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Information
Literacy:
What Is It?
Finding a way
through the
word maze
LIB 601 Libraries and Learning
Fall 2010
October 3, 2010 Information Literacy
2
Information Literacy
information literacy (IL)
• Skill in finding the information one
needs, including an understanding of
how libraries are organized,
familiarity with the resources they
provide (including information
formats and automated search tools),
and knowledge of commonly used
research techniques.
• ODLIS
Information Literacy
3
What is Information Literacy?
And why should I care?
• Information literacy skills are skills you will
need through your life. We are always seeking
information. . . . Information helps us reach
conclusions, make our choices, and
communicate more effectively. But the good
stuff is often buried in heaps of junk. We need
to continue to improve our searching,
evaluating and communication skills in a
changing information environment.
• Remember computer literacy is not
information literacy. For a comparison, read
this article.
• http://www.sdst.org/shs/library/infolit.html
October 3, 2010 Information Literacy
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Why teach information literacy?
• Information literacy and communications
skills are vital to the present and future
success of our students.
• At least a decade of research has shown
that teaching information literacy skills in
the context of the content curriculum (and
a strong library program -) is the greatest
predictor of student success and
achievement. (Source)
• More . . .
October 3, 2010 Information Literacy
5
Another concept
What is Information Competence?
• information competence, at heart, is the ability to find, evaluate, use, and communicate information in all of its various formats.
• the fusing or the integration of library literacy, computer literacy, media literacy, technological literacy, ethics, critical thinking, and communication skills.
• http://hcom.csumb.edu/infocomp/aboutic/
October 3, 2010 Information Literacy
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Literacy, Competence or Competency?
Information literacy
• also known as information competence or
information competency is a set of skills
that helps students sift through the mass
of information now available to them in
order to locate and retrieve what is
relevant and reliable for their research
needs.
• Simply put, an information literate
student understands how to find, retrieve,
analyze, and use information
effectively.[1] • Teaching Information Literacy at Pasadena City College
October 3, 2010 Information Literacy
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Adding to the confusion of terms!
Several other terms and combinations of terms have been also used by different authors: • ‗infoliteracy‘, ‗informacy‘, ‗information
empowerment‘, ‗information competence‘, ‗information competency‘, ‗information competencies‘, ‗information literacy skills‘, ‗information literacy and skills‘, ‗skills of information literacy‘, ‗information literacy competence‘, ‗information literacy competencies‘, ‗information competence skills‘, ‗information handling skills‘, ‗information problem solving‘, ‗information problem solving skills‘, ‗information fluency‘, ‗information mediacy‘ and even ‗information mastery‘
• Sirje Virkus: ―Information literacy in Europe: a literature review‖ Information Research, Vol. 8 No. 4, July 2003
Sirje Virkus
October 3, 2010
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Now also as Information Literacies
Why the plural?
• The use of the term ―information
literacies‖ emphasizes the complexity
and multiplicity of skills and
strategies involved in finding and
using information.
• Dianne Oberg: “Promoting Information
Literacies: A Focus on Inquiry.‖ 70th IFLA
General Conference and Council, 22-27 August
2004, Buenos Aires, Argentina
http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla70/papers/088e-Oberg.pdf
Dr. Dianne Oberg
October 3, 2010 Information Literacy
9 A related term often used outside library media circles
• We learn best when we are at the center
of our own learning. Inquiry-based
learning is a learning process through
questions generated from the interests,
curiosities, and perspectives/experiences
of the learner. When investigations grow
from our own questions, curiosities, and
experiences, learning is an organic and
motivating process that is intrinsically
enjoyable.
•
Inquiry-based learning
October 3, 2010 Information Literacy
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Project, Problem, and Inquiry-based Learning
Explore the Approaches
• Project-based learning, problem-
based learning, and inquiry-based
learning all three closely relate to the
information processing approach.
They all fit well with technology-rich
learning environments where the
focus is not on the hardware and
software, but on the learning
experience. • Project, Problem, and Inquiry-based
Learning http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic43.htm
October 3, 2010 Information Literacy
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Another Related Term
Resource-Based Learning
• Resource-based learning actively involves students, teachers and teacher-librarians in the effective use of a wide range of print, non print and human resources . . . Students who use a wide range of resources in various mediums for learning have the opportunity to approach a theme, issue or topic of study in ways which allow for a range of learning styles and access to the theme or topic via cognitive or affective appeals. More
• Resource-Based Learning: Approaches
October 3, 2010 Information Literacy
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Yet another related term
Lifelong learning
• Lifelong learning is the process of acquiring
and expanding knowledge, skills, and
dispositions throughout your life to foster
well-being. It isn't about taking an adult
pottery class or reading a nonfiction book
occasionally. It's about the decisions you
make and the problems you solve in
everyday life. From enrolling in an
structured, formal education program to
considering whether to believe an
infomercial's gimmick, lifelong learning
takes many forms.
The new emphasis from
AASL
21st Century Skills
October 3, 2010 Information Literacy
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Rights and permission on the use of the learning standards
October 3, 2010 Information Literacy
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21st Century Skills
October 3, 2010 Information Literacy
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AKA
21st Century Literacies
• 21st Century Literacies refer to the skills
needed to flourish in today's society and in the
future. Today discrete disciplines have
emerged around information, media,
multicultural, and visual literacies. It is the
combination of literacies that can better help
K-12 students and adult learners address and
solve the issues that confront them. • http://www.kn.sbc.com/wired/21stcent/index.html
This page was last
updated July 8,
2002
This resource was
created orginally
for the publication
"Managing
Information in a
Digital Age" by
teachers at Seeds
University
Elementary School,
UCLA
For more
information,
contact Sharon
Sutton
Partnership for 21st Century Skills 16
17
How do we put it all together?
Use the school library media center!
October 3, 2010 Information Literacy
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Evidence for the benefits
Student Learning through Ohio School Libraries (2004)
• Students appear to indicate that the school library – not as a passive supply agency, but as an instructional agency – helps them substantially in their learning.
• What is clearly perceived to be of help is the library’s part in engaging students in an active process of building their own understanding and knowledge – the library as an agency for active learning.
• Review of the Findings Powerpoint presentation.
• Researchers: Dr. Ross Todd and Dr. Carol Kuhlthau, Rutgers
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Keith Curry Lance
What Research Tells Us About the Importance of School Libraries • At this point . . . there is a clear consensus in
the results now [2002] available for eight states*: School libraries are a powerful force in the lives of America's children. The school library is one of the few factors whose contribution to academic achievement has been documented empirically, and it is a contribution that cannot be explained away by other powerful influences on student performance.
• White House Conference on School Libraries
• *15 states—see
Now, 19 states with Indiana 2007
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A European view
School Library and School Librarianship
• The stream of information from TV channels, Internet, CD-ROMs, computer programmes etc. is unending. If the students, when they become adult citizens, are not to feel lost and helpless in the face of such rich sources of information, they must learn [to] devise personal strategies for information retrieval while they are still at school. Information Literacy and ―strategies for independent learning skill development‖ are key components of any school library.
• From a White Paper by Gert Larsen, School Library Advisor, Albertslund, Denmark, p. 7
• Part of Project GrandSlam - General Research and New Development in School Libraries As Multimedia Learning Centres (see project website http://www.gslam.net )
October 3, 2010 Information Literacy
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The Key Concept?
Competence and comfort with information and information sources
• Information literacy is the solution to Data Smog. It allows us to cope by giving us the skills to know when we need information and where to locate it effectively and efficiently. It includes the technological skills needed to use the modern library as a gateway to information. It enables us to analyze and evaluate the information we find, thus giving us confidence in using that information to make a decision or create a product.
• Introduction to Information Literacy, Association for College and Research Libraries (a division of the American Library Association)
