voices on Information Literacy: Interview-Based Research Exploring Information Literacy Instruction Practices, Attitudes, and Perceptions among University Faculty. Conference presentation given at WILU 2011, University of Regina, 1-3 June, 2011.
(WILU 2011 Conference Organizers, 2011-06) Bury, Sophie
This presentation will share highlights from a qualitative research study at York University, based on semi-structured interviews, and conducted primarily during the researcher’s recent sabbatical leave. Study participants include twenty four faculty in different disciplines including business, social sciences and humanities, and the sciences. Participants in this study all teach undergraduate courses where library research is an expectation in assignments and projects. 50% of the faculty interviewed currently arrange for information literacy (IL) instruction with the library, while 50% do not. The researcher will review results of this study in aggregate, while also reflecting on differences in perceptions and behaviours of those interviewed based on broad disciplinary affiliation and participation/non-participation in the library’s IL program. The session will also examine the extent to which the findings of this study either corroborate or differ from results of similar studies uncovered by a recent review of the library literature. Implications of the study for research and practice will be shared. Specific findings emerging from this study to be explored in this presentation include faculty perceptions of the meaning and value of IL instruction and faculty experiences of IL competency levels among undergraduate students. Faculty’s observations on how undergraduate students approach the research process, including challenges they experience, will be shared. The role of the research assignment in fostering IL competencies in faculty’s estimation will be discussed. Findings regarding the level and nature of faculty engagement in teaching IL competencies, either by themselves or in collaboration with a librarian, will also be reviewed. Finally, faculty beliefs regarding optimal models for future planning and delivery of IL instruction in a university context will be shared.
Open Access
Future Forward: Reflections on New and Emerging Service Directions in Canadian Academic Libraries.
(2009-12-02T21:42:35Z) Bury, Sophie
Many Canadian academic libraries are revisiting directions and priorities for user services delivery. This talk will give an overview of selected new emerging trends in this area, including a summary of the factors driving these changes, the core characteristics of services provided, and opportunities and challenges experienced along the way. This presentation will draw in quite large part on research conducted and new service directions at York University Libraries (Toronto, Ontario). The speaker will highlight what has been learned through shifts in service design locally, through research on effective and innovative practices at other Canadian academic libraries, and through the study of emerging trends in the academic library world beyond the local context. Four types of Canadian academic library service will be the focus of discussion and critical reflection. Noteworthy and forward-looking developments will be featured, and illustrated with examples. (1) Some key trends in the design of learning spaces (including the learning commons concept) with reference to some Canadian academic libraries widely regarded as best practice models; (2) Heightened emphasis on the library role in supporting the research agenda in higher education, both through emerging services to support faculty and postgraduate student research (such as institutional repositories, bibliometrics, Virtual Research Environments), and strategies for strengthening librarians’ own research productivity; (3) Selected examples of new directions in reference services, such as Ask Ontario, a successful collaborative virtual reference service; (4) Recent trends in information literacy policy and planning, with emphasis on standards adopted, increasing attention to teaching critical information literacy, new opportunities for curriculum integrated approaches, resulting from the OCAV University Undergraduate Degree Level Expectations (UUDLEs), and greater adoption of standardized assessment tools, including SAILS, ETS iSkills, and WASSAIL, to facilitate an ongoing evidenced-based approach to the design of information literacy programming.
Open Access
Information Literacy Assessment. Guest Lecture to MLIS students, as part of an elective course taught by Claire McGuinness titled The Teaching Librarian (IS40480). School of Information and Library Studies, University College Dublin. April 9th 2010.
(2010-07-09T13:59:40Z) Bury, Sophie
Open Access
Information Retrieval. Guest Lecture to undergraduate students studying Information Studies, as part of a course taught by Nuala Connolly titled Introduction to Information Studies (IS10010). School of Information and Library Studies, University College Dublin. November 6th 2009.
(2010-07-09T14:09:37Z) Bury, Sophie
Open Access
Inside Out: Library Services At Point Of Need. Presented at Ontario Library Association (OLA) Super Conference, Toronto, Ontario, 2008.
(2009-05-29T19:17:53Z) Bury, Sophie; Maimets, Ilo; Munro, Sharon
Focused on the planning, implementation and results of focus groups with university students from different disciplines. The focus groups provided invaluable feedback about students' research habits; perceptions of their own information literacy competencies; and their insights as to how instruction could be enhanced. Innovative instructional video clips; supporting materials; various library initiatives with departments on campus; and other novel methods used to promote and to provide access to library services and resources to faculty and students both inside and outside the library were also examined.
Open Access
An Investigation of the Information Literacy Instruction Practices, Attitudes and Knowledge of University Faculty: Findings and Recommendations Based on Survey and Interview Research at York University
(2010-04-12T12:44:24Z) Bury, Sophie
This session will provide a critical review of key results from research conducted with full-time faculty in a wide range of disciplines at York University, Toronto. Findings regarding faculty perceptions of the meaning and value of information literacy instruction will be shared, in addition to results, shedding light on faculty behaviours and beliefs, when it comes to the practice of information literacy. Results obtained and recommendations made are based on a two-stage research process. Survey research formed the focus in stage one, and interview research (involving a semi-structured interview approach), allowing more in-depth investigation of selected issues, was the research method adopted in stage two. Relevant disciplinary differences will be outlined, with a focus on comparison of results between the Science and Engineering disciplines, the Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines, and the Professional disciplines. The session will also examine the extent to which the findings of this study either corroborate or differ from results of similar studies uncovered by a recent review of the Library and Information Studies literature. The session will begin by exploring faculty perceptions of the meaning of information literacy and the importance of information literacy instruction in fostering information literacy competencies. Faculty views on the relative importance of instruction in different information literacy skills areas in higher-level education are also summarised. Faculty perceptions and experiences of information literacy competency levels among their students will be discussed. Faculty opinions of student skill levels at different stages will be highlighted, i.e., lower level undergraduate students, higher level undergraduate students, and postgraduate students. Results indicating the approaches typically adopted by faculty to engage students and motivate them to learn information literacy competencies are shared. The role of the research assignment in fostering information literacy competencies, in faculty’s estimation, will be discussed. Findings regarding levels of faculty engagement in teaching information literacy competencies, either by themselves or in collaboration with a librarian, will also be summarized. Results will also be highlighted regarding the nature of information literacy instruction typically incorporated within the classroom by faculty, the amount of time typically allocated to this instruction, as well as their general experiences and estimation of it. Survey results showed that the number of faculty, who opt not to incorporate information literacy instruction within their classrooms, is nearly equal to the number who do. Therefore, examination of the reasons for the non-adoption of information literacy was critical in this study and key findings from both survey and interview research will be highlighted. Finally, faculty beliefs regarding appropriate roles, formats, pedagogies and methods for the effective teaching and learning of information literacy competencies will also be shared. Faculty views on how information literacy instruction might be more effectively promoted at York University will also be discussed. Based on this survey and interview research, the speaker's summary of implications for practice and research will be shared.
Open Access
An Investigation of the Information Literacy Instruction Practices, Attitudes, and Knowledge of University Faculty: Results of a Web-based Survey at York University, Canada
(2009-11-10T02:56:19Z) Bury, Sophie
This presentation provides an overview of key findings and recommendations of a survey of full-time faculty at York University, which investigated their information literacy instruction practices, attitudes, and knowledge. The session examines the extent to which the findings of this study either corroborate or differ from results of similar studies uncovered by a recent review of the LIS literature. Findings regarding faculty perceptions of the importance of information literacy instruction, and of information literacy competency levels among students are discussed. Data regarding levels of faculty engagement in teaching information literacy competencies, either by themselves or in collaboration with a librarian, are also shared. Findings are also highlighted regarding the nature of information literacy instruction typically incorporated within the classroom by faculty, as well as their general experiences and estimation of it. Results regarding faculty awareness of, and support for different formats and methods of instruction delivery are summarised. Based on these survey results, the researcher’s summary of implications for practice and research are shared.
Open Access
Learning from Faculty Voices on Information Literacy: Opportunities and Challenges for Undergraduate Information Literacy Education
(Emerald, 2016) Bury, Sophie
Purpose: The study investigates faculty conceptions of information literacy (IL) in a digital information landscape by examining faculty definitions of information literacy in the context of undergraduate education, as well as faculty perceptions of, and expectations for, undergraduate IL knowledge and abilities. Design/Methodology/Approach: This is a qualitative research study with 24 semi-structured interviews of faculty in different disciplines at a large public research university in Toronto, Ontario. Findings: Faculty view IL as fundamentally intertwined with other academic literacies and as central for the successful pursuit of much undergraduate academic research work including developing autonomous, engaged learners. Faculty place special emphasis on fostering higher-order cognitive skills, especially developing a questioning disposition, and the ability to evaluate, contextualize and synthesize information sources. Faculty see considerable scope for improvement of undergraduate IL capabilities, and a large majority see a role for themselves and librarians here. Practical implications: Findings of this and other studies align well with core elements in the new IL guidelines and frameworks for higher education both in North America and the United Kingdom. This includes highlighting a need for a strong faculty role in shaping IL in higher education in the future, a need for a holistic lens in developing multiple academic literacies, an emphasis on high-order cognitive abilities, and a recognition of the importance of affective dimensions of learning information literacy. Originality/Value: This paper fills a gap in the literature where there is an absence of studies, especially of a qualitative nature, which explore faculty conceptions of information literacy. A majority of studies published focus instead on librarian conceptions and practice.
Open Access
Literacies — Information and beyond: The Learning Commons and the embedding of academic literacy instruction in disciplinary courses. Presented at WILU Conference, May 8-10 2013. University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB
(2013-11-03) Bury, Sophie; Sheese, Ron; Katz, Rebecca
The growth of the Learning Commons concept has fostered increased adoption of an integrated approach to the support of student learning. Academic support services associated with reading, writing, research, and learning skills collaborate to offer programming that recognizes the recursive, non-linear nature of scholarly processes. Academic literacy becomes a central focus as librarians work with other campus support services to extend the narrower traditional focus on information literacy. A librarian, writing professor, and literacy studies graduate student will describe how the York University Learning Commons is striving to move beyond the library and into the classroom. We will describe our recent efforts to encourage the integration of academic literacy instruction into disciplinary courses through work with instructors on assignment design and curriculum development. We base our work in part on focus groups we conducted with York instructors for the purpose of learning how they conceptualize the needs of their students, and their own role as instructors, in the development of academic literacy. We will describe the primary results of our discussions and how those results assisted us in designing our faculty programming.
Open Access
Teaching with SPARK. Co-presented with Ron Sheese (York University) at STHLE Conference 2014, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, June 2014.
(2014-09-02) Bury, Sophie; Sheese, Ron
The York University Learning Commons has recently developed SPARK (Student Papers and Academic Research Kit), a freely available online resource to assist students in learning to write essays in the social sciences and humanities. SPARK, created from an academic literacies perspective, provides support within a single online resource for developing skills in multiple areas related to essay writing – time management, library searching, and essay revision, for example. While SPARK can be used by students on their own, our session will focus on how course instructors can incorporate SPARK into their teaching. We will discuss common problems that students face in the preparation of academic essays and how SPARK can be used in the context of disciplinary courses to help students address these problems and improve the quality of their writing.
Open Access
Undergraduate Students' Writing, Research and Learning Skills: Academic Literacy Research and Practice at York University. Co-presented with Ron Sheese (York University) at TRY Conference, Toronto, ON, May 2014.
(2014-09-02) Bury, Sophie; Sheese, Ron
We will talk about the contrast between student and instructor conceptions of the writing and library research process. This has been informed by grant-funded research in which we conducted focus groups with York faculty members and reviewed literature on academic literacy teaching practices. We will describe our recent efforts to take what we learned through this research and work with York's Teaching Commons to encourage the integration of academic literacy instruction into disciplinary courses through work with instructors on assignment design and curriculum development. We will also describe the recently developed on-line resource SPARK (Student Papers and Academic Research Kit) and discuss how it might bridge the efforts of students and faculty to develop academic literacy.
Open Access
Usability Testing of an Online Information Literacy Tutorial
(Emerald, 2005-01) Oud, Joanne; Bury, Sophie
Purpose – Usability testing can play a valuable role in improving the effectiveness of online information literacy instruction, while forming a core component in a wider assessment plan. This article aims to discuss the usability testing of an online information literacy tutorial for freshman undergraduates at Wilfrid Laurier University Library. Design/methodology/approach – Two librarians, working to fulfill an important mandate of the Library's Information Literacy Task Force, defined goals, created and implemented a modest, though effective, approach to usability assessment. Findings – The testing provided detailed information on the ease of use of the tutorial, as well as users’ satisfaction levels with content and design. These findings informed subsequent revisions and enhancements to the online tutorial. Originality/value – Student evaluation questionnaires distributed subsequent to the tutorial overhaul indicate the success of usability testing in the development of a more effective learning tool.

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