LIBRARIES: THE TREASURE HOUSE OF

INFORMATION

Sangeeta NarangAll India Institute of Medical Sciences

New Delhi

Library is a collection or group of collections of books and/or other print or non-print materials organized and maintained for use (reading, consultation, study, research, etc.) (ODLIS)

What is a library ?

Five Laws of Library and Information Science

Libraries matter to us because knowledge matter to all of us. The basic principal has increased in value as we move into a world that is fuelled by information.

Communities thrive that are informed and knowledgeable.

Libraries are constituent to civilization and good governance.

Libraries are integral to  research and educational mission of the Institute.

Importance of Libraries

Literacy is “ability to read and write” (National Literacy Mission )

In present context- Literacy is “using printed and written

information to function in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential” (U.S. National Center for Education Studies)

Libraries support literacy

Libraries Transforming Communities

6

Earlier librarians used to provide:

Basic library orientation programs Basic services-purchasing, processing, issue-return, weeding of books,

membership etc.

With the Influx of technology librarians provide : Advanced library services –formulate policies-selection, purchase,

organize, manage, print/non-print materials, create repositories, membership & disseminate valuable information etc. & facilitate them

Teach information literacy to students etc.- Literature searching, database searching, evidence based practice, PBL, copyright, plagiarism , evaluation of resources

Collaborate with academicians , administrators - develop guides and tutorials and curriculum design

Changing role of Librarians in nutshell

Outline- Part A

What is information literacy (IL) ? Why IL is a critical competency for an institution &

workplace and for everyday life ? What does it mean in those contexts? What are the issues? Why IL is important ? What are IL standards ?

Information literacy is a set of abilities enabling individuals to “recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” (American Library Association, 1989)

What are the issues?

People lack awareness about importance of libraries and information literacy courses.

21st century workplace and everyday information literacy are not well understood or sufficiently researched

Many people do not apply, share or transfer information and skills to their successors

What does IL in the educational institutions & workplace mean?

It means that information literate person should be able to :

Formulate precise, accurate question to the problem

Locate, understand, organize, use and synthesize information from variety of media and formats in order to solve the problem

Able to examine the credibility of information Able to monitor trends and readily adapt to them Information literacy skills is must for an

institutional success

Importance of Information Literacy

It enables - Lifelong Learning Critical Thinking Problem-solving Information Fluency Informed Learning Analytical reasoning, oral and written

communication skills Social skills, the ability to listen, teamwork,

collaborate

Information skills

Values &

beliefs

Generic skills

Discipline

Topic

INFORMATION LITERACY

Information literacy elements

Generic Skills Information skills Values & beliefs

Problem solving Information seeking Use information ethically

Collaboration & teamwork

Information use Social responsibility

Critical thinking Information technology fluency

Community participation

Information Literacy Framework

Information Literacy Standards

Recognize information need

Distinguish ways of addressing the gap

Construct strategies for locating

Locate and access

Compare and evaluate

Organize , apply and communicate

Synthesize and create

Novice Advanced Beginner Competent ProficientExpert

SEVEN PILLAR MODEL OF IL BY SCONUL

IL encompasses -

Information Literacy Skills

Universal Access Quality Information

REQUIREMENTS -

Why do we need Health Information?Definition-Health Information LiteracyAbout Health Science LibrariesHealth Information Literacy cycle Statement of Problem, Objectives, Scope, Methodology

Changes in Information Landscape & the challenges

Factors that influence Literacy- skills, tools, technology, availability of resources, accessibility

Outcome of this study

Outline- Part-B

The people’s life chances are strongly influenced by both their access to and understanding of various information resources,

It applies to everyone. No one - rich or poor, young or old - is exempt from the need to understand information about their own health or that of those for whom they are responsible.

Even complex concepts and technical jargon can be made accessible and intelligible to interested lay people.

Why we need Health Information ?

Health Information Literacy is the set of abilities needed to: recognize a health information need; identify likely information sources and use them to retrieve relevant information; assess the quality of the information and its applicability to a specific situation; and analyze, understand, and use the information to make good health decisions.(Medical Library Association )

Realize the need of HI

Able to identify, locate

HI source

Able to evaluate HI

resource

Use health information

ethically

Synthesize and share HI

Define problem

Know search strategies and formulate a query

Creating and presenting new information

Select, analyze the right source & judge authenticity of information, website

Organize information using bibliographic management software

HIL Cycle

Health Information Literacy Cycle

They may be located in - Universities and medical Colleges Hospitals and postgraduate centers Private societies Government sponsored bodies Pharmaceutical companies Research Institutes Other educational establishments

Types of Medical Libraries

Not much literature or statistics appear to be available on information literacy coming from medical librarians of Delhi/India except for the sparse references or articles in learned journals, books, conference-papers, pamphlets or souvenirs.

Statement of Problem- part of my research work

Competencies to

Acceptance of changeKnowledge of user interaction with knowledge resourcesProvide quality serviceBe adoptive, flexible and resistantBe resourcefulExcellent communication, constantly update personal knowledge baseCreate awareness among the usersBe an information management strategist etc.

Knowledge & Skills about

resources (books, journals, i.e. resources, Internet) IT facilities and resources (computer, online catalogues, databases,

websites, LANs etc.) Financial (budget) and Human resources (skills for manpower training)

Benefits of information literacy

Objectives

To assess the information literacy skill levels amongst the library users in select medical institutions of Delhi

To find out the status of information literacy programs offered by librarians in the medical institutions of Delhi

To investigate the relationship between library users and librarians in the development of the information literacy programs

To relate these practices to the expectations and competencies outlined in the Information Literacy Standards

Also, To find the status of medical librarians in terms of their

pay scales, staff strength and resources, services and trainings offered

The project concentrates on selected medical libraries located in Delhi.

Delhi being the capital of India most of the medical libraries including NML, ICMR, NIHFW are situated here.

Libraries located in Delhi give a representative view about medical libraries of India

Scope

This research uses quantitative method that involves the use of questionnaires to know about the collection details, technological infrastructure, services/facilities rendered and implementation, of IL programs curriculum, training and teaching ways adopted by librarians – Questionnaire-I

Questionnaire-II given to the library users in the medical institution of Delhi to determine their information literacy skill level

Data analysis and interpretation will be based on the feedback received from the respondents.

METHODOLOGY

Challenges/Observations

Need trained manpower/ support staff Collection development policies, resource sharing Automation soft wares- Online catalogues; Develop full text databases of indigenous resources; Adopt to international standards, website creation; Explore ways and means to manage & preserve

information in a way that can sustain the future requirements of ICT;

Enhance utilization of resources, giving better service conditions, better physical facilities and networking

Provide efficient library services to fulfill the demand for right information at right time to the right user

Data collection

Medical libraries in Delhi

Information literacy skills assessment will be seen as a crucial element. It will note gaps in research and raise research interest among librarians and library users.

It will help in remodeling the curriculum of medical education to involve more tools and techniques for enhancing health information literacy.

It will make realizations towards developing collective programs, strengthening library & health programs & communities.

IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY

References

Ivanitskaya L, O’Boyle, I and Casey , AM Health information literacy and competencies of information age students: results from the interactive online research readiness self-assessment (RRSA) J Med Internet Res. Apr-Jun; 8(2): 2006 Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1550696/

Majid M, Foo S, Luyt B, Zhang X, Leng Y, Yun-Ke C, Mokhtar IA Adopting evidence-based practice in clinical decision making: nurses’ perceptions, knowledge, and barriers J Med Libr Assoc. Jul;99(3):2011 Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3133901/

Candy, Philip C Running amok with a chainsaw: A personal perspective on Information Literacy (in Three Acts) Director of Education, Training and DevelopmentNHS Connecting for Health [ power point slides]

Thank you

narang.sangeeta@yahoo. in