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LIB190 & Exam

Developing college-level research skills is a key to college and professional success. Our librarians work with students to begin building these skills in our LIB190 course.    

Passing the  LIB190 course or the Information Literacy Competency Exam meets the Cardinal Core Information Literacy General Education foundation requirement. 

This requirement is a co/pre-requisite for the ENG101 course.
Incoming students are encouraged to meet this requirement in their first year. 

LIB190

Information Literacy Competency Exam

Spring 2025
The exam will be available online from Mon. Jan. 20 through Wed. Jan. 29, 2025.
It will also be offered again during advising/registration from Mon. April 7 through Fri. April 25, 2025.

  • Sign up for the exam by going to the form during the listed exam availability dates. 
    The form link will be posted here and in the Student Digest in August before the exam dates. 
    We will then enroll you in the Brightspace exam site (within 24 hours, not counting weekends) and you may take the exam. 
    In Brightspace look for “2024-2025 Information Literacy Competency Exam” 
  • The exam is 47 questions and you have one hour to complete it (unless you are eligible for extended time. See more information below)

Eligibility to Meet the Requirement

  • Students can only take the exam once.
  • Students enrolled in a section of the LIB190 course are not eligible to take the exam after the semester’s add/drop period.
  • By passing the exam, you meet the requirement, but do not receive the credit hour.
  • Students who have a grade of E or W for the LIB course can meet the requirement by passing the exam, but the exam does not remove or replace the letter grade.

Extended Time Testing

If you are eligible for extended time, indicate that in when you fill out the exam sign up form. 

The Accessibility Resources Office (ARO) will confirm your eligibility and the amount of extra time you are eligible for. 
You will receive a confirmation email and you can then start the exam. (Note: expect your confirmation email within 24 hours, not counting weekends).

Preparing for the Exam

The exam covers basic knowledge and skills in academic research including: search tools and techniques, evaluating sources and ethical use of information including citations.

You can get an overview of information literacy concepts by reviewing The Information Literacy User’s Guide: An Open Online Textbook.