Justification

The engineering discipline poses unique challenges in identifying, evaluating, acquiring and using information. For instance, peer-reviewed articles are generally published in more costly journals and, therefore, not always available; gray literature requires knowledge of the agency/ organization publishing the information; much of engineering is now interdisciplinary and, therefore, requires knowledge of information resources in more than one discipline; and information can be in various formats (e.g., multimedia, database, website, data set, patent, Geographic Information System, 3-D technology, open file report, audio/visual, book, graph, map) and, therefore, may often require manipulation, working knowledge of specialized software, or/ and special information searching and use skills.

The need for engineering students to be information literate as a requirement for their success both academically and in their future professional pursuits is interminable. This need has only increased due to the changing engineering paradigm, COVID-19 induced challenges, and the increased demand to provide online instruction and courses for highly practical disciplines like engineering. To address these challenges, the library in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering and Technology is developing the first-ever disciplinary-based information literacy (IL) e-curriculum for teaching engineering courses at Busitema University. This will be known as the Engineering Information Literacy E-curriculum. This e-curriculum will assist engineering lecturers and librarians to ensure that the engineering subject matter is taught in line with the University Vision, Mission, and Values, the Busitema University Library Mission, the needs of engineering students and lecturers, and the developments seen in current research on IL skills development.

The e-curriculum will increase the variety and frequency of IL sessions to be delivered and the quality of that delivery. To inform our new IL action plan, the library looks outward to the variety of library online resources subscribed to through the Consortium of Uganda University Libraries and development partners, increasing book budget, collections development policy, and library research support services. Putting this action plan in place, the library is affirming its strategic role in ensuring engineering students are able to develop the IL skills they require for success during their education at Busitema and future employment.