In an era of rapidly expanding digital information, Siena is taking a proactive approach to ensuring students develop critical research and analytical skills that will serve them well in the classroom and beyond.
Recognizing information literacy as a cornerstone of both academic excellence and informed citizenship, the College has strengthened its commitment to equipping students with the ability to navigate, evaluate, and ethically utilize information in an increasingly complex world.
Siena’s Standish Library is leading this initiative, working embedded information literacy instruction across the curriculum. Students in First-Year Seminar are introduced to foundational research methods, with the goal to reinforce and expand upon them as they progress through their academic careers. Instruction would be tailored to fit the needs of each discipline, utilizing a blend of direct teaching, asynchronous digital modules, and faculty-led sessions that leverage library resources.
“Information has grown increasingly complex and is available through a large number of new formats. Just knowing how to use or create a bibliography is not enough,” said Vicki Parsons, director of the Standish Library. “Students need to know how to find, evaluate and assess sources, and how to create a source if you are doing original research.”
This approach also ensures that students do more than just locate reliable sources—they develop the ability to critically assess credibility, recognize bias, and synthesize information effectively, Parsons explained. These skills are not only essential for academic success but are also highly sought after in today’s job market, where employers value candidates who can analyze data, think critically, and make informed decisions.
Since launching this enhanced curriculum last fall, the impact has been significant: a survey of nearly 300 students found that 99 percent reported a stronger understanding of research concepts, and 97 percent agreed the instruction was a valuable use of class time. Among participating faculty, 100 percent expressed that library instruction was relevant to student needs.
Freya Gibbon, assistant librarian in Standish, has been working to bring Siena students up to speed on the core fundamentals of the program and to help faculty track their development.
“The students are learning how to analyze web sources, and find counterpoints to an argument or thesis,” Gibbon said. “The faculty will know what to expect from students in different years and different disciplines, and they can support it through their own courses.”
“I feel that information literacy is very important for college students—especially now—because we should be able to know what media sources are reliable for both research purposes and in our daily lives,” said Grace Barber ’28. “I think that the library sessions helped me to know how to validate the reliability of material by showing me what to look for and how I can find that information.”
Nyasia Wade ’27 agreed that the more students are aware of and included in resources like the information literacy program, the more they will build the knowledge of information crucial for their future careers and educational opportunities.
“I believe that for many students, learning more about how to properly research, what sources are biased versus not, and even just enhancing their writing skills would aid Siena’s growing population of students throughout their education,” she said.