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Transforming the Library Online Tutorial: Enhancing Post-Secondary Information Literacy through Knowledge Justice

Emily Carrasco-Acosta (Teaching and Learning Co-op)

Western Libraries, Western University

eLearning in Libraries Symposium 2025

November 26, 2025

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About Me

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Emily Carrasco-Acosta (B.Sc, MLIS candidate)

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Hello, it’s me!

  • Current MLIS candidate at Western University
  • Previous background in pedagogy, student success, community-engaged research, information and media literacy, and knowledge equity through previous work (McMaster University’s CTL, Mohawk College, Milton Public Library)
  • Co-op placement at Western Libraries Teaching and Learning Team from May 2025 until December 2025

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Western Libraries

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WL Teaching and Learning Team & our Curriculum

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Western Libraries Teaching and Learning Team

  • The Teaching and Learning (T&L) team sits on the intersection of teaching and research
    • Highly relationship-focused with our users
    • Situated within disciplinary expertise, we facilitate teaching library research skills (including knowledge synthesis) and (effective) use of our resources
    • Use a knowledge-justice lens to inform both our users and fellow colleagues on knowledge synthesis work, faculty development, research consults, accessing the library, etc.
  • Responsibilities that we undertake in our work include
    • Faculty collaboration
    • Ensuring students meet their learning outcomes
    • Course and program support
    • Filling in knowledge/curricula gaps that may be “hidden”
    • Relaying decolonization efforts and knowledge justice approaches/practices

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Western Libraries Curriculum

Reflect on scope of their own knowledge & investiagte perspectives that can broaden scope

Seach for new & diverse knowledge in inclusive & ethical ways

Respect others by considering the value & limitation of all forms of knowledge

Crtically evaluate sources of knowledge before using them

Make culturallty respectful choices about their use of others’ knowledge

Acknowledge their power to responsibly influence others when sharing ideas

Knowledge Justice

Critical Reflection

Searching

Identifying & Evaluating Sources

Responsible Use of Knowledge

Creation & Dissemination of Knowledge

Adapted from the Western Libraries Library Curriculum “Learning Outcomes” page (https://www.lib.uwo.ca/teaching/index.html). This work is licensed under a CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license. Last revised August 18, 2022 by Western University.

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Knowledge Justice OER

  • 2022: Western Libraries made a commitment to decolonize its curriculum and move beyond traditional approaches to teaching information literacy
  • 2025: Open Educational Resource (OER) titled ”Knowledge Justice in the Helping Professions: From Theory to Practice” released as a resource that goes beyond professions such as nursing, counselling, or librarianship, with questions:
    • Whose knowledge counts?
    • How do we make space for diverse voices?
    • In what way do we reframe how learners engage with knowledge?
  • With tutorials: used as a strong foundation for the tutorial update project, and is itself a comprehensive tool to engage with users beyond our library website

QR Code for full textbook, contact below for inquiries:

  • Heather Campbell (Editor)�Curriculum Librarian, Western Libraries, Western University�heather.campbell@uwo.ca        
  • Ashley McKeown (Editor)�Lecturer, Arthur Labatt School of Nursing, Western University�amckeow@uwo.ca        

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Knowledge Justice in the Helping Professions. (2025). Campbell, H., McKeown, A., Holmes, K., Sansom, L., Dilkes, D., and Glasgow- Osment, B. (Eds.).

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Tutorial Update Project

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Planning & Development Stages

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Tutorial Update Project

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Planning & Development

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41

73,215

Tutorials available in May 2025

Google Analytics of Active Users (Apr 2022 – Jun 2025)

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976,000!

YouTube views on our “Evaluating Sources”

(most popular video on Western University’s account)

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While we planned this project…

Some questions for consideration during the planning and development of the tutorial update project include:

  • What trends have we seen in our user demands?
  • Who is our primary audience (e.g. students, faculty, other WL librarians, etc.)?
  • What are other University Libraries doing with their tutorial or guides, and how do we compare?
  • As Teaching & Learning Librarians, what do we wish to see in our online learning objects?
  • Who else is covering these skills and information at Western Libraries?
  • How do we ensure the content will stay relevant and just as information landscapes change?

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Tutorial and How-To Update Project Timeline

Tutorial overview (past & current) + Gantt Chart for project/co-op term(s) planning

Environmental scan + Conferences (WILU)

Creating & reviewing tutorial content

Uploading content to chosen platform + publish to mainspace

May 2025

Jun 2025

Jul – Nov 2025

Nov – Dec 2025

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*excluding Knowledge Synthesis, which had similar proportions except for Searching (75% of consult theme)

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LibInsight T&L Consult Stats

(Aug 2021 – Present)

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Some Tutorials Topics or Skills Included…

Current Content Enriched:

  • Annotated Bibliographies
  • Call Numbers and Library of Congress Classification Systems
  • Search Skills and Strategies (e.g. concept mapping, developing a search topic, search terms and subject headings, databases and sources, etc.)
  • Evaluating Sources (e.g. Voices Flower, modified CRAAP test, how to read scholarly articles, critiquing peer-review articles, etc.)
  • Plagiarism
  • Literature and Systematic Reviews
  • Research Writing Skills (ex. Paraphrasing)

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New Content Added:

  • Mis/Dis/Mal-information
  • Generative AI
  • Knowledge Justice Approaches to Research Skills (e.g. positionality, bias and epistemic injustice in academia, searching diverse voices, evaluating sources for harm, etc.)

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*some content salvaged and adapted from former Brescia College’s Beryl Ivey Library “The Clever Researcher” Blog

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Tutorial Update Project Cont.

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Future Next Steps

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Sample of WL New Tutorials Pressbook

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Official Launch: �Winter Semester 2026

  • Final product shown to staff and select faculty in December 2025
  • Official launch for all users by January 2026

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Thanks!

Do you have any questions?

ecarras@uwo.ca

Emily Carrasco-Acosta (LinkedIn)

Western Libraries: Videos & How-Tos

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