Information literacy is a skill that individuals need to find information. Information literacy enables people to think critically and expand their knowledge regarding new information they receive. In today’s digital age, information literacy skills are closely linked to higher education, as they support students in writing academic papers. Individuals who have a strong grasp of information literacy can apply these skills in their daily lives to identify, locate, evaluate, and use the information they obtain to solve problems.
Libraries serve as venues for providing information literacy support through services that are innovative and adaptable to the changing times. This has motivated the UGM Faculty of Law Library to offer information literacy classes. These classes are called LitClass Law Library. This service reflects the UGM Faculty of Law Library’s commitment to meeting patrons’ needs regarding information literacy skills. LitClass Law Library focuses on strengthening information literacy among the academic community of the Faculty of Law at Gadjah Mada University. Each session of the LitClass Law Library program is led by librarians and emphasizes hands-on practice, ensuring that participants can more effectively grasp the material presented.
The LitClass Law Library program aims to provide a space for library users to share knowledge on topics that can assist them in their learning and academic work. Topics covered in this program include the use of reference management tools such as Zotero and Mendeley to simplify and save students time when writing academic papers, particularly in the citation and bibliography sections. There are sessions on utilizing reference sources related to journal databases subscribed to by UGM and on using Artificial Intelligence to support academic writing. During the self-upload and bookmarking guidance sessions, librarians provide participants with instructions on how to upload their final assignments.
LitClass Law Library literacy classes are held every Tuesday and Thursday from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. WIB in the Law Library Discussion Room, located on the 3rd floor of the library building. Each LitClass Law Library session has a maximum capacity of 5 participants to ensure that each session runs effectively. Library users interested in participating in LitClass Law Library can register via this link.
On Tuesdays, participants will be provided with material on how to use the journal databases subscribed to by Gadjah Mada University. Participants will also be introduced to the various benefits of using Gadjah Mada University’s Single Sign-On (SSO) across the journal databases subscribed to by the university, ensuring that the academic community has full access rights. During this session, librarians will demonstrate how to effectively search for information on the pages of subscribed journals, such as Scopus, using the advanced search feature in the search bar on the site.
Using the advanced search feature in Scopus allows users to search for information using keywords related to their topic, combine multiple topics at once using Boolean operators (AND, OR, and NOT), and refine their search by applying available filters such as year range, document type, language, and many other features. In addition to focusing on journals, this LitClass Law Library session also shared knowledge about various AI tools that can assist participants in writing articles, journal papers, theses, and other assignments. After participating in this LitClass Law Library session, participants are expected to be able to retrieve information effectively, find articles relevant to their desired topics, and complete their academic assignments more easily.
In addition to the session on using journal databases held on Tuesday, the LitClass Law Library also offers a session on the functions of reference management tools, held on Thursday, which is equally important to learn in order to assist with the preparation of academic papers. In this session, participants will learn how to create citations, quotations, or references in academic papers. In this session, participants will learn to use Mendeley and Zotero, which are applications that can automatically generate citations and references at no cost. After completing the LitClass Law Library session on this topic, participants will be able to create citations, references, and bibliographies easily and quickly.
The LitClass Law Library program held in November received positive feedback from participants, demonstrating the need for the UGM Faculty of Law to meet the needs of its library users through this program. Participants agreed that the LitClass Law Library program was very helpful in facilitating the writing of academic papers. This was supported by participants’ feedback that the material presented by the instructors was conveyed clearly. As one participant noted, “It was very satisfying; the mentors who led the sessions were very friendly, and their explanations were easy to understand and very helpful.” Based on this positive feedback regarding the LitClass Law Library program, it is evident that the program provides tangible benefits to participants in supporting the writing of academic papers.
By: Syafira Yudanti, Lina Nurul Ashfa, Aqilla Adinda Al-Yafi (Law Library Field Experience Students)
