Information Literacy

Information Literacy This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Table of Contents • Background, definition of information literacy • Information seeking strategies (Google generation) • Information literacy & higher education • Instructional concepts • Exercises Note: this module focuses on information literacy for professionals in academic and research settings. It does not address information literacy for the general public.

Hierarchy of Literacy • Alphabetic literacy – writing name • Functional literacy – reading and writing • Social literacy – communication in a cultural context • Information literacy – critical location, evaluation and use of information • Digital information literacy –application of information literacy in the digital environment Caroline Stern (2002) Information literacy unplugged: teaching information literacy without technology. White paper prepared for UNESCO, the US NCLIS and National Forum for Information Literacy. www.nclis.gov/libinter/

UNESCO/Prague Declaration 2003 ‘Information Literacy encompasses knowledge of one’s information concerns and needs, and the ability to identify, locate, evaluate, organize, and effectively create, use, and communicate information to address issues or problems at hand; it is a prerequisite for participating effectively in the Information Society, and is part of the basic human right of life long learning…

Information Literacy, in conjunction with access to essential information and effective use of information and communication technologies, plays a leading role in reducing the inequities within and among countries and peoples.’ portal.unesco.org/ci/en/files/19636/11228863531PragueDeclaration.pdf/PragueDeclaration.pdf

Basic Definition ‘Information literacy is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use,and communicate it in an ethical manner.’ Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, UK www.informationliteracy.org.uk/Information_literacy_definitions/Definitions.aspx

Is Information Literacy the Same as Computer Literacy? • No, an information literate person is one who has developed an effective information-gathering style • Information literacy goes beyond the skills used to manipulate computer databases • It involves decision-making about the appropriate information sources to use and judgments about the validity and relevancy of information

The Google Generation ‘Most students entering our colleges and universities today are younger than the microcomputer, are more comfortable working on a keyboard than writing in a spiral notebook, and are happier reading from a computer screen than from paper in hand. Constant connectivity – being in touch with friends and family at any time and any place - is of utmost importance.’ Information Behavior of the Researcher of the Future…

89 percent of college students use search engines to begin an information search (while only 2 per cent start from a library web site) • 93 per cent are satisfied or very satisfied with their overall experience of using a search engine (compared with 84 per cent for a librarian-assisted search) • Search engines fit college students’ life styles better than physical or online libraries and that fit is `almost perfect’ • College students still use the library, but they are using it less (and reading less) since they first began using Internet research tools College Students’ Perceptions of the Libraries and Information Resources: A Report to the OCLC Membership. Dublin, OH:OCLC, 2006 www.oclc.org/reports/perceptionscollege.htm

New Research Style • Not only students’ information seeking has been fundamentally shaped by massive digital choices, unbelievable (24/7) access to scholarly material and search engines • Same environment has impacted on professors, lecturers, researchersand health practitioners • All groups use new styles of information seeking College Students’ Perceptions…

Characteristics of Digital Information Seeking • Horizontal information seeking – users view one or two pages of a site, then bounce to another site,and often never return • Navigation – considerable time spent infinding their way around; often as much time as actually viewing information • Viewing time – at a specific site is short (4-8 minutes); often ‘power browse’ through title, contents page, and abstracts

Characteristics… • Squirreling behavior – save material by downloading; unclear if ever read • Checking information seekers – users access authority quickly by cross checking across different sites and relying on favorite tools (e.g. Google) College Students’ Perceptions…

Characteristics of Information Literate User • Determines the nature and extent of the information needed • Accesses needed information effectively and efficiently • Evaluates information and its sources critically; incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system • Uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose • Understands the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information; accesses and uses information ethically and legally www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/infolit/standards/stnd5/index.cfm

Lifelong learning • Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning • Is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education • Is strongly connected with critical and reflective thinking

Seven Faces of …

Information Literacy in Academia • Gives the user the skills to know when he or she needs information and where to locate it more efficiently • Includes the technological skills needed to use the modern library (including electronic resources) as a gateway to information • Enables users to analyze and evaluate the information, thus giving the user confidence in using that material to make an informed decision www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/infolit/overview/intro/index.cfm

Instructional Options • Course integrated instruction • Information literacy skills is a key part of the course • Learning outcomes are measurable achievements/part of overall grade • Resource based teaching • Students must use skills to find information from a variety of sources

Collaborative Effort • For successful development of information literacy skills, program must • incorporate information literacy across curricula in all programs and services • include support by the administration of the university • require the collaborative efforts of faculty, librarians, and administrators ALA…

Role of Libraries • Information literacy model requires positive change in the instructional mission of the library • Library's expanded instructional role emphasizes information-seeking skills • Librarians and support staff are uniquely qualified to support and teach information literacy skills – for lifelong learning and critical thinking Information Literacy: An Overview Robin Angeley and Jeff Purdue May 2000 http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/dialogue/issue6.html

Role of the University ‘To embrace a successful across-the-curriculum information literacy model, a close collaboration of faculty, librarians, and administrators is necessary, with essential support needed from the higher administrative levels’.

Academic Perspective (health) • Education for health information professionals must be based on a solid foundation of the changing paradigms and trends in health care and health information as well as technological advances to produce a well-prepared information workforce to meet the demands of health-related environments. Based on this premise, we need to connect health care, library and information sciences, and other information-centered disciplines. Miles to go before we sleep: education, technology, and the changing paradigms in health information. Cleveland, A. J Med Libr Assoc. 2011, January (99)1: 68 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3016652/

Student Perspective ‘I now understand that education is about being empowered to learn rather than about being dependent on the teacher for acquiring knowledge and skills.’

Broad Perspective • Information literacy is not a discrete set of skills, but rather a way of learning • Information literacy is an appreciation of the complex ways of interacting with information • It is a way of thinking and reasoning about aspects of subject matter Information literacy research: dimensions of the emerging collective consciousness Christine Bruce, Queensland University of Technology www.anziil.org/resources/papers/archive/bruce/1_multipart_xF8FF_2_AARLsub.pdf

Developing World Perspective ‘Developing country librarians are beginning to recognize the importance of evaluating their value for research and teaching staff. Communicating the value of their role however remains a key challenge… There is limited awareness of how librarians can better support research and teaching staff beyond these traditional parameters.’ Library Value in Developing World . NeilMcCreadie. August, 2013 http://www.uk.sagepub.com/repository/binaries/pdf/LibValReport-2013.pdf

Summary Information Literacy Project, Philadelphia University, 2009 t/www.philau.edu/infolit/definition.htm

Key Resources • Seven Faces of Information Literacy : Towards inviting students into new experiences. Christine Bruce, Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane, Australia), 2003 www.bestlibrary.org/digital/files/bruce.pdf • ACRL Information Literacy Website, Association of College and Research Libraries (Chicago, U.S.) www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/infolit/ • Information Behavior Researcher of the Future, University College London (U.K.) January 2008 www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/reppres/ggworkpackageii.pdf

Please complete the following hands-on exercises. Thank you!

Exercises – individual experience • How do you use information seeking skills in your work environment and everyday life? • Remember the details of a time when you used this process effectively. • What is your picture of an effective information user ( or information literate person)? • Think about your experience of being ( or trying to be) an information literate person. What did you do? Was it easy? What do you struggle with?

Exercises – institutional level • In your environment, how is information literacy integrated in your activities? • Is it integrated between units (e.g. library, academic discipline, research groups, etc.)? • How could it be better integrated? • What information literacy activities would you add? • Which groups would benefit?

What is the role of instructors and administration? • How could this role be enhanced? • What aspects of the institutional culture impact on information literacy needs? (positively and negatively) • If necessary, what would you do to foster a better culture? Updated 2014 06

Information Literacy