Discovery: The Information Literate WorldCat

Locating, synthesizing, and evaluating information is the heartbeat of information literacy. Using a high-powered discovery layer can assist in the mission of information literacy. However, in order for this partnership to come to fruition, traditional teaching practices must be re-examined to accommodate new technologies. This paper will define discovery, explore instructional practices, and investigate emerging teaching practices concerning the integration of information literacy instruction with discovery layers. The author of this article will use WorldCat local as the primary discovery layer for this study. As defined by the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), WorldCat Local is a “webscale discovery solution that delivers single-search-box access to more than 1.071 billion items from your library and the world's library collections.” William Allen White Library at Emporia State University adopted WorldCat Local as its discovery solution after reviewing several discovery layers services. WorldCat Local was selected due to it continually evolving nature when dealing with the electronic resources and physical collection.