Information+Literacy

5. Information Literacy

Kuhlthau et el, (2007) and Henri (2004) agree, that ‘the acquisition of lifelong critical thinking skills’ i.e.: ‘knowing how to learn’ should be at the core of education and a fundamental part of becoming a life long learner. Fluency in Information Literacy (IL) will give students this opportunity. I believe it is vital that we teach out students how to navigate the 21st century information environment, to make connections between information and knowledge, to be critical and to develop the ability to synthesise and reflect on that information to create new ideas and understandings. To achieve this we must teach Information Literacy (IL) skills to our students. Herring’s (2011, p 63) definition of Information Literacy highlighted for me the fact that rather than being the passive recipients of information and knowledge, students should be taught to be more active participants in their learning. It is one thing to locate and retrieve information but students should be able to reflect on their IL skills, evaluate the use of these skills, be able to adapt to new information environments, then transfer these skills from one ‘learning environment’ (2011) to the next. Students need to go through a ‘process’ (Eisenberg, 2008, Herring, 2011) and understand that these skills should not be viewed as skills in isolation, but rather ‘connected activities’ (Eisenberg 2008), that underpin their whole way of thinking about searching for and using information. IL should not just be seen as a ‘prescribed set of skills but a metacognitive approach to students’ learning’ (Herring 2006).

Whether it be via Herrings, [|PLUS model] (Herring, 2004), Eisenberg & Berkowitz’s [|Big6] model (1988), Kuhlthau’s [|Information Search process (ISP) model] (2007), Ryan and Capra’s ILPO model (2001), or the [|NSW Information Process] model (2007), I believe teaching IL skills should be a major focus of the school curriculum and library program. Personally, I found the NSW IP model very user friendly and managed to imbed that particular model into my pathfinders. I believe having such visual support makes it easily accessible to both the students and teachers. The fact that it was interactive meant that students could hover their cursor over any aspect of the model to highlight any steps that needed clarification. I believe that the school and the TL have a responsibility to ensure that their students are information literate and that they have the necessary strategies to effectively locate, select, organize, present and evaluate the plethora of information that is available. Through my studies I understand that the TL needs to be a major stakeholder in the curriculum and has a responsibility to implement not only an effective, innovative library program but to ensure that IL is a major focus of the school and the curriculum.

The TL should be proactive in canvassing the support of the principal (Purcell, 2010) to ensure that they are developing an information literate school community (Henri, 2005; Beck & Yeager, 1994). They need to be ‘front and centre’ at planning meetings, actively planning and collaborating with staff, giving and receiving input. They need to make sure they are seen a credible, committed professional who is up to date with curriculum and IL pedagogy and attending conferences and PD (Oberg, 2006). The TL also has to be information literate themselves (Langford 1998). They need a full understanding of IL to enable the students in their care to navigate and make sense of the plethora of information in the 21st century information environment.

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 * References **

Beck, J. and Yeager, N. (1994). Making teams work: an underused window of opportunity. In The leader’s window: mastering the four styles of leadership to build high-performing teams (pp.183-206). New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Eisenberg, M. and Berkowitz, R. (1988). Information Problem Solving: the Big Six approach to library and information skills instruction. Retrieved from []

Eisenberg, M., (2008) Information Literacy: Essential Skills for the Information Age Retrieved from CSU Database.

Henri, J. (2004). The information literate school community: lessons for teachers. Reality bytes: (pp. 33-48). Carlton, Vic: School Library Association of Victoria.

Henri, J. (2005). Understanding the information literate school community. In The Information Literate School Community 2 (pp.135-145). Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies.

Herring, J. (2004). The internet and information skills: a guide for teachers and school librarians. London: Facet Publishing.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">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. Retrieved from CSU Database.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Herring, J. E. (2011). Improving students' web use and information literacy: a guide for teachers and teacher librarians. London: Facet.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Kuhlthau, C. C., Caspari, A. K., & Maniotes, L. K. (2007). Guided inquiry: learning in the 21st century school. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Langford, L (1998) Information Literacy: A Clarification <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> http://www.fno.org/sept98/clarify.html retrieved from CSU Library

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">New South Wales Department of Education and Training. (2007). Information skills in the school: engaging learners in constructing knowledge. Retrieved from[]

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Oberg, D. (2006) Developing the respect and support of school administrators. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Teacher Librarian: Feb, 33, 3: Retrieved from CSU Database September 5 2011

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Purcell, M. (2010). All librarians do is check out books, right? A look at the roles of a school library media specialist. Library Media Connection, 29(3), 30-33.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Ryan, J. and Capra, S. (2001). Information Literacy Planning for Educators: the ILPO approach. In School Libraries Worldwide, 7(1), 1-10.