MLS, 1980, MA in Liberal Studies, 1984, University at Albany

E-mail: tjacobson@uamail.albany.edu
I am the Head of User Education Programs at the University Libraries, and an adjunct faculty member at the School of Information Science and Policy. I coordinate the UNL 205/206 courses, and teach UNL 205. My research interests revolve around effective teaching methods, particularly for teaching information literacy; the use of active learning to enhance instruction; motivation techniques in the classroom; and evaluation of information resources.

My teaching techniques draw upon these research interests. My classrooms are highly interactive. Students play a very active role, and I ask them to take responsibility for their own learning. I use a variety of teaching methods, including discussion, group work, hands-on computer work, and discovery learning.

Publications

Books:

Trudi E. Jacobson and Thomas P. Mackey. Information Literacy Collaborations That Work. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2007.

Trudi E. Jacobson and Lijuan Xu. Motivating Students in Information Literacy Classes. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2004.

Trudi E. Jacobson and Timothy Gatti, eds. Teaching Information Literacy: Frameworks and Activities. Pittsburgh: Library Instruction Publications, 2001.

Trudi E. Jacobson and Helene C. Williams, eds. Teaching the New Library to Today’s Users: Reaching International, Minority, Senior Citizens, Gay/Lesbian, First Generation, At-Risk, Graduate and Returning Students, and Distance Learners. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2000.

Trudi E. Jacobson, ed. Critical Thinking and the Web: Teaching Users to Evaluate Internet Resources. Pittsburgh: Library Instruction Publications, 2000.
Selected Book Chapters:

Trudi E. Jacobson. (2004). "Meeting Information Literacy Needs in a Research Setting." In Ilene F. Rockman (Ed.), Integrating Information Literacy into the Higher Education Curriculum (pp. 133-164). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Trudi E. Jacobson. (2003). "Assessment of Learning." In Elizabeth A. Dupuis (Ed.), Developing Web-Based Instruction: Planning, Designing, Managing, and Evaluating for Results (pp. 147-164). New York: Neal-Schuman.

Trudi E. Jacobson, “At-Risk Students” in Teaching the New Library to Today’s Users: Reaching International, Minority, Senior Citizens, Gay/Lesbian, First Generation, At-Risk, Graduate and Returning Students, and Distance Learners, eds. Trudi E. Jacobson and Helene C. Williams. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2000, pp. 107-124.

Trudi E. Jacobson, “A Renaissance in Evaluation Skills: Teaching Students to Evaluate Information in a General Education Program” in All that Glitters: Prospecting for Information in the Changing Library World, eds. Sue K. Norman and Steve Vincent. Stamford, CT: JAI Press, 1999, pp. 91-99.

Selected Articles:

Thomas P. Mackey and Trudi E. Jacobson, “Information Literacy: A Collaborative Endeavor.” College Teaching, v. 53 no. 4, 2005, pp. 140-144.

Thomas P. Mackey and Trudi E. Jacobson, “Integrating Information Literacy in Lower - and Upper - Level Courses: Developing Scalable Models for Higher Education.” Journal of General Education, v. 53 no. 3-4, 2004, pp. 201-224.

Trudi E. Jacobson and Lijuan Xu, “Motivating Students in Credit-based Information Literacy Courses: Theories and Practice.” portal: Libraries and the Academy, v.2 no.3, July 2002, pp. 423-441.

Trudi E. Jacobson and Laura B. Cohen, “Evaluating Internet Sites: The Challenge Continues.” The Teaching Professor, v.16 no.7, August/September 2002, p.2.

Deborah Bernnard and Trudi E. Jacobson, “The Committee That Worked: Developing an Information Literacy Course by Group Process.” Research Strategies, v.18, 2001, pp.133-142.

Trudi E. Jacobson, “Partnerships Between Library Instruction Units and Campus Teaching Centers.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship, v. 27 no. 4, July 2001, pp. 311-316.

Trudi E. Jacobson and Beth L. Mark, “Separating Wheat from Chaff: Helping First Year Students Become Information Savvy.” The Journal of General Education, v. 49 no. 4, 2000, pp. 256-278.

Carol Anne Germain, Trudi E. Jacobson and Sue A. Kaczor, “A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Presentation Formats for Instruction: Teaching First Year Students.” College & Research Libraries, v.61 no.1, January 2000, pp.65-72.

Trudi E. Jacobson and Laura B. Cohen, “Teaching Students to Evaluate Internet Sites.” The Teaching Professor, v.11 no. 7, August/September 1997, p. 4.

Peter Wei He and Trudi E. Jacobson, “What Are They Doing With the Internet: A Study of User Information Seeking Behaviors.” Internet Reference Services Quarterly, v.1 no. 1, 1996, pp.31-51.

Beth L. Mark and Trudi E. Jacobson, “Teaching Anxious Students Research Skills for the Electronic Library.” College Teaching, v.43 no.1, Winter 1995, pp.28-31.