MnObe Mini-ImmersionAugust 6, 2009

Information Literacy in the Liberal Arts

Barbara Fister

AAC&U: liberal learning is . . .

. . . an approach to learning that empowers individuals and prepares them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change. It provides students with broad knowledge of the wider world (e.g. science, culture, and society) as well as in-depth study in a specific area of interest. A liberal education helps students develop a sense of social responsibility, as well as strong and transferable intellectual and practical skills such as communication, analytical and problem-solving skills, and a demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and skills in real-world settings.

AAC&U: Essential learning outcomes

Knowledge of Human Cultures and the

Physical and Natural World

But focused on enduring “big questions” rather

than rote knowledge

Intellectual and Practical Skills, Including Inquiry and analysisCritical and creative thinkingWritten and oral communicationQuantitative literacyInformation literacyTeamwork and problem solving

Personal and Social Responsibility, Including -Civic engagement (local -and global)-Intercultural knowledge -and competence-Ethical reasoning and action-Foundations for lifelong learning

Integrative Learning – demonstrated through application

How do we motivate students to take ownership for their own learning?

How do we shift the focus from skills to critical information literacy?

What aspects of what we teach will matter after graduation?

Going beyond the reward system – the importance of playfulness in research

Critical information literacy

learning about context and content in understanding how information "works“

the moral and political commitment to flattening rather than reinforcing current information and

literacy hierarchies

individuals and groups of people actively shaping the world as knowledge producers

Christine Pawley

Students who understand what evidence is, and how other people use it to further particular agendas are powerful. Students who can find, understand, evaluate and use evidence themselves are even more powerful. When people graduate from college without those skills and without mastering those concepts, it’s bad for the world. As a teaching librarian I get to focus my time and energy on helping students develop their power, and making the world a better place.

Anne-Marie Deitering

Learning that lasts

What can we do to make IL meaningful beyond college no matter what direction a student's life takes?

Photo Credits

bfistermnInkyhackPat HawkhddodKandy(away)

Works cited

Joan Bechtel. “Conversation: A New Paradigm for Librarianship? College and Research Libraries, 47.3 (May 1986): 219-24.

Richard Feynman. Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman: Adventures of a Curious Character . New York: Norton, 1985.

Christine Pawley. "Information Literacy: A Contradictory Coupling." Library Quarterly 73.4 (2003): 422-452.