ITS Library Podcast Discusses Door-to-Door Literacy Program to Expand Access to Academic Information

Surabaya – The Library of the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) continues to expand its information literacy services through the “Door-to-Door Literacy” program. This program is one of the library’s initiatives to bring literacy services closer to the academic community by sending librarians and presenters directly to users’ locations. A discussion of the program was featured in the ITS Library podcast titled “Door-to-Door Literacy Program: Meeting Information Needs, Building Collaboration, and Providing Literacy Experiences That Support the Academic Process” on Thursday (November 5, 2026), which was broadcast live on the ITS Library’s YouTube channel.

In the podcast, Davi Wahyuni, S.Sos., as the guest speaker, explained that the Door-to-Door Literacy program will be implemented starting in 2025 as an expansion of the literacy classes previously held at the library building. This change in approach was based on an evaluation of previous activities, which showed that scheduled classes had fewer participants than classes held on demand. Through this outreach approach, librarians can collaborate with faculty members to tailor the material, timing, and location to the needs of the course. Participation has also increased, from approximately 1,700 participants before 2025 to more than 2,000 participants in 2025, excluding literacy activities for new students. The program’s reach has also expanded, with more balanced involvement across departments.

Currently, the ITS Library offers four literacy courses: Library Instruction, E-Resources Class, Reference Manager, and Academic Writing with AI Tools. The Library Instruction course introduces library services, facilities, and collections. Meanwhile, the E-Resources Class equips participants with the skills to search for and access journals and e-books subscribed to by ITS. In the Reference Manager class, participants gain an understanding of publication ethics and citation management practices using Mendeley or Zotero. The Academic Writing with AI Tools course focuses on the use of AI tools subscribed to by ITS, such as Paperpal and Editage, while maintaining academic integrity. Course content and duration can be tailored to the needs of faculty members and the characteristics of the students.

Moving forward, the ITS Library plans to resume offering scheduled literacy classes to reach members of the academic community who have not yet been able to attend on-demand classes, while also developing new materials based on a needs assessment survey. Faculty members who wish to request a literacy class can access the ITS Library’s official website via the “Online Services” menu under the “Literacy Classes” section, then fill out the registration form provided. Through this program, the ITS Library hopes that more faculty members and students will take advantage of literacy services to support their academic and research activities. After all, the quality of scholarly work is largely determined by the quality of the information and references used.