Poster presented with Rebecca Spirito Dalgin at the NCRE 2018 Conference, October 24-27, 2018, Arlington, VA. Download file to view full-sized. Poster Abstract: This poster presents a case study in which the authors, a rehabilitation faculty member and an information literacy librarian, collaborated to redesign a comprehensive semester-long assignment to better target and improve the information literacy skills of students. Through this collaborative partnership that deployed innovative information literacy practices, the authors revised the assignment to incorporate intentionally scaffolded exercises that helped the students move more mindfully along the theory-to-practice continuum. Scientific inquiry and incorporation of current evidence-based practice into the work of rehabilitation professionals is a cornerstone of ethical practice, and the skills and dispositions developed through this type of revised learning experience facilitate the development of these competencies. Specific pedagogy employed and results including faculty and student feedback are presented.

1. Rebecca Spirito Dalgin, Ph.D., CRC, CPRP and Donna Witek, MA, MLIS
Information Literacy in Rehabilitation Education: Collaboration
for Development of Theory to Practice Competency
Rehabilitation Resource Report
The assignment is used to scaffold information literacy learning
in a 300-level rehabilitation services course. The goal of the
partnership was to teach students to research a rehabilitation
intervention or service in the professional literature and to
connect the evidence to practice through a semester-long
research project about a rehabilitation resource available
locally to individuals with disabilities.
 Pick a topic & community resource
 In-class workshop with librarian
 Worksheet 1: 3 evidence-based articles
 Worksheet 2: articles with related interview
questions
 Site visit/interview
 Writing and synthesis
 Submit finished project with reflection
The Assignment
Project Outcome Information Literacy Concept
Students were instructed on database usage,
information literacy, and report construction.
Research as inquiry
Searching as a strategic exploration
Students increased knowledge of and ability to
utilize rehabilitation literature.
Research as inquiry
Scholarship as conversation
Searching as a strategic exploration
Students increased their ability to understand
rehabilitation interventions and theory and the
ways it informs real world application.
Information has value
Students increased their confidence in
contacting rehabilitation service providers.
Information has value
Scholarship as conversation
Students increased their ability to communicate
with rehabilitation providers about evidence-
based practices from the literature.
Scholarship as conversation
Students increased knowledge about the wide
variety of rehabilitation services.
Information has value
Students completed the project in logical stages
along an appropriate timeline.
Research as inquiry
1) Planning meetings between collaborators
2) Collaborative design of learning activities using
concepts from the Framework for Information Literacy
(ACRL, 2016)
3) In-class workshop presented by the librarian
4) Scaffolded submission of worksheets
5) Shared assessment of learning
6) Reflection on finished project
To help students learn how to access, understand, and apply
evidence-based literature to real world settings and contexts.
Competent and ethical rehabilitation professionals seek to
provide current, evidence-based practice at all times.
What is the best way to help students develop these
information literacy skills and understand their importance
for future practice?
In undergraduate education, students are often asked to work
with published literature to research particular topics,
populations, and interventions. Additionally, we often bring in
speakers or take students into the field to better understand and
experience community rehabilitation settings and services.
However, there is often a disconnect between this new found
knowledge from the literature and its application to real world
contexts.
The cross over from theory to practice can be challenging to
demonstrate. This collaboration bridges these two elements of
rehabilitation education by merging them into one large
assignment.
The collaboration process occurred in multiple steps, each
incorporating our shared expertise.
In-class
workshop with
a librarian
Database
searching
Consultations
Research
worksheets
Ideally, undergraduate students will increase their proficiency with
information literacy and deepen connections made between theory
and evidence-based practice, ultimately allowing them to be more
ethical and competent practitioners and making for a smoother
transition to future graduate education.
Implications for Practice
The Collaboration Process
Purpose Interconnected Collaborative Practices
Mapped Outcomes for Information Literacy
Increased Competency with Library Resources

2. Information Literacy in Rehabilitation Education:
Collaboration for Development of Theory to Practice Competency
NCRE 2018 Conference, October 24-27, 2018, Arlington, VA
Rebecca Spirito Dalgin, Ph.D, CRC, CPRC Donna Witek, MA, MLIS
rebecca.dalgin@scranton.edu donna.witek@scranton.edu
Poster Abstract
This poster presents a case study in which the authors, a rehabilitation faculty member and an
information literacy librarian, collaborated to redesign a comprehensive semester-long assignment to
better target and improve the information literacy skills of students. Through this collaborative
partnership that deployed innovative information literacy practices, the authors revised the assignment
to incorporate intentionally scaffolded exercises that helped the students move more mindfully along
the theory-to-practice continuum. Scientific inquiry and incorporation of current evidence-based
practice into the work of rehabilitation professionals is a cornerstone of ethical practice, and the skills
and dispositions developed through this type of revised learning experience facilitate the development
of these competencies. Specific pedagogy employed and results including faculty and student
feedback are presented.
Relevant Literature
ACRL. (2016). ​Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education​. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework
ACRL. (2017). ​Roles and Strengths of Teaching Librarians​. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/teachinglibrarians
Booth, C. (2011). ​Reflective Teaching, Effective Learning: Instructional Literacy for Library Educators​.
Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
Boruff, J. T., & Thomas, A. (2011). Integrating evidence-based practice and information literacy skills
in teaching physical and occupational therapy students. ​Health Information & Libraries Journal​, 28(4),
264-272. doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2011.00953.x
Brooks SV, Bigelow S. (2015). Preparing students for research: faculty/librarian collaboration in a
pre-doctoral physical therapy research course. ​Health Information & Libraries Journal​, 32(4), 332-338.
CRCC. (2017). ​Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors​. Retrieved from
https://www.crccertification.com/filebin/pdf/ethics/CodeOfEthics_01-01-2017.pdf
(over)

3. Relevant Literature (continued)
Crist, P. (2010). Adapting research instruction to support the scholarship of practice: practice-scholar
partnerships. ​Occupational Therapy in Health Care​, 24(1), 39–55.
Danielson-Francois, S. J. (2006). Information Literacy Collaborations in the Health Sciences at
Cy-Fair College. ​Texas Library Journal​, 82(2), 76-78.
Dorner, J. L., Taylor, S. E., & Hodson-Carlton, K. (2001). Faculty-librarian collaboration for nursing
information literacy: a tiered approach. ​Reference Services Review​, 29(2), 132-140.
Durando, P., & Oakley, P. (2005). Developing information literacy skills in nursing and rehabilitation
therapy students. ​Journal of the Canadian Health Libraries Association​, 26(1), 7-11.
Ellison, A. B. (2004). Positive Faculty/Librarian Relationships for Productive Library Assignments.
Community & Junior College Libraries​, 12(2), 23-28. doi:10.130/J107v12n02_05
Meulemans, Y. N., & Carr, A. (2013). Not at your service: building genuine faculty-librarian
partnerships. ​Reference Services Review​, 41(1), 80-90. doi:10.1108/00907321311300893
Nordsteien, A., Horntvedt, M. T., & Holmen, N. T. (2013). The development of a model for teaching
information literacy to nursing students through cross-professional collaboration. ​Nordic Journal Of
Information Literacy In Higher Education​, 5(1), 32-37.
Øvern, K. M. (2014). Faculty-library collaboration: two pedagogical approaches. ​Journal of Information
Literacy​, 8(2), 36-55. doi:10.11645/8.2.1910
Turnbull, B., Royal, B., & Purnell, M. (2011). Using an interdisciplinary partnership to develop nursing
students' information literacy skills: An evaluation. ​Contemporary Nurse: A Journal For The Australian
Nursing Profession​, 38(1-2), 122-129.
Vogel K. (2012). Librarians and occupational therapy faculty: a collaboration for teaching
evidence-based practice. ​Journal of Allied Health​, 41(1), e15-20.