Communications in Information Literacy - Issue 2 - Article 1 - Exploring the Role of Information Literacy Instruction in Student Co-Creation of Community-Based Research Products

Oct 15, 2026

Supported by institutional commitments to community engagement, undergraduate students across North America participate in community-based research projects that culminate in co-created research products with real-world aims. The article examines how academic librarians support students engaged in these activities using interview data from Canadian university administrators and faculty overseeing student participation in partnership-connected research. It frames this work as a threshold concept, linking instruction to knowledge equity and ethical, accessible creation of new knowledge serving community interests.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Community-based research and student co-creation

Librarian support and information literacy skills

Metaliteracy and knowledge equity

Communications in Information Literacy | Volume 17 Issue 2 | Article 1 | | --- | --- | | 12-2023
Exploring the Role of Information Literacy Instruction in Student Co-Creation of Community-Based Research Products
Robyn Hall
MacEwan University, Edmonton, Alberta, [hallr27@macewan.ca](hallr27@macewan.ca)
Follow this and additional works at: [https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/comminfolit](https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/comminfolit)
Part of the Higher Education Commons, and the Information Literacy Commons
Let us know how access to this document benefits you. | | Recommended Citation Hall, R. (2023) . Exploring the Role of Information Literacy Instruction in Student Co-Creation of Community-Based Research Products. Communications in Information Literacy, 17 (2), 308–331. [https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2023.17.2.1](https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2023.17.2.1) This open access Research Article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4 .0) . All documents in PDXScholar should meet accessibility standards. If we can make this document more accessible to you, contact our team. Exploring the Role of Information Literacy Instruction in Student Co-Creation of Community-Based Research Products Robyn Hall, MacEwan University Abstract Supported by institutional commitments to community engagement, undergraduate students at universities across North America are participating in community-based research projects. These experiential learning activities allow students to collaborate with community partners to address issues in their communities, often resulting in co-creating research products that seek to have a real-world impact. This article reports on ways that academic librarians can support students engaged in these activities, informed by interview data gathered from university administrators and faculty members from across Canada with expertise in conducting and overseeing students' participation in research connected to university–community partnerships. This growing area of scholarly activity in higher education provides instruction librarians with unique opportunities to teach students valuable information literacy skills tied to knowledge equity, representing a threshold concept that recognizes students' abilities to create new knowledge that strives to be accessible, inclusive, and done in an ethical manner that serves community interests. Keywords: community-based research, service learning, knowledge equity, metaliteracy Hall, R. (2023). Exploring the role of information literacy instruction in student co-creation of community-based research products. Communications in Information Literacy, 17(2), 308–331. Exploring the Role of Information Literacy Instruction in Student Co-Creation of Community-Based Research Products Through mission statements and strategic plans, universities across North America have widely asserted their commitments to student learning in tandem with the betterment of the communities that surround their campuses. More than 350 institutions in the United States have demonstrated these commitments by earning a Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement (American Council on Education, 2023); Canadian institutions have begun working towards a similar, Canada-specific designation (Simon Fraser University, n.d.). This classification recognizes active and reciprocal participation between post-secondary institutions and public and private sectors to support research and teaching in service to society. Undergraduate students are often at the center of these community engagement efforts by participating in service-learning opportunities that bridge performing community service with meeting academic requirements. This experiential learning can take several forms, from work placements to volunteering. One common approach is involving students in community-

FAQs

What is the focus of the article?

The article explores how information literacy instruction can support students who co-create community-based research products.

How does the study gather evidence?

It uses interview data collected from university administrators and faculty members in Canada with experience overseeing student participation in research tied to university–community partnerships.

What role do academic librarians play in these projects?

Academic librarians teach information literacy skills that go beyond finding and evaluating information, helping students disseminate co-created research ethically and effectively across formats.

Oct 15, 2026

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