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Sat, Nov 8, 10:30 - 11:00, Rio Vista A     Paper (refereed)
Recommended Citation: Chepaitis, E V.  Information Systems Archeology and Other Experiential Projects: Toward Broader Information Literacy Education.  In The Proceedings of the Information Systems Education Conference 2003, v 20 (San Diego): §3222. ISSN: 1542-7382. (Revised and expanded version appears in Information Systems Education Journal 2(20). ISSN: 1545-679X.)
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Information Systems Archeology and Other Experiential Projects: Toward Broader Information Literacy Education

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Refereed7 pages
Elia V. Chepaitis    [a1] [a2]
Fairfield University    [u1] [u2]
Fairfield, Connecticut, USA    [c1] [c2]

This paper describes student projects that encourage “thinking out of the box.” These projects address changing business information needs and organization challenges beyond the components of a computer information system. A number of action-based projects are presented, ranging from student-authored textbook proposals to board games. One non-traditional project with an archeological flavor from 2002-2003 is discussed at length--the author and her class examined computers discarded in dumpsters to ascertain if the information on the hard disks has been erased. On 42% of the retrieved disks, data had not been erased. “Dumpster diving” illuminated much more than another security problem—it showed how computers have become throwaway commodities in popular culture. Classes examined internal and external factors and consequences of this careless habit. In conclusion, the paper considers how this project advances information literacy, specifically within Standard Five of the Information Literacy Competency Standards of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) for Higher Education.

Keywords: disk sanitation, information ethics, CSO, Chief Security Officer, privacy, environmental waste, legacy projects, information literacy

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