Information literacy is more than finding sources - it is the ability to locate, evaluate, create, and ethically use information in a variety of ways that support scholarly inquiry, effective teaching, and lifelong learning. Through interactive workshops, participants build confidence in navigating today’s complex information landscape while developing skills that will serve them throughout graduate school and their future careers.

These workshops support graduate student success by establishing the foundational knowledge and skills needed to conduct rigorous research, communicate effectively, make informed decisions, and teach with confidence.

All sessions qualify for credit through the Texas A&M Graduate & Professional School’s GRAD Aggies program.

Why Participate?

Participants in ILA-GS will learn to:

  • Conduct more efficient and effective literature searches
  • Critically evaluate scholarly and public information
  • Develop research practices that support academic success
  • Understand ethical scholarship and responsible use of information
  • Build confidence in navigating library resources and research tools
  • Translate information literacy concepts into effective teaching and mentoring practices
  • Better support undergraduate students as teaching assistance, research mentors, and future faculty.

 

ILA-GS workshops

What to Expect

Participants will engage in collaborative activities, case studies, reflective exercises, and opportunities to connect workshop concepts to their own research and teaching experiences.

Interactive
discussion-based rather than lecture-focused
Grounded
authentic research and teaching scenarios
Applicable
across disciplines and research methodologies
Focused
practical strategies participants can immediately apply to their own work

Choose Your Learning Pathway:

ILA-GS offers two complementary workshop pathways. Participants may complete either series independently or attend both for a comprehensive foundation in scholarly research and teaching.

Pathway 1: Emerging Scholar

Designed for graduate students who want to strengthen their research skills and develop confidence as scholars by ensuring they have a strong foundation.

Session 1: Exploration of the Information Ecosystem
Explore how scholarly and public information is created, shared, and transformed, and learn how to recognize the strengths and purposes of different information sources. By understanding the information ecosystem, you'll make more informed research decisions and build a stronger foundation for graduate-level scholarship.

Session 2: Advanced Research Strategies and Critical Evaluation
Learn how to build smarter search strategies, refine search questions, and critically evaluate sources to locate the most relevant evidence for your work.

Session 3: Ethical Scholarship and Academic Integrity
Every researcher faces ethical decisions. From using AI tools to navigate authorship, collaboration, and citation, this workshop explores the everyday choices that shape trustworthy scholarship and your reputation as a scholar.

Pathway 2: The Scholarly Teachers

Designed for graduate students serving or preparing to serve as instructors, teaching assistants, lab instructors, or mentors.

Session 1: Teaching with Information
Teaching isn't just about sharing what you know—it's about helping students learn how knowledge is created, evaluated, and used. In this interactive workshop, you'll uncover the information literacy practices experts often take for granted and learn strategies for making those invisible thinking processes visible to undergraduate students.

Session 2: Information Literacy as a Habit of Mind
Why do students get stuck during research—and what can you do besides giving them the answer? Explore how expert researchers navigate uncertainty and discover practical strategies for coaching students through the messy, rewarding process of inquiry. 

Session 3: Information Literacy for Teaching and Mentorship
Every interaction with students is an opportunity to teach more than course content. Learn how to turn office hours, lab meetings, discussions, and assignments into meaningful opportunities for developing students' research skills and scholarly thinking. 

Continue Your Learning

The Information Literacy Academy for Graduate Students is just the beginning. Participants are encouraged to continue developing their research and teaching expertise through additional library workshops and consultations.

  • Citation management tools
  • Systematic and scoping review methods
  • Data management planning
  • Research impact and scholarly identity
  • Copyright and author rights
  • AI tools for research and teaching
  • Discipline-specific database workshops
  • Open educational resources
  • Digital scholarship and emerging technologies
  • Individual research consultations with subject librarians

Ready to Get Started?

Whether your goal is to become a more effective researcher, a stronger instructor, or both, the ILA-GS provides practical, evidence-informed professional development that will support your success throughout graduate school and beyond.

View upcoming workshops and register through the Libraries’ Events Calendar.

Events & Workshops

All Events and Workshops View Full Calendar