Drop-in sessions as an effective format for teaching information literacy: a case study in the Medical and Dental Libraries at Queen Mary University of London

Abstract

Information literacy (IL) skills are increasingly becoming acknowledged as vital lifelong skills, necessary to thrive in education, research and the workplace. IL is taught in a variety of formats in higher education. The purpose of this study is to examine the use of drop-in sessions as an effective format to meet the need for ongoing IL teaching. Although research has previously been carried out on various formats of IL teaching, there is little research specifically investigating the effectiveness of drop-in sessions. This study aims to add to the current body of knowledge by examining the experience of providing drop-in IL sessions at the Medical and Dental Libraries at Queen Mary University of London. These sessions have now been running for five years and data has been gathered from attendance statistics, evaluation forms and follow-up questionnaires in order to evaluate their effectiveness for teaching IL skills. The study shows that drop-in sessions can provide the desired one-to-one, personalised, hands-on teaching, delivered in an informal environment. Good attendance figures, high levels of satisfaction and the perceived positive impact on IL skills demonstrate that drop-in sessions can be used as an effective format for IL teaching. The study provides evidence of good practice for those looking at how best to provide ongoing IL teaching.