Music Information Literacy Student Outcomes
The following student outcomes were selected from the
MLA Information Literacy Instructional Objectives for Undergraduate Music Students, approved in 2005 by the Music Library Association and endorsed by the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL). These are examples of outcomes that uniquely describe information literacy skills that undergraduate music students should attain during library instruction.
Goal 1: The student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
The student:
- Explores general information sources such as music encyclopedias and dictionaries, music histories, and composer biographies
- Lists uniform titles, opus numbers, and other identifiers for compositions
- Articulates which of these types of musical information are primary, secondary, and tertiary sources and how this may affect their relevance to research
- Identifies the different types of music information (e.g., books; articles; scholarly, critical, and performance editions; original compositions, arrangements, and transcriptions; sound recordings in various formats; video recordings in various formats; websites; subject experts; conference proceedings)
- Determines the availability of needed information and makes decisions on broadening the information seeking process beyond local resources (e.g., interlibrary loan; using resources at other locations; obtaining images, videos, text, or sound)
Goal 2: The student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
The student:
- Demonstrates ability to find music published in score and recording anthologies
- Demonstrates ability to limit search results in an online database by appropriate criteria such as material type, publisher, date, and language
- Makes appropriate use of uniform titles for music; subject heading lists and thesauri; and works lists
- Articulates the particular value of keyword searching in music research, particularly as it relates to finding music published in score and recording anthologies
- Identifies citation elements for writings about music, musical scores, sound recordings, videos, and electronic resources
Goal 3: The student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
The student:
- Reads scores or listens to recordings to understand and evaluate musical works
- Combines concepts into personal musical interpretation, composition, or primary statements with supporting information
- Tests theories through musical performance, listening, presentation, and writing
- Investigates viewpoints and performance practices encountered in recorded and live performances as well as print resources
Goal 4: The student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
The student:
- Organizes content in a manner that supports musical purposes such as recital programs and program notes
- Articulates knowledge and skills transferred from prior experiences to planning and creating the product or performance
- Manipulates digital text, images, and data, as needed, transferring them from their original locations and formats to a new context
- Chooses a communication medium and format that best supports the purposes of the product or performance and the intended audience
- Uses a range of information technology applications in creating the product or performance
- Incorporates musical examples in score, audio or video format as appropriate
Goal 5: The student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.
The student:
- Demonstrates an understanding of how intellectual property, copyright, and fair use are applied to digital audio files, music sampling, broadcasts, public performances, and recordings
- Complies with institutional policies on access to information resources
- Pays applicable use fees for unlicensed, copyrighted images, video, text, or sounds
- Demonstrates an understanding of what constitutes plagiarism and does not represent work attributable to others as his/her own
- Cites musical sources correctly, including scores and sound recordings
