In today's highly competitive global economy, City University of New York (CUNY) graduates need strong critical thinking skills. More New York City students than ever before are applying to college and enrolling into CUNY schools. This is especially the case with high schools throughout the Bronx, a good portion of these schools are feeder schools for Bronx Community College (BCC). Unfortunately, many of the students who matriculate into BCC come unprepared for college level work, where information literacy skills are essential. A strong body of published scholarly literature discusses the importance of information literacy instruction at the high school level, as it relates to college readiness. In an ideal secondary education system, students receive instruction on how to think critically, how to evaluate information, and how to avoid plagiarism; these are essential skills that are necessary for college academic success. As the library liaison for the BCC First Year Seminar program, I encounter many students who are in need of academic remediation because they lack research skills. In addition to the lack of information literacy skills, we discovered that a substantial number of students who matriculate into BCC come unprepared for the critical thinking required for college level STEM courses.

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My research will attempt to re-evaluate the academic library's role in supporting a general education program. The emphasis will focus on student centeredness, faculty collaboration, outreach and curriculum support. In the short time that I have worked in academic libraries I have learned that quality customer service and reference desk work is far from the list of priorities in some settings. Coming from the public library I found this to be unacceptable. We are service providers and the way in which we communicate with students and faculty is important. As professionals we should do more in the way of making the transition to college as seamless as possible for freshmen and continuing education students. It is imperative of us to adapt to the changing ways in which students interpret, process, and evaluate information. This involves embracing Web 2.0 and the social networking tools that students are using. Libraries will increasingly need to work at staying ahead of the information curve if we are to be an essential resource for today's college freshmen.

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