Information Now: A Graphic Guide to Student Research

by Matt Upson, Colin Michael Hall, Kevin Cannon

Every day researchers face an onslaught of irrelevant, inaccurate, and sometimes insidious information. While new technologies provide powerful tools for accessing knowledge, not all information is created equal. Valuable information may be tucked away on a shelf, buried on the hundredth page of search results, or hidden behind digital barriers. With so many obstacles to effective research, it is vital that higher education students master the art of inquiry.

Information Now is an innovative approach to information literacy that will reinvent the way college students think about research. Instead of the typical textbook format, it uses illustrations, humor, and reflective exercises to teach students how to become savvy researchers. Students will learn how to evaluate information, to incorporate it into their existing knowledge base, to wield it effectively, and to understand the ethical issues surrounding its use. Written by two library professionals, it incorporates concepts and skills drawn from the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education and their Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Thoroughly researched and highly engaging, Information Now offers the tools that students need to become powerful consumers and creators of information.

Whether used by a high school student tackling a big paper, an undergrad facing the newness of a university library, or a writer wanting to go beyond Google, Information Now is a powerful tool for any researcher’s arsenal.

Genres: Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Library Science, Graphic Novels Comics, Librarianship, Textbooks, Education

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 22, 2015

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am both a librarian who teaches information literacy and a comics fan. So, I really wanted to love this. But, like so many forays into comics for explicitly educational purposes, the book suffers from a lopsided respect that favors the topic well over the medium.

Comics are at least half about the art of visual story telling. In this book, the art is decoration, it doesn't contribute much to the story. Which leads into the related problem--way too much text. The only written form that has to exercise greater economy of language than comics is poetry. If you have to squeeze art in around the enormous word bubbles, then you have missed the point.

All that said, the information is accurate and well explained. It isn't usually patronizing, which is nice. It needed more editing, lots more. I would still recommend it to struggling students based on the strength of content. There is a way to present this info in comic form that honors the medium better, now someone go write it!

[Stewart Tame · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun. It's essentially a how-to guide for doing term paper research in today's online world. It covers libraries, Google, Wikipedia, online databases, plagiarism, proper citation, critical thinking ... pretty much everything the well-prepared student should know. It seems to have been written with college undergrads in mind, but that's not to say that high school kids, grad students, or anybody couldn't learn something from this. The humorous artwork makes some of the more text-heavy panels go down easy. Kevin Cannon seems well on his way to challenging Larry Gonnick for the title of Supreme Infocomic Creator.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, information literary does not scream excitement for most people. It's a dry topic and will likely give sleep-deprived students the opportunity to catch a quick nap during the professor's lecture on this subject. For students and researchers who missed that discussion or are looking for a refresher course, then Information Now: A Graphic Guide to Student Research (2015, University of Chicago Press), co-written by Matt Upson, C. Michael Hall, and Kevin Cannon, might just be what the professor ordered.

The authors efficiently divide the topic into seven areas, stepping through the process from starting academic research by narrowing a topic of interest into a cohesive thesis statement, to how to use information ethically by using citations to avoid the pitfalls of plagiarism....

Please check out my entire review, published at Fanboy Comics: http://www.fanboycomics.net/index.php...

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually put books I read for work on Goodreads, but I want to comment on this one. It's such an effective research and information literacy manual--I'm really impressed for my class. But I'm putting it here, too, since I think it may help my quest to get into comics and graphic novels. It's probably my favorite version of the form yet. Here's hoping it increases my "literacy" in unexpected ways.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! This is a must for any reference librarian who is guiding a new academic student through research and paper-writing. It covers, research, sources, information literacy, citations, copyright, and plagiarism, just to name a few topics. The information is delivered in a graphic novel format, with fun humor and lots of examples.

Read it.

[AV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear and straightforward graphic novel about how to approach research. This is a good title for high schoolers or undergraduate students who are learning to navigate the library. I appreciated the tips for database usage as well as the nod to using information ethically.

[Skai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to read this book book for my Inquiry class. I really enjoyed reading this book while I was taking this class. I thought it was very useful read.

[Readersaurus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is utterly, completely adorable! What's not to love about a comic book that introduces readers to databases, catalogs, advanced search terms, and proper citation? It's aimed at beginning undergraduates, and I hope it becomes assigned reading. The activities at the end of each chapter bring to life the concepts introduced and look tailor-made for a class exercise. (Also, though it's not a difficult read, it's a stretch to imagine kids reading this outside of a requirement.) Upson writes clearly and engagingly - Recommended for anyone in the library world looking for a concise and easy way to explain the uses of google and database searches to patrons. I would love to see all new library hires read something like this. The only drawback is, despite being a comic book, the pages are heavy with text and there is little white space.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Succinct yet informative, this would make a great text for an introductory info lit class. The graphic style lends itself well to making comparisons and analogies of info lit concepts and skills. It explains how information is organized just enough to improve understanding of how to find information and determine what kind of information is needed. Would have liked to see the evaluation section fleshed out a bit, especially in light of the current information environment, but the book did a good job of presenting the basics.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not exactly going to fly off the shelves, but it does a good job of covering research basics through an engaging format.

Chapters cover the research process (including forming a good question,) how information is organized and found, library catalogs, library databases, searching open web, evaluating sources, and using information ethically (including plagiarism and copyright.)

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview of effective searching and citation for academic papers. I would recommend that this graphic novel be the textbook for a high school freshman level information literacy unit attached to a research project.

[Catie Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this. An easy, informative read for anyone new to research. As a professional, it gave me some ideas to incorporate into my instruction. Smart, funny, and informative. Highly recommend.

[Carmaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Information Now provides an entertaining and welcoming approach to research. This colorful, clever, and informative graphic novel assuages any fears students, parents, and educators may face during their information quests. Humor and reflective activities engage students in their efforts to explore, evaluate, and effectively incorporate their research findings. During the inquiry process, readers gain the confidence to investigate, interpret fact from fiction, organize, and gain the knowledge to complete various projects.

Geared for adolescents and adults, Information Now does not follow a traditional format; rather this guide presents assorted strategies and encourages “consumers and creators” of information to be successful. The caricatures bring to life concepts and standards from the Association of College and Research Libraries’ Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education and their Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education woven into this dynamic comic arrangement. This process can also be modified to today’s AASL Standards Framework for Learners and Library, Media and Technology Standards and other curricular goals demonstrating the wonder of research.

[Anyeliz · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5

This book was pretty good, particularly for teaching information literacy to high school or first-year college students. It introduces the reader to important topics, such as information overload, doing research online, using catalogs and databases, evaluating sources, and plagiarism and citations. As an educator, I think the images would truly contribute to the learning process as they would serve as scaffolding. The use of text and images also helps tap into students' verbal-linguistic and visual-spatial intelligences. The book also includes critical thinking questions and exercises at the end of each chapter, which would help students develop their intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences.

However, I did find the book too text-heavy for the medium. There are large text bubbles in continuous panels in black and white. As someone who wears glasses, this made the book harder to read for me and gave me a headache. Nevertheless, it truly has good content for the audience mentioned above.

[Elena Sotelo-McCrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was reviewing this because I needed something to entice my middle school students. Due to their overwhelming desire for Graphic Novels I thought the approaches in this book might help the students understand the "why" and "how" pieces with regards to research or helping understand their topics when writing. The social media piece was nice. I wish the book came with posters that I could decorate my school library. But, I appreciate the hard work of the authors, and hope they won't mind If I refer to their book during orientation. Any book that breakdown process for our young minds is helpful and I than the authors.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent journey through the research process. The explanations are clear and kind of concise. The big short coming is that this "graphic novel" doesn't actually need the graphics to convey the information, they're just a nice add-on most of the time.

2021 Reading Challenge: book I own but haven't read

[Christiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

📖 I’ve finished this slim graphic novel many times over and this review is really more of a gratitude. I use this book all the time time to spark my thinking and remind me to inject humor and lightness into how I discuss these topics to students. I really hope the authors work on a third edition that includes AI topics!

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulously delightful and informative guide to student research. This book was part of our assigned reading for my Research in Library Science class and the whole semester I thought "I wish I had this book during my undergrad!" I just love it, what else can I say.

[Pandaduh · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a librarian, I loved this book and learned how to better explain things to students. I can see this being a good textbook for students or good to recommend to students interested in better research skills. I plan on using a few pages from it as handouts for instruction.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A graphic novel about information literacy written by the pair who did McPherson College's "Library of the Living Dead" guide to Miller Library. This book laid out the concepts I've been teaching in class in a way that provided context and examples of use. It was also just a fun read!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

School text book BUUUUUUT...it’s amazing. Great research tips, search tips and citation information and presented very easily and in understandable terminology. Plus the illustrations are fun. I can use this now for classes and again as a librarian!

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! I have never seen anything else that explained research processes in such a fun and accessible way.

[Veronica Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource - especially for undergraduate/graduate students new to performing scholarly research.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is my new favorite thing in my life.

[Stephanie Bolton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little word heavy, but the topics are covered well and a lot of the the visual aspects were really well done.

[Christina McNeice · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good, made a information heavy topic feel light

[BiblioBrandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource! Will be purchasing!

[Tina M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive study of research in a student friendly format

[Eva Gachus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great beginner information. Mostly skimmed it because it felt a little redundant at times.

[✨lee✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

when you’re such a nerd you read how to be a bigger nerd