Research Skills and Information Literacy Textbook

Research Strategies: Finding Your Way Through the Information Fog (2011), is a research skills and information literacy textbook written by William Badke, Associate Librarian at Trinity Western University and information literacy expert. Library faculty at City Tech use it as the sole textbook for the course LIB1201: Research and Documentation for the Information Age. (We supplement the book with readings from news and popular media as well as scholarly articles.)

The book is terrific: it’s written in accessible language for all levels of undergraduate students and includes both practical, skills-based instruction as well as discussion of the nuanced, critical thinking components of information production and use.

The print version of the book can be found for less than $20, and the ebook version (in PDF) for as little as $10; both can be purchased from Badke’s website. Badke also keeps an abridged version on his website that may be of use to those who don’t need the entire book: http://acts.twu.ca/library/textbook.htm

College Open Textbooks

The College Open Textbooks Collaborative, which emerged from the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources, includes “twenty-nine educational non-profit and for-profit organizations, affiliated with more than 200 colleges.”

Their website offers a list of open textbooks and other open educational resources by subject. They also offer peer reviews of many open educational resources, to assist faculty in choosing material for their courses.