Purpose The purpose of this study was to adapt and implement the Association of College and Research Library’s (ACRL’s) Research Competency Guidelines for Literatures in English for designing and employing a diagnostic survey about basic information literacy (IL) skills to study how 42 students were familiar with such skills. This 40-item survey included questions about students’ self-perception of their information skills and a test for evaluating their basic IL skills. Design/methodology/approach This research focused on integrating IL into a bachelor program in Spanish literature to identify the IL skills that students were familiar with and then determine if there was a relationship among their IL skills, their academic performance and their favorable conditions as students (have a good number of books at home, a personal computer, internet connection and proficiency in a second language). Findings The average number of correct answers ranged from regular to low; moreover, the authors compared self-perception results before and after the IL test, proving that such test negatively affected their self-perception. Students were mostly familiar with the skill of selecting information, and the inferential analysis showed that there were no notable relationships among either the IL test results and students’ academic performance or regarding their favorable conditions as students. This made evident the need of promoting ACRL’s Guidelines, particularly among literature professors, to raise awareness of their existence, as they are a useful starting point for designing contents and activities to develop IL. Originality/value Little research has been conducted about implementing IL in bachelor programs on literature to determine their information skills and behaviors in digital environments. Apart from grounding the research in specialized sources about research in such discipline, the authors have adapted ACRL’s Guidelines to develop a diagnostic survey that may be useful for professors in these areas and academic librarians in general. It might be useful for librarians to be familiar with the nuances of the results the authors gathered to provide better support for their users from the discipline of literature.

Esta investigación implementó las pautas sobre competencias en investigación literaria (ACRL, 2007) para diseñar y aplicar un cuestionario diagnóstico sobre habilidades básicas de alfabetización informacional (Alfin) para conocer el desarrollo de tales habilidades en 42 estudiantes de la licenciatura en Letras Españolas de la Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua. El cuestionario de 40 ítems incluyó preguntas sobre la autopercepción del estudiante sobre sus habilidades informacionales y una prueba para evaluar sus habilidades básicas de Alfin. El promedio de respuestas correctas obtenido fue entre regular y bajo; además se compararon los resultados de autopercepción antes y después de la prueba Alfin, comprobándose que tal prueba afectó negativamente la autopercepción. A pesar de los bajos resultados, la mitad de los estudiantes no mostró interés por mejorar sus habilidades Alfin. Finalmente, discutimos argumentos sobre la influencia positiva de Alfin en el rendimiento, así como las implicaciones de la integración o no de Alfin a los estudios de licenciatura en Letras Españolas.

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