Preface

The cutting-edge and emerging technologies of the digital age are coming up with ever more innovative ways of delivering and disseminating information. Although web search engines are becoming increasingly powerful in today's information society, many undergraduates still do not have the key skills to access and search for peer-reviewed scholarly information from academic information resources. When they switch between computer games, Facebook accounts, and other social media applications, the street-smart skills of many undergraduates are not enough to improve their academic performance. Faced by increasing global competition and the challenge of ever-changing career arenas, undergraduates and graduates must improve their information literacy competencies if they are to survive in the networked academic learning environment, let alone the highly unpredictable business world.

Many colleges and universities worldwide have set up campus-wide mandatory courses for first-year undergraduates so that they can adjust to the dynamic academic learning environment they have just entered. When preparing his teaching syllabus, the author's attempts to find an appropriate textbook focusing on information literacy competencies in today's information society have come to nothing. Moreover, there are few books teaching college students how to write academic papers, none of which however show how scholarly information can be delivered in our networked academic learning environment. Furthermore, few books are available to teach students how to access, search for, and use information ethically, legally, and safely in public access computer environments.

Purpose of this book

The purpose of this book is to provide a practical guide for undergraduates and graduates striving for academic and vocational achievement. Students in dynamic and interactive academic learning environments are required to display qualified information literacy competencies while critically evaluating electronic and print information for its currency, relevancy, authority, accuracy, and purpose. However, many undergraduates and some graduates still encounter difficulties when searching for peerreviewed scholarly information across heterogeneous applications, databases, networks, platforms, and systems.

This is a show-me-how-to-do-it book. It is unique in that it is written to show undergraduates and graduates, especially first-year students, where and how to access and locate print and online scholarly information resources and services in our networked academic learning environment. The book should further assist them to use information ethically, legally, and safely in cyberspace. Exercises and mini-quizzes related to the subject matter of each chapter are designed to strengthen the knowledge gained from each chapter and promote skills in critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving.

Primary features of this book

1. This book is a new, comprehensive reference guide to illustrate the various ways of delivering and disseminating academic and scholarly information in our networked academic world.

2. This book is a roadmap to show undergraduates and graduates, especially first-year college students, where to access and search for academic and scholarly information in the dynamic academic learning environment.

3. This book teaches junior and senior college students how to utilize academic information resources and services across applications, databases, platforms, and systems.

4. This book presents many real-world examples that show undergraduates and graduates how to use academic information ethically, legally, and safely in public access computer environments.

5. This book includes abstracts, key words, learning outcomes, real-world examples, and summaries to help students review essential concepts, knowledge, and skills applicable to academic information in networked environments.

6. This book arranges brainstorming and discussion, case studies, self-review questions, and mini-quizes to promote skills in critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving.

How this book is organized

This book consists of four parts and ten chapters. Part 1, "Understanding information and information literacy," explores the basics of information and information literacy. There are two chapters in this part:

■ Chapter 1 focuses on information as a concept and information features like the multiple formats and media used for information delivery in networked environments. Also discussed are the relationships between information, data, knowledge, and experience.

■ Chapter 2 defines information literacy and demonstrates its implications for undergraduates, especially first-year college students, when they adjust themselves to an interactive and dynamic academic learning environment.

Part 2, "Delivering academic and scholarly information in cyberspace," discusses primary ways of delivering and disseminating academic and scholarly information via computer networks. There are two chapters in this part:

■ Chapter 3 reviews the network services available in the academic learning environment. The focus of this chapter is to give a good grounding of these services. Also discussed are the benefits and challenges of using the Internet and the WWW, plus recommended antivirus applications to protect personal computing security.

■ Chapter 4 outlines the means of information delivery in the academic learning environment. This chapter gives students an insight into scholarly publications in the networked academic community.

Part 3, "Discovering academic and scholarly information in our networked academic world," demonstrates ways of accessing and searching for academic and scholarly information. There are four chapters in this part:

■ Chapter 5 provides strategies, methods, and roadmaps on how to search for academic and scholarly information. This is the core chapter when it comes to demonstrating which information literacy skills are needed to improve academic performance in the dynamic academic learning environment. Also discussed are the reasons college and university students need to pay additional attention when they apply information search strategies, methods, and roadmaps to searching for academic and scholarly information in the various academic learning environments.

■  Chapter 6 demonstrates how specific web search engines can be used to retrieve scholarly information in cyberspace. Also discussed are open-access information sources over the web.

■ Chapter 7 looks at the many ways of searching for academic and scholarly information in academic library settings. Also discussed are popular academic library databases and fast-evolving discovery services.

■ Chapter 8 debates the key issues involved in using information ethically, legally, and safely in cyberspace. Using examples from academic communities, Chapter 8 lists the common approaches and criteria expected of well-educated undergraduates and graduates when they use information. Chapter 8 looks into the differences between copyright, fair use, and plagiarism. Also discussed are practical suggestions and recommended software to bolster cyber security and personal privacy in private and public access computer environments.

Part 4, "Searching for academic and scholarly information in the future," explores IT trends in the post-PC era and the survival strategies of students looking for long-term success in the increasingly competitive world expected of the future. There are two chapters in this part:

■ Chapter 9 explores IT trends and the future of academic libraries. Inspired by the information explosion and the digital revolution, academic libraries worldwide are getting ever more inventive and innovative in meeting the dynamic need to support academic study and scholarly research.

■ Chapter 10 discusses the critical skills needed to survive in the future competitive world. This chapter points up the communication skills and strategies that newcomers need to possess in the career arena. Also discussed are four secrets and related information resources about long-term success in the workplace.

Who needs to read this book?

This book is primarily written for junior undergraduates who have just started to make progress in the ever-changing academic world. Senior undergraduates and graduates will also benefit from reading this book because they too need to keep up to date with innovative academic and scholarly information resources and services, especially now that we have entered the age of cloud computing.

This book provides academic administrators, executives, faculty, and other professionals with an innovative approach to improve excellence in teaching and learning. It can be used as a reference guide for academic instructors who need to show...