Information literacy for off-campus graduate cohorts Collaboration between a university librarian and a Master's of Education faculty

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the practice of information literacy by showing the role that extensive collaboration plays in a graduate off-campus cohort program. Design/methodology/approach - A case study of an innovative project that uses a collaborative approach to information literacy embedded into an off-campus graduate cohort program offered in the field of graduate education. Findings - In this paper, it is not stated or implied that the traditional library or librarian will be irrelevant to higher education in the twenty-first century. Nor, however, is it suggested that the collaboration between (for example) librarian and graduate education programs that is necessary to stave off such obsolescence takes place inevitably. It is known that the literature and classroom observations to date clearly demonstrate that existing collaborative efforts between these two entities have been successful in benefiting graduate students. However, this model needs to become more pervasive in practice to take the profession effectively into the twenty-first century. Research limitations/implications - This project was limited to one graduate program in the College of Education. However, it does have implications for other graduate programs as well as for undergraduate programs. Practical implications - The results of this collaborative project indicate techniques and practices by means of which students will improve both information literacy and critical analysis skills. Originality/value - This paper supports the idea that collaboration between librarians and graduate faculty members is an essential factor in enhancing an information literacy program at the university level.