ETL 401 Blog Task #3

Information Literacy is more than a set of skills.

Information literacy (IL) is a slippery term to define. Academic and Teacher Librarian (T/L) Linda Langford (1998) wrote a lengthy article trying to clarify a definition and admitted that the whole process could bamboozle or alienate an audience. I admit to being one of those perplexed and bored readers. Greenblatt (2005) is more succinct, taking only a sentence to proclaim IL as ‘the ability to find and use information’. Academic Michael Eisenburg (2008) states that it is the ‘basic skills set of the 21^st century.’
   Perhaps a middle ground, borrowing heavily from Abilock (2004), would be to describe IL as an illuminating process where the learner locates, understands, evaluates and uses a range of information.
   What the person does with this information is up to himself/herself. Whereas Abilock states the learner should use the information to create something, I would argue that information literacy could end with the learner using it for decision making purposes only.
   So is I/L just a set of skills? Certainly today’s students are ‘digital natives’ already highly skilled in technology use. They can download music and videos, use a keyboard, mouse or touch pad, Google for unlimited information, post photos, link platforms, text friends, and so on. The list continues to grow. But most self-taught digital natives aren’t using the technology to exploit its potential to the fullest. They are simply skimming the surface. The new technology may be the tool to finding information but these self-taught craftsman can learn a lot from someone who knows the trade. In short, the teacher librarian.
   Information literacy goes further than a set of skills. It involves critical thinking, application and transfer. Students need to critically evaluate the information they find, particularly on websites. They need to look for bias and be alert to scams.
   Students must apply their I/L skills in a responsible way. They must be upstanding cyber citizens who obey copyright laws, are sensitive to privacy issues, avoid plagiarism and communicate on the Web using the appropriate etiquette.
   I/L is also about the transfer of these skills to other areas of life. Academic James Herring (2011a) showed that Scottish students on work placement found that work places sourced their information differently to how it was done in schools. A heavy reliance on databases, email and mobile phones contrasted with the schools’ emphasis on the Web to source information. Research into this topic is limited but Herring suggests that both groups can learn from each other. As Kuhlthau (2004) states, ‘Transference is the ultimate objective of education.’ Imagine if students could transfer I/L skills into adult life. What a switched on workforce we would have.
   Furthermore I/L is also about dealing with Web2.0 technology without fear. Kuhlthau’s theory of the Information Search Process (ISP) shows that emotions play a large role in how we all search for information and understanding this relationship helps T/Ls to guide students sympathetically.
   Teachers can also model the fact that we are learners too. We need to continually demonstrate to students that we use the new technology responsibly and efficiently. T/Ls can run professional development course to introduce various aspects of I/L in small chunks (Herring, 2011b, p72). For example, avoiding plagiarism or using creative commons or Google Advanced Search etc.
   We can be better prepared for visual learners too. Posters or laminated cards reinforcing a learning method such as Herring’s PLUS method can be placed prominently around the library. T/Ls need to shamelessly ‘bang on’ about this chosen method at every staff meeting and every time a class comes into the library to research. Eventually we will create lifelong learners.

 References

Abilock, Debbie. (2007). Information Literacy Building Blocks of Research: Overview of Design, Process and Outcomes. Retrieved 27 August 2012 from

http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/1over/infolit1.html

 

Eisenberg, Michael B. (2008). ‘Information Literacy: Essential Skills for the Information Age’ DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology, Vol.28, No.2, March, pp39-47

Greenblatt, Melinda. (2005). ‘Library Connections: Creating Lifelong learners’ Catholic Library World,
             Sept Vol 76 No.1

Herring, James, E. (2011a). ‘From School to Work and From Work to School: Information Environments and Transferring Information Literacy Practices’ Information Research. Vol.16 No.2, June

Herring, James, E. (2011b). Improving Students’ Web Use and Information Literacy: A Guide for
            Teachers and Teacher Librarians, Facet Publishing, London

Kuhlthau, C. C. (2004). ‘Learning as a Process’. Seeking meaning: a Process Approach to Library and Information Services (2^nd Ed.) pp13-27). Westport, Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited.

Langford, Linda. (1998). Information Literacy: a Clarification, from Now On: The Educational
             Technology Journal. Retrieved 27 August 2012 from
http://www.fno.org/sept98/clarify.html