Special collections, primary resources, and information literacy pedagogy

This article reports on collaboration between an information literacy (IL) instructor and a special collections librarian to create a hands-on special collections experience for entry-level IL students within the context of a credit-bearing class. Data collected during this experience found that exposing students to these materials can increase their enthusiasm for and engagement with the library and improve their IL and research skills. This article explains the methods for designing such class sessions and reports the results with students.