What We're Reading

Here at the d'Alzon Library, we try to keep up with the latest news related to student learning, information or digital literacy, and resource evaluation.

Each month, we'd like to share with you some of our favorite recent reads. Enjoy!


The Disinformation Vaccination. By Nina Jankowicz. The Wilson Quarterly. Winter 2018.

This article discusses the possible American responses to Russian disinformation and suggests that updated social media algorithms or governmental regulations will not suffice.  Instead, the U.S. must invest in programs that will enhance media and information literacy skills among all of its citizens.  

Are You a Curator or a Dumper? By Jennifer Gonzalez. Cult of Pedagogy. February 4, 2018.

The author cautions experts not to "dump" large amounts of data on learners; to prevent cognitive overload, "curate" just a few helpful resources.  A good reminder for librarians and educators who find it hard to resist sharing all the good stuff all at once.  Includes suggested easy-to-use tools for digital curation.

What Do Undergraduate Students Know about Scholarly Communication? A Mixed Methods Study. By Catherine Fraser Riehle and Merinda Kaye Hensley. Portal: Libraries and the Academy vol. 17 no. 1 (January 2017): 145-178.

Now that more and more undergraduates are completing projects that constitute participation in scholarly communications, it is important to understand what they are learning about scholarly communications practices within their disciplines. This study aims to evaluate students' understanding and to shed light on how faculty and librarians can work together to educate students in best practices.

In Praise of Adequacy. By Rachel Judith Weil. The Chronicle of Higher Education. January 22, 2018.

The author encourages faculty to "cultivate the adequacy mind-set - the feeling of being proud and grateful to be good enough to continue doing something from which we get pleasure and knowledge" and believes that "articulating what our students can get from mere adequacy in our disciplines is essential if we are to defend the value of a liberal-arts education."

Student Perceptions of Workforce Preparedness and Career Resources. AAC&U News. January/February 2018.

This article summarizes a survey of over 30,000 students by Gallup and Strada Education Network, which found that many students at four-year colleges and universities do not think higher education is preparing them with the skills and knowledge to be successful in their future careers.

Digital Reading: Genre Awareness as a Tool for Reading Comprehension. By Tanya K. Rodrigue. Pedagogy vol. 17 no. 2. April 2017. 

The author discusses the reading habits of current students and identifies tools or strategies that have been developed to help students build digital reading skills.  She concludes that a variety of strategies are needed, and proposes genre awareness as a new tool that can equip students with the ability to engage with digital sources.