Am I information literate? Is information literacy more than a set of skills?

Search survey capture

Search survey 19 April 2015

A simple survey – posted one evening in two closed groups on Facebook, and then also on NSW DEC (tafe) yammer. A straight forward, single question… “How do you search for information?”

Does it surprise anyone that out of a total of 48 participants, as of the moment that I am writing this blog post… 100% of respondents chose Google as their preferred research tool?! 

The added point of interest is that the two closed groups are MEd(TL) students and yammer is significantly populated with school teachers… and no-one chose the library as their go-to place for information.

So does being information literate these days equate to being able to use the Google search engine? Is it just a set of skills needed to find information using Google? Is Google the guaranteed way to finding the answer to any question posed? And does that mean the user is information literate? Is information literacy just a set of skills?

Tweet

Tweet from April 19 2015

There are certainly challenges involved in using Google efficiently. In the hands of a novice, the information tsunami can be just as devastating with Google’s help as without! If you don’t have the skills to use it then the information you are seeking will remain hidden… but being information literate requires something more than being able to use Google search efficiently.

In 2004, the Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy developed the Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework and published a set of standards. These standards provide a definition for the information literate person

  1. The information literate person recognises the need for information and determines the nature and extent of the information needed
  2. The information literate person finds needed information effectively and efficiently
  3. The information literate person critically evaluates information and the information seeking process
  4. The information literate person manages information collected or generated
  5. The information literate person applies prior and new information to construct new concepts or create new understandings
  6. The information literate person uses information with understanding and acknowledges cultural, ethical, economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information

We begin to realise that information literacy is a framework for learning which not only includes a skill set but also includes ways of thinking and being.

On further exploration it is revealed that the meaning of Information Literacy (Herring, 2006; Thomas, Crow, & Franklin, 2011; Informationliteracy, 2015) hasn’t reached consensus and settled on a single, static definition. However, the concept is a constantly evolving idea and this reveals the current importance of the ability to seek, retrieve, record, analyse/evaluate and correctly use any information (Thomas, Crow, & Franklin, 2011; Informationliteracy, 2015). Being information literate has become a requirement for living and learning in our information dense world. When using information literacy as a framework it also allows for other skills to be integrated such as computer and technology skills (Eisenberg, 2008).

However, if we misinterpret information literacy and use it as just a framework to follow, and explore it no further, the Teacher Librarian loses an opportunity to provide their students with more than just a set of skills, it is, as Herring (2009) defines it… a way of thinking.

The Billion Dollar Gram

Information is beautiful

The advent of the Internet has had a significant impact on the access to and presentation of all manner of information. The modern learner has many challenges in accessing, understanding, synthesising and evaluating the information they require in both their studies and in daily life. The Teacher Librarian role should be utilised in schools to support the acquisition of the skills involved in Information Literacy… but also be expanded upon to realise that it requires more than just a skill set… it is an opportunity to address the thinking and understanding that is needed before a student can confidently identify themselves as information literate.

 

References:

Bundy (Ed), A. (2004). Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework – principles, standards and practice. 2nd ed. [ebook] Adelaide: Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy (ANZIIL).  Available at: http://www.caul.edu.au/content/upload/files/info-literacy/InfoLiteracyFramework.pdf

Eisenberg, M. B. (2008). Information literacy: Essential skills for the Information Age. Journal of Library & Information Technology, 28(2), 39-47

Herring, J. (2006). A critical investigation of students’ and teachers’ views of the use of information literacy skills in school assignments. School Library Media Research, 9

Herring, J, (2009) A Grounded Analysis of Year 8 Students’ Reflections on Information Literacy Skills and Techniques,  School Libraries Worldwide, Vol 15, no. 1, pp. 1-13

Informationliteracy (2015). International definitions | Information Literacy. Retrieved from http://www.informationliteracy.org.uk/information-literacy-definitions/definitions-of-il/

Thomas, N. P., Crow, S. R., & Franklin, L. L. (2011). The Information Search Process: Kuhlthau’s legacy. In Information literacy and information skills instruction: Applying research to practice in the 21st century school library(3rd e.d.). Libraries Unlimited

2 thoughts on “Am I information literate? Is information literacy more than a set of skills?

  1. Such an interesting blog post! I have to confess, when I want information for personal use a library visit never crosses my mind. Google is such an easy tool, but I have had many years of practice to refine my search terms. Students don’t have the expertise and understanding to filter out all the irrelevant or inaccurate search results, so this post has made me reflect on the importance of teaching basic information literacy concepts using library resources to scaffold student learning.

  2. Hi Steph,
    Thanks for your comment. Finding ways to engage with our student community in order to provide information literacy support is not necessarily as straight forward as some people seem to think. I can see me needing to develop some “manipulation skills” in order to create opportunities for engagement with my school community. I think I need some “Cunning Plans”! 🙂

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