Example Researcg Paper: What is Information Literacy?
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Table of Contents
1
Information Literacy Today ........................................................................ 2
2
Information literacy specifics ...................................................................... 3
3
2.1
Recognizing information needs ........................................................... 3
2.2
Formulating information needs ........................................................... 3
2.3
Finding information providers ............................................................ 3
2.4
Using retrieval tools ............................................................................. 3
2.5
Evaluating search results ..................................................................... 4
2.6
Saving and organizing search results................................................... 4
2.7
Applying results to problem resolution ............................................... 4
2.8
Presenting the problem resolution ...................................................... 4
Training methods ........................................................................................ 5
3.1
On-site training .................................................................................... 5
3.2
E-Learning ........................................................................................... 5
4
References ................................................................................................... 5
5
Table of Figures ........................................................................................... 6
Example Researcg Paper: What is Information Literacy?
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1 Information Literacy Today
Over the last two decades, information literacy cas come to be viewed as a core
competency. Employers demand workers who know how to find and make use
of vast quantities of information, functioning political systems depend on informed voters, and colleges and universities give the topic a central place in their
course offerings for new students -- hardly surprising considering the multitude
of academic literature that is now produced on an annual basis. Already in 2004
over 1.2 million artcles in over 20,000 academic journals were being issued by
over 2000 publishing houses each year (Black, 2004).
Despite the undisputed importance of information literacy, it can be difficult to
define what skills comprise it. For example, how does the information literate
individual differ from an information illiterate person and what advantages
does he or she enjoy due to this competence? In the present work, I will seek to
answer these questions by examining existing criteria and proposing my own.
Many attempts to delineate the skills involved in information literacy originated
in the field of Library and Information Science. The American Library Association writes that “information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to
recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate,
and use effectively the needed information” (2008, p. 2). Johnston und Weber
break the concept into five skill areas. For them, the information literate person
“1. determines the nature and extent of the information needed; 2. accesses
needed information effectively and efficiently; 3. evaluates information and its
sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her
knowledge base and value system; 4. uses information effectively to accomplish
a specific purpose; 5. understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues
surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically
and legally” (Johnston & Weber, 2003, p. 337).
Computer literacy is one very concrete skill that is often seen as a necessary prerequisite for information literacy. The ALA’s guidelines define this more
broadly: “Information technology skills enable an individual to use computers,
software applications, databases, and other technologies to achieve a wide variety of academic, work-related, and personal goals” (American Library Association, 2008, p. 5).
Information literacy can be seen as a higher-level competency in its own right,
but also as a connecting element between other competencies. Senkbeil puts
forth a definition in accordance with this view:
ICT literacy is assumed to function as a meta-competence that helps people
to acquire other important competencies and skills that are relevant in educational and work settings across the lifespan [...]. Since globalization processes require more flexibility and adaptability both at work and in society,
the ability to acquire new knowledge and new skills in a self-regulated manner and with the help of information and communication technologies has
become an important precondition for both finding new jobs and acting as
responsible citizens [...]. Accordingly, deficits in ICT literacy are expected to
Example Researcg Paper: What is Information Literacy?
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lead to social disparities […]. However, there is not much empirical research
examining the role of ICT literacy as a meta-competence and its effects on social disparities across the lifespan [...]
(2013, p. 141).
2 Information literacy specifics
“Ten key principles to ensure that information management activities are effective and successful:
1. recognise (and manage) complexity
2. focus on adoption
3. deliver tangible & visible benefits
4. prioritise according to business needs
5. take a journey of a thousand steps
6. provide strong leadership
7. mitigate risks
8. communicate extensively
9. aim to deliver a seamless user experience
10. choose the first project very carefully” (Robertson, 2005, p. 2).
2.1 Recognizing information needs
2.2 Formulating information needs
2.3 Finding information providers
Figure 1: ICT literacy assessment framework (Senkbeil et al., 2013, p. 144)
2.4 Using retrieval tools
Example Researcg Paper: What is Information Literacy?
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2.5 Evaluating search results
“Credibility:
trustworthy source, author’s credentials, evidence of quality control, known or
respected authority, organizational support. Goal: an authoritative source, a
source that supplies some good evidence that allows you to trust it.
Accuracy:
up to date, factual, detailed, exact, comprehensive, audience and purpose reflect
intentions of completeness and accuracy. Goal: a source that is correct today
(not yesterday), a source that gives the whole truth.
Reasonableness:
fair, balanced, objective, reasoned, no conflict of interest, absence of fallacies or
slanted tone. Goal: a source that engages the subject thoughtfully and reasonably, concerned with the truth.
Support:
listed sources, contact information, available corroboration, claims supported,
documentation supplied. Goal: a source that provides convincing evidence for
the claims made, a source you can triangulate (find at least two other sources
that support it)” (Harris, 1997).
2.6 Saving and organizing search results
2.7 Applying results to problem resolution
2.8 Presenting the problem resolution
“The most elusive of writing blocks masquerades as writing to deadline. We all
know people who wait until the night before a term paper, a legal brief a business report is due to sit down and begin writing. If asked, most of these writers
would claim, “I write best if I wait until the last minute.” Most people who write
to deadline don’t realize they are blocked-until they face a writing project that
simply can’t be completed the night before it is due. For a long time l thought
that journalism nurtured this adrenaline-filled, roller-coaster relationship with
writing. After all, you can only write about news once it has broken. Then l became a member of a writing group that included a journalist who had moved
from news to feature stories, and no matter what her topic or how far in advance
she received the assignment, she continued to write to deadline. With disastrous
results. Watching this woman panic about not being able to finish each piece
that was due, l realized that my logic might have been backward. Newswriting
doesn’t necessarily nurture writing to deadline; instead, it might attract writers
who are most comfortable waiting until the last possible minute” (Staw, 2005,
p. 13).
Example Researcg Paper: What is Information Literacy?
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3 Training methods
“Patricia Knapp was the first to articulate the position that the library is an integral and organic part of a college and that library instruction should not be
offered as a discrete event, but rather should be woven into the general curriculum” (Grafstein, 2002, p. 198).
3.1 On-site training
Institutions are engaging students in digital literacy projects through a range of
roles such as co-researchers, mentors, and technical support. The advantages
are that students are generally more digitally confident and fluent than staff in
the use of personal and social media. Although students need support in applying this digital know-how successfully to academic study, they are often more
willing to explore the possibilities that technology can bring to their learning
(Northumbria University, 2014).
3.2 E-Learning
4 References
American Library Association. (2008). Information Literacy Competency
Standards for Higher Education. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm
Black, R. (Author) (2004, December 21). The Future of Published Science [Television broadcast]. BBC Radio 4.
Grafstein, A. (2002). A discipline-based approach to information literacy. The
Journal of Academic Librarianship, 28(4), 197–204. doi:10.1016/S00991333(02)00283-5
Harris, R. (1997). Evaluating Internet Research Sources. Retrieved from
http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm
Johnston, B., & Weber, S. (2003). Information Literacy in Higher Education:
A review and case study. Studies in Higher Education, 28(3), 335–352. Retrieved from http://ejournals.ebsco.com/direct.asp?ArticleID=7DGMG63EDEQNWTTX71QK
Northumbria University. (2014). Developing digital literacies: Final Report.
Retrieved from https://www.jisc.ac.uk/full-guide/developing-digital-literacies
Robertson, J. (2005). 10 principles of effective information management. Retrieved from http://www.steptwo.com.au/files/kmc_effectiveim.pdf
Senkbeil, M., Ihme, J. M., & Wittwer, J. (2013). The Test of Technological and
Information Literacy (TILT) in the National Educational Panel Study: Development, empirical testing, and evidence for validity. Journal for educational research online, 5(2), 139–161. Retrieved from http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0111-opus-84281
Example Researcg Paper: What is Information Literacy?
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Staw, J. A. (2005). Unstuck: A supportive and practical guide to working
through writer's block. New York: St. Martin's Griffin.
5 Table of Figures
Figure 1: ICT literacy assessment framework (Senkbeil et al., 2013, p. 144) ..... 3