Information literacy (IL) in the digital era

Information (media) literacy wheel

To browse other articles on a range of HSL topics, see the wiki index.

Introduction

See also Research for librarians - portal and Transliteracy for librarians

Information literacy (IL) is defined as the ability to access, evaluate, organize, and use information from a variety of sources. The American Library Association defines IL as "a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information". In its Presidential Committee on Information Literacy, ALA states that "information literacy is a survival skill in the Information Age". IL forms the basis of lifelong learning and is common to all disciplines, learning environments and levels of education. It enables learners to master content and to extend their ability to be self-directed in their own learning.

Being information fluent requires knowing how to define a research topic, to select words that express the topic and to ask questions that might be answered by locating relevant information. Framing search strategies that account for sources of information and multiple ways information is organized and assessed for its relevancy, quality and suitability is also important (ALA 1989). This involves some understanding of where to find information, how to search for it and skills to determine whether the information is meaningful and applicable.

Some librarians are beginning to criticize existing IL standards as they reflect a print era and not the vastly different digital era of social media and free open search tools. In fact, it should be said that IL is not equivalent to such concepts as computer literacy (which requires knowledge of hardware, software and networks including wireless) or even the limited "library literacy" (which requires knowledge of library catalogues, collections and services), although there is a strong relationship between these concepts. (See literacy wheel). In an era of web 2.0 information literacy requires some recontextualization and building new knowledge of social media not to mention new skills in collaboration and networking.

• Assessments of Information Literacy, North Central College portal

ACRL Standards for Information Literacy

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), a division of ALA, released the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education in 2000:

The five (5) standards that are linked to performance indicators are considered best practices for institutions of higher learning:

1. Standard I: The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
2. Standard II: The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
3. Standard III: The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates information into his or her knowledge base and value system.
4. Standard IV: The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information to accomplish a specific purpose.
5. Standard V: The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

The ACRL standards are meant to cover the simple to more complicated, or in Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives from "lower order" to "higher order" objectives. Lower order skills involve using online catalogues to find books in academic libraries. Higher order skills involve evaluating and synthesizing information from multiple sources into coherent interpretations and arguments.

Health disciplines & information literacy

The ACRL says that information literacy is the ability to locate, evaluate and use information effectively. Its principles are widely encouraged in academic libraries in North America so that librarians can design effective programs for users.

Many academic libraries make commitments to these principles through the design of their websites, programs and strategic planning processes. However, it must be said that many of the IL standards reflect the print era and do not account for specific skills needed for the digital age. In 2003, the MLA - Medical Library Association (U.S.) initiated its own information literacy taskforce but many of its findings need to be recontextualized for a markedly different information landscape of 2010.

Broadly speaking, health librarians strive to support clinical and research activities in health organizations and provide assistance to academic communities (ie. how to find books, connect to online resources); as needed, health libraries provide library support to programs and faculties (ie. how to find/use/evaluate information to support learning and research). Some health librarians are also involved in teaching medical informatics skills to medical students.

Students in health learn information skills from professional librarians at reference desks and via librarian-led workshops. Certain library skills are also self-taught through self-pacing web-based tutorials. Faculty partnering in the academic health environment is essential so that students can develop critical thinking and evidence-based skills. As needed, health librarians provide assistance to students in medical, nursing and pharmacy programs (as well as students in other health disciplines) during library workshops, at reference desks and by using web 2.0 technologies. In consultation with users and faculties, health librarians determine the type of library workshop needed to support programs using various quantitative and qualitative methods and curriculum analysis. (See curriculum mapping)

Websites

• Bobbi L. Newman. Defining Transliteracy For Librarians http://bit.ly/fCi0i7
• Centre for Media Literacy - http://www.medialit.org/
• Digital Literacy in Canada: From Inclusion to Transformation. Submission to the Digital Economy Strategy Consultation. Media Awareness Network, 2010.
• Libraries and Transliteracy blog - http://librariesandtransliteracy.wordpress.com/
• Ning Network "Transliteracy" - http://transliteracy.ning.com/
• Project Information Literacy (PIL), University of Washington - http://projectinfolit.org/

• an ongoing research study at UW's Information School investigating how college students conduct research for course-related research

• Transliteracy Research Group - http://nlabnetworks.typepad.com/transliteracy/
• Transliteracy: A Trend of Amplified Organization - http://www.futureofed.org/trend/Transliteracy.aspx
• Twenty-first (21st) Century Fluency Project - http://www.21stcenturyfluency.com/
• UK's IOCT explores history linkage of transliteracies (Sue Thomas) http://vimeo.com/2831405

Canadian context

In the digital age, it is uncommon for librarians not to know about the importance of IL or the necessity of teaching users how to access the library in-house and online. With that said, most structured IL programs in Canadian health libraries are focused on teaching health professionals how to use health databases, such as PubMed and the Cochrane Library, within the context of evidence-based health care. Some emergent skills that are needed might fall into the area of social web and media literacies.

Recent academic reports & studies

• A 2010 JISC report summarized 12 user behavior studies sponsored by RIN, JISC, and OCLC in the UK and the US between 2005-2010

• Project description: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/reports/2010/digitalinformationseekers.aspx
• Project report: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/publications/reports/2010/digitalinformationseekerreport.pdf

• In 2007, ACRL published a report on the University of Rochester’s "Studying Students" project (see: http://bit.ly/gCUBxx). This project employed a team of librarians and anthropologists in an attempt to discern how undergraduate students gathered information while preparing research papers. Here’s one of the more interesting findings of this project:

• "...library staff undertook a reference desk survey to understand changing patterns at the reference desk and followed that up with a set of brief interviews in the student union...The survey and interviews revealed that few students understand what reference librarians do and how reference librarians can help them, nor do they consider asking for the help reference librarians are trained to provide. Rather, students tend to feel that they are good at finding their own resources and answering their own questions. If they need expert advice, they turn either to their instructors or, surprisingly, to their families, whom they contact by phone or e-mail."

• A group of Illinois academic libraries, inspired by the Rochester project, did a study of undergraduate information-seeking behaviours (see: http://bit.ly/a8HZVZ). It employed a team of librarians and anthropologists. Their May 2010 report found that:

• "While the majority of students we interviewed struggled with one or more aspects of academic research, very few students sought help from a librarian. In fact, one of the most striking aspects of the ERIAL study was the near-invisibility of librarians within the academic worldview of students."

References

• American Library Association. Presidential Committee on Information Literacy. Chicago, IL: American Library Association, 1989. and Tutorials.
• Association of American Medical Colleges. Medical school objectives project: medical informatics objectives. Washington, DC: Association of American Medical College, 1998.
• Breivik PS, Gee EG. Higher education in the internet age: Libraries creating a strategic edge. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing, 2006.
• Bruce, C., Edwards, S. and Lupton, M. (2007): “Six frames for information literacy education: a conceptual framework for interpreting the relationships between theory and practice”, in Andretta, S. (ed.), Change and Challenge: Information literacy for the 21st century, Auslib, Blackwood.
• Bruce CC. Information literacy as a catalyst for educational change: a background paper. White paper prepared for UNESCO, the US National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, and the National Forum on Information Literacy, 2002.
• Castells M. The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture. Oxford: Blackwell, 1998.
• Catts, R. and Lau, J. (2008): Towards Information Literacy Indicators, UNESCO, Paris. Whitworth, A. (2007): “Communicative comptence in the information age: towards a critical theory of information literacy education”, in Andretta, S. (ed.), op cit. Whitworth, A. (2009): Information Obesity, Chandos, Oxford. Forthcoming in Feb/Mar 2009.
• Catts, R. and Lau, J. (2008): Towards Information Literacy Indicators, Paris: UNESCO.
• Demczuk L, Gottschalk T, Littleford J. Introducing information literacy into anesthesia curricula. Can J Anaesth. 2009 Apr;56(4):327-35. 2009 Feb 27.
• Donham J, Green CW. Developing a culture of collaboration: librarian as consultant. J Acad Libr. 2004. Jul; 30:(4):314–21.
• Durando P et al. Librarian and Faculty partnerships - Teaching, Technology and Triumphs - CHLA 2007 poster.pdf
• Giustini D. Evidence-based teaching for health librarians: some questions and considerations. JCHLA/JABSC. 2010;31(1):7-10.
• Heckman E. Information literacy as a university wide general education goal and the librarian's role. IAMSLIC Conference Proceedings 2005.
• Hiller S. How scientists and engineers find information and use libraries. ALA/CLA Annual Conference, Toronto, June 23, 2003.
• InfoLit Global. IFLA. Information Literacy Resources Directory. 2008.
• Johnson, L., Smith, R., Willis, H., Levine, A., and Haywood, K., (2011). The 2011 Horizon Report. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.
• Johnston JM, Leung GM, Fielding R, Tin KY, Ho LM. The development and validation of a knowledge, attitude and behaviour questionnaire to assess undergraduate evidence-based practice teaching and learning. Med Educ. 2003 Nov;37(11):992-1000
• Laverty C. Information literacy by design: librarians and elearning. (powerpoint presentation) OLA Superconference 2008
• Medical Library Association. MLANET: Health information literacy task force. Chicago, IL: The Association, 2003.
• Naslund J, Giustini D. Curriculum mapping to adult learning theory: is information literacy still relevent in a web 2.0 world? May 2008 WILU Conference. Kelowna, BC. UBCO.
• Perry, E. Engineering Students/Faculty and the Library: establishing that crucial first link. Dr. John Archer Library, University of Regina. OLA Super Conference, Toronto, Ontario Jan. 28-Feb. 1, 2008.
• Saranto K, Hovenga EJS. Information literacy—what it is about? literature review of the concept and the context. Int J Med Inform. 2004 Jun; 73:(6):503–13.
• Project for the Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills Sails Survey. Boston University.
• Towler, A. J., & Dipboye, R. L. (2001). Effects of trainer expressiveness, organization, and trainee goal orientation on training outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(4), 664-673.
• University of Connecticut - Information Literacy: Program and Desired. Stakeholders & Competency Providers. 2008 and IL Instructional Modules
• University of British Columbia. UBC Library. Medical informatics learning objectives overview.
• University of Windsor (2005). Leddy Library. 'Curriculum Mapping' information page.
• Whitworth A. Information Obesity. Oxford: Chandos Publishing, 2009.
• Yasnoff WA, Overhage JM, Humphreys BL, et al. A national agenda for public health informatics. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2001. Nov; 7:(6):1–21.