Student Perceptions of a Required Information Literacy Course on Their Success in Research & Writing Intensive Criminal Justice Courses

Scholars in Criminal Justice have argued that students should have a stand-alone course that focuses on fostering library literacy skills for Criminal Justice students in order to improve their writing, research, and presentation skills. In 2011, a required information literacy course was implemented in one Criminal Justice program to meet this need. Building on the existing literature, the current study is the first to explore student perceptions of a required information literacy course. The results offer valuable information on how to strengthen the course moving forward and can provide useful suggestions to other Criminal Justice programs thinking about instituting a library literacy course in their curriculum.