Just Curious: How Can Academic Libraries Incite Curiosity to Promote Science Literacy?

Author : Siu Hong Yu

Based on a Bright Young Minds webinar given on February 7, 2017, this paper shows the importance of nurturing curiosity in students as an integral part of information literacy (IL) and science literacy. There are obvious parallels between “Research as Inquiry,” as described in the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (2016) and scientific inquiry.

In both cases, curiosity is the fuel that drives information gathering and the pursuit of new knowledge. This paper discusses three pedagogical strategies to help information literacy librarians incite curiosity in students and promote scientific literacy.

Bright Young Minds is a webinar series hosted by the Ontario Library Association’s Education Institute. It provides a platform for MLIS students and recent graduates to share their research and to foster connections between academic schools and information professionals.

The webinar and this subsequent article grew out of an MLIS project exploring the concept of curiosity and its application in promoting scientific literacy in academic libraries. I draw on my dual experiences as both a Chemistry graduate student and participant in IL sessions, and as a recent MLIS graduate and IL instructor.

URL : Just Curious: How Can Academic Libraries Incite Curiosity to Promote Science Literacy?

Alternative location : https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/perj/article/view/3954