Curtin Malaysia Library & Learning Commons conducts information literacy skills workshops for SMK Lutong and SMK Merbau

Miri – 25 February 2020 – The Library & Learning Commons section of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) recently conducted Information Literacy Skills (ILS) workshops for students of two secondary schools in Miri, namely Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Lutong on 18^th January 2020, and Sekolah Menengah Kerajaan Merbau on 18^th February 2020.

Such workshops are conducted annually as part of The Library & Learning Commons’ community engagement initiatives. It has conducted ILS workshops at numerous secondary schools in the Miri area in the conviction that it is an important skill every student should acquire to enable them to be fully prepared for high-level studies.

Information Literacy is considered one of the main characteristic of a library services and for a university student, it is an important skill to enable them to be exceptional students. Based on this, The Library’s objectives for such workshop which has been actively conducted for the past 5 years is to help students to be prepared for higher education.

The workshops conducted at the university were facilitated by a team of the university’s librarians led by Nora Hii together with her Library team.

Information literacy is an essential skill to master before pursuing higher education and with the ever-changing demands in the education system, students need to be equipped with skills such as understanding the World Wide Web, how to differentiate between fact and fiction, and most importantly, the ethical and legal issues of obtaining and disseminating information online.

This workshop also covers the importance of being ethical internet users by helping them to judge every information available on the internet. The overwhelming of information is seen in today’s society and with the latest state of the art gadgets and everyone is now connected all across the world, thus making fake news and information is getting harder to distinguished from facts. The workshop conducted helps students to understand the importance of disseminating information to the right people, at the right time with the right purpose.

The teachers and students who have participated in the past have commented that the workshops are real eye–openers, especially when it comes to evaluating Internet and website content, and learning to use online resources as useful education and knowledge acquisition tools.

The Library & Learning Commons section serves over 4,000 students and staff at the university. Its facilities include The Library occupying approximately 16,100 square feet on three floors, which is complemented by two common study areas across the campus. The three spaces combined can accommodate over 700 people.

The Library’s current collections consist of approximately 32,800 printed books, 4,300 audio-visual items, 500 print journals, 420,000 electronic books, 160,000 electronic journals and 600 online databases. With the latest digital technologies and Internet access, its extensive online resources are easily accessible by users anywhere and at any time.

Helping users acquire Information Literacy Skills is a big part of the library services it provides. All new students to the university are encouraged to attend ILS training aimed at equipping them with the necessary knowledge and skills to navigate and use all the library services, particularly the online resources.

It also engages with students through its yearly Library Explore Day where library staff showcase The Library and its services to students through information booths, exhibitions and interactive games. The underlying idea is to introduce The library as a modern, technology-rich and multi-functional space.

Students of SM Lutong are listening tentatively to the workshops by Curtin’s librarians.

Students of SMK Lutong with Curtin Malaysia librarians.

Students of SMK Merbau during the workshop session at the Curtin Malaysia’s Library.

Students of SMK Merbau pose for a photo at the scenic Curtin Malaysia’s campus.