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 health professionals in academic, research, and clinical settings. It does not address information literacy for the general public (patient education and consumer health).

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. http://www.nclis.gov/libinter/

‘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.’

http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/files/19636/11228863531PragueDeclaration.pdf/PragueDeclaration.pdf

‘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 http://www.informationliteracy.org.uk/Information_literacy_definitions/Definitions.aspx

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

‘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 http://www.oclc.org/reports/perceptionscollege.htm

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, researchers and health practitioners.

All groups use new styles of information seeking.

College Students’ Perceptions…

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 in finding 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

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…

Critical in environment of rapid technological change and proliferating information resources.

Users are faced with diverse, abundant information choices - in their academic studies, in the workplace, and in their personal lives.

Information comes to individuals in unfiltered formats, raising questions about its authenticity, validity, and reliability.

Information is available through multiple media, including graphical, audio, and textual formats.

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.

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/infolit/standards/stnd5/index.cfm

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 …

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 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. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/infolit/overview/intro/index.cfm

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

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, and Require the collaborative efforts of

faculty, librarians, and administrators.

ALA…

Information literacy model requires positive change in the instructional mission of the library.

Library's expanded instructional role emphasizes information-seeking behavior within the context of an information need.

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

‘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’.

‘In order to support the use of primary scientific information resources, the use of full-text articles should be encouraged in the medical curriculum. Additionally, student skills in searching references from databases, and reading full-text articles should be improved with a revised training program. The level of basic PC skills does not seem to be an important factor in students' use of electronic scientific resources.’

A survey of the use of electronic scientific information resources among medical and dental students. Kalle Romanov and Matti Aarnio BMC Medical Education 2006, 6:28. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6920/6/28

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

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 http://www.anziil.org/resources/papers/archive/bruce/1_multipart_xF8FF_2_AARLsub.pdf

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

Seven Faces of Information Literacy : Towards inviting students into new experiences. Christine Bruce, Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane, Australia), 2003 http://www.bestlibrary.org/digital/files/bruce.pdf

ACRL Information Literacy Website, Association of College and Research Libraries (Chicago, U.S.) http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/infolit/

Information Behavior Researcher of the Future, University College London (U.K.) January 2008 http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/reppres/ggworkpackageii.pdf

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

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?

In your environment, how is information literacy integrated in your activities?

Is it integrated between units (e.g. library, academic discipline, research groups, clinical wards)?

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)

What would you do to foster a better culture?

Updated 2013 02