I respect and honor the Chicano & Latino Studies faculty and their wisdom in the classroom. Most Department faculty already require many, if not all, of the skills that fall under the information literacy rubric. This tutorial will simply assist faculty in the articulation of the information competencies that are being achieved in their classes.

By accepting this California State University information competence grant the Department has bought into the implementation of a structured tiered approach to teaching these skills. The building block approach will align information competencies with major Department learning outcomes. The Department may wish to assess the delivery of information literacy skills across the entire CHLS curriculum at a later date.

Another option might be to establish a collaborative dialog or ongoing technology training/instruction between the library faculty and the Chicano & Latino Studies Department.

The most ambitious alternative would be to require demonstrated information literacy skills as a CHLS graduation requirement. Presently, the CSU in undertaking a pilot test of an information literacy assessment tool with the Education Testing Service (ETS). It is feasible that all future California State University graduates will be required to pass this test.

The possibilities for change are limited by lack of time, an already overworked faculty, the need for a strong library budget that can sustain cutting edge technology and resources and existing degree requirements.

The scholarly literature informs us that very little has been written about information literacy standards for Chicano & Latino Studies. Consider that anything that emerges from this grant can serve as a model for other Latino Studies and/or Ethnic Studies Departments across the nation.