Incorporating Information Literacy into Survey of Music Literature for Majors (MUS 109): A Required Course for the Bachelor of Music Degree

Course: Survey of Music Literature for Majors
Faculty: Dr. Timothy J. Roden, Music Department, tjroden@owu.edu
Librarian: Margie Wiers, M.A., M.L.S., Music Librarian, mlwiers@owu.edu

Introduction

The music history sequence at Ohio Wesleyan University consists of four courses that students take during their Freshman (MUS 109), Junior (MUS 357, 358), and Senior years (MUS 359). This proposal, the first part of a comprehensive sequence for all music majors, revises the scope and content of the MUS 109 in order to provide an introductory level of information literacy for Freshmen music majors. It will furnish a foundation for their years at Ohio Wesleyan as well as introduce the tools for lifelong research. Students will begin to develop their own musical knowledge through use of library resources and become comfortable using the library.

Nature of the Project

There are three major information literacy goals that we would like to achieve in MUS 109: (1) to develop a basic understanding of the organization and holdings of the music library; (2) to provide them with the skills to find, use, and evaluate print and electronic resources; and (3) to acquaint students with core music reference materials that will be useful to their studies throughout the discipline of music. It is expected that five or six sessions will be required to adequately cover these topics. After each session, students will be required to complete two or three short assignments, putting to practical use the information presented during the lecture. Students will be required to submit all assignments, but only the final assignment for each section will be graded. Tests will also include questions dealing with Information Literacy.

1. Music Library organization and holdings: Students will learn about the various sections of the music library; know where they can find scores, general histories, music biography, non-western and jazz topics, instruments and performance practice, as well as topics in music theory and education.
   
   
2. Print and electronic resources (this will require at least four sessions)
   1. Session one will cover CONSORT and OhioLink, what they constitute, and the resources available in each. In CONSORT, we will discuss the different search methods, the elements of a keyword search, finding desired materials such a particular CD recordings. Students will also learn how to access materials posted on E-Res.
   2. Session two will be subdivided into two sections. Part one will teach students how to use a book. Topics will cover how to use the various components of a book to determine its usefulness for research: the table of contents and index, preface, and how to quickly peruse its contents. Part Two will introduce students to the concept of research databases, bibliographic vs. full-text, numeric databases, and the concept of free vs. fee-based resources.
   3. Session three will cover electronic resources, in particular methods for finding and evaluating musical sites posted on the world wide web. Students will learn methods of evaluating the source, content, and quality of posted material; learn how to use the web to locate musical organizations; and explore various commercial sites that sell such items as CDs, reference books, and sheet music. (Other electronic resources will be explored in MUS 357.)
   4. Session four will cover periodicals, the difference between scholarly and popular periodicals, checking availability through CONSORT and the OWU Periodicals Union List, the ILL (InterLibrary Loan) process. Additional searching techniques will be discussed as well as other concepts such as type of publication, the various types of articles, etc.
   
   
   
3. Core music reference materials: Students will learn about basic music reference works (Music Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, and Biographical Dictionaries). Assignments will acquaint them with the purpose, scope, and unique qualities of each source.

Project Timeline

Developing assignments to support Information Literacy sessions will require a substantial amount of time. The instructor and music librarian will meet regularly, probably once a week, during the spring semester to develop the content of the sessions and the assignments.

Faculty Time to Complete the Project

The instructor, with the assistance of the music librarian, will need to construct search assignments that will be relevant to the pedagogical goals of the course and literacy session as well as avoid confusion. We would like to develop web-based materials and assignments as much as possible, an area in which the music librarian has a particular expertise, which will also require a substantial amount of preparation. However, this will reduce the costs for copying as well as the amount of paper and will facilitate grading. We also plan to evaluate each session at the completion of the last assignment. It will take approximately eight to sixteen hours to develop assignments for each session, probably more for the session dealing with electronic media, for a total of between 40 and 80 hours. Preparation will commence during Spring Semester and, on the instructor's part, continue throughout the summer.

Return to top

Return to list of proposals