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Information Literacy Landscapes: Information Literacy in Education, Workplace and Everyday Contexts
Abstract
Drawing upon the authoras on going research into information literacy, Information Literacy Landscapes explores the nature of the phenomenon from a socio-cultural perspective, which offers a more holistic approach to understanding information literacy as a catalyst for learning. This perspective emphasizes the dynamic relationship between learner and environment in the construction of knowledge. The approach underlines the importance of contextuality, through which social, cultural and embodied factors influence formal and informal learning. This book contributes to the understanding of information literacy and its role in formal and informal contexts.
... The rapid evolution of digital tools and the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) have transformed libraries into critical spaces where users develop the competencies necessary for navigating, evaluating, and creating within complex digital landscapes (Kasneci et al., 2023;Kivinen & Piiroinen, 2023;Yolcu, 2023). Modern libraries must now support a trio of foundational literacies-information, digital, and AI-literacy-that empower users to critically engage with information, adapt to new technologies, and actively participate in knowledge creation (Aysu, 2023;Bawden, 2008;Lloyd, 2010;Ng et al., 2021;Owusu-Ansah, 2004;Wang & Zhang, 2014). ...
... This transformation is captured in the Library 3.0 model, which frames the library as a participatory, interactive space that provides the tools, environments, and guidance necessary for users to become literate across multiple domains (Fletcher, 2021;Jochumsen et al., 2012;Lloyd, 2010). In a Library 3.0 framework, libraries move beyond traditional roles to become hubs where users actively engage with resources, collaborate with peers, and interact with new technologies (Clark, 2015;Kwanya, 2023;Navarrete, 2023;Walczak, 2020). ...
... The concept of information literacy has been extensively explored by scholars such as Lloyd (2010) and Bruce (1997), who emphasize its critical role in navigating digital environments. Similarly, digital literacy, as defined by Gilster (1998) and Bawden (2008), encompasses the skills required to effectively use digital tools and resources. ...
This paper explores the evolving role of academic libraries as educational hubs through the lens of foundational literacies—Information Literacy (IL), Digital Literacy (DL), and AI Literacy (AIL). Based on observations of practices at Linköping University Library (LiUB), it synthesizes these initiatives into a proposed framework inspired by the principles of Library 3.0: Participation, Interactivity, and Adaptability. The framework offers a structured approach to integrating these literacies into library educational programming, emphasizing the library’s role in fostering critical competencies for lifelong learning in a rapidly changing digital environment. Key best practices from LiUB’s initiatives, such as the DigiMaker makerspace and AI literacy workshops, are highlighted, providing actionable insights for academic libraries seeking to remain relevant and impactful in their educational missions.
... It is a detailed study of academic libraries as workplaces undergoing significant changes. The study is sensitive to the nature of practice and how practices are collectively developed, and transformed, by learning networks that operate within the information landscapes (Lloyd 2010) of the library. ...
... The BiE project conceives of the organisation as constituted by the perceptions and practices of its members (Lloyd 2010). One can develop knowledge about the organisation through revealing these perceptions and practices and how they are communicated and exchanged. ...
... The organisation is a lived experience, continually constructed by practices within a context that is unique to each organisation. Each context is a unique "landscape" (Lloyd 2010); a dynamic environment comprised of different practices that serve to construct, move, validate and transform information. To understand these landscapes, and thus processes of change within them, we must look at more than just the "storage of individual knowledge in organizational structure and routines…", and also consider subjective and personal factors along with the intersubjective or "non-individual knowledge that resides in social relations" (Tagliaventi & Mattarrelli 2006, 293). ...
This short paper reports on the first two phases of the Bibliotek i Endring (BiE) or “Changing Libraries” project. This project addresses a gap in the literature in that organisational change in academic libraries has not previously been studied from perspectives which emphasise practices and networked learning. The first phases of the project gathered data from participants regarding how they perceived the social networks in which they were embedded at work. A 50% sample was achieved at both locations. Informants were first asked 15 questions regarding their role, values and perceptions of their ability to enact change. They were then asked to draw a map of the social network in which they saw themselves as embedded, and “thought aloud” as they did so. A scoring system was then used to measure their perceptions of proximity within this network: who they worked most closely with, who they were most likely to share information with and so on. Through this process, individuals' maps were amalgamated into composite sociograms that could be drawn of both institutional research locations, showing that one was divided into two distinct clusters whereas the other was more connected, though both networks had isolated members. Cross-references were also made with how interviewees perceived their ability to enact change in their practices and those of others. These conclusions were presented to participants for member checking, and will now drive phase 3 of the research, in which change will be recorded over a period of a year to see how social networks influence learning and change management in these specific contexts.
... A contextual information literacy (IL) programme is one designed in consideration of local language, literacy level and social-cultural conditions. This conception stands upon the salient point that Hicks and Lloyd (2016) noted against the traditional concept of IL, and sustains the view that IL is also a context-based phenomenon that goes beyond textually-related skills to include several operationalised engagement with information (Bruce, 2011;Gunton, Bruce & Stoodley, 2012;Lloyd, 2010;Lloyd et al., 2013). With this, information literacy is suitably regarded in this paper as a state of knowing about the availability of needed information (implying awareness), where to seek for and access them (denoting access), and the right ways to put the information into use (entailing utilisation). ...
... This could be in relation to computer and technology skills required of employees to use information effectively in professionally organised workplaces. It could also refer to the interdependency of workers to use and engage with information, within ethics and rules of works, but outside the textual and technological settings (Lloyd, 2010). Here, skills for and engagement with information is observed from the social perspective and is therefore pluralistic. ...
... While impact studies are veritable research procedures used to strengthen policies and decision making in varying spheres of life (Pope, Bond, Morrison-Saunders & Retief, 2013), the impact of IL practice on various works of life cutting across workplace milieus, social settings and community environments is extensively underscored (Bowles-Terry, 2012;Bury, 2011;Cullen, Clark, & Esson, 2011;Erich & Popescu, 2010;Lloyd et al., 2013;Soleymani, 2014;Williams, Cooper & Wavell, 2014). This explains why IL has been described as a socio-cultural phenomenon that thrive on interpersonal occurrence (Gunton et al., 2012), as well as a context-based experience (Lloyd, 2010) that can be taught and learnt from six distinct frames (Bruce et al., 2006). ...
Noting the dearth of literature on manifestation of information literacy in rural milieus despite the increasing positive influence of the practice in several endeavours, this paper set out to assess the effect of contextualised information literacy programme on rural farmers' awareness, access to and utilisation of cassava farming inputs in Nigeria. Guided by two null hypotheses, the field experimental design was adopted, with two villages in Nigeria selected to serve as treatment and control groups on the basis of their homogeneity. The population of the study comprised of all the cassava farming households in both villages, with each cassava farming household considered as a respondent and represented by any member of the household capable of receiving and giving information. A structured interview schedule was used to collect data from the respondents in three batches-the baseline, the first round (first year), and the second round (second year)-using a house-to-house visitation method. The Pearson correlation coefficient test, at a significant level of 0.05, was conducted on the data for the test of the hypotheses. The tests showed that information literacy (in the treatment village) had a statistically significant positive effect on cassava farmers' awareness, access to and utilisation of cassava farming information and inputs. This was contrary to the effect created by the existing information communication systems in the control village, which statistically impacted only on farmers' awareness. Thus, unlike existing information communication channels that basically spur peoples' awareness to information, the practice of information literacy not only acquainted the rural cassava farmers of their information environment but enabled them to access and utilise farming-related information effectively and profitably. The paper recommends that librarians, especially in the public library sector, should practice the theories of information searching, content repacking and selective dissemination of information at the instance of rural famers, using MBJLIS Journal homepage: https://www.mbjlisonline.org/ 54 comprehensible formats that take cognizance of rural dwellers' level of formal education and language of communication. Introduction In Nigeria where cassava is a staple crop and many rural farmers are into cassava farming, access to and use of right information pertaining to cassava farming is a great necessity to the rural farmers. Consequently, communicating information to rural cassava farmers on cassava farming inputs, such as the health and economic reasons for preferring new cassava varieties, where and how to access improved cassava cuttings, the right method of planting improved cassava species, how to secure agricultural loans and access other available related inputs is imperative. This has become very crucial as the global market on cassava products look up to Nigeria the largest producer of cassava and, regrettably, the least exporters of cassava products despite the suitability of soil and climatic conditions of the country for cassava farming (Food & Agriculture Organisation Statistics [FAOSTAT], 2012). Such situation is worrisome and imposes the need to experimentally assess the effect that a contextualised information literacy programme might have on rural farmers' awareness, access to and utilisation of cassava farming inputs in Nigeria. A contextual information literacy (IL) programme is one designed in consideration of local language, literacy level and social-cultural conditions. This conception stands upon the salient point that Hicks and Lloyd (2016) noted against the traditional concept of IL, and sustains the view that IL is also a context-based phenomenon that goes beyond textually-related skills to include several operationalised engagement with information (Bruce, 2011; Gunton, Bruce & Stoodley, 2012; Lloyd, 2010; Lloyd et al., 2013). With this, information literacy is suitably regarded in this paper as a state of knowing about the availability of needed information (implying awareness), where to seek for and access them (denoting access), and the right ways to put the information into use (entailing utilisation). While such manifestation depicts IL among rural cassava farmers, there is no doubt that the result of this kind of study would be of great value to the Nigerian librarianship that is currently challenged to redefine its public libraries' ethos in a way that will effectively engage rural dwellers with appropriate information now and in future (Uzuegbu, 2016; 2019).
... Building on that formulation, Wenger et al. (2009) noted how members of these communities will negotiate informational and technological practice as they create around them an environment that can help fulfil shared learning needs: they termed this the "stewarding of the digital habitat". Lloyd (2010) describes how developing competence in a practice setting is not just a matter of absorbing disciplinary knowledge -the "knowwhat", or "epistemic modality" (Lloyd, 2010, p. 161) -but also requires entrants into that setting to engage with its "social" and "corporeal" modalities: that is, the "knowhow", "knowwho", "knowwhen" et cetera. Anyone en tering a practice setting, including knowledgebuilding communities, must learn to operate within these different modalities by navigat ing the "information landscape" of that setting, the terrain, pathways and signposts of which have been negotiated over time by the practi tioners. ...
... Digital, media and information literacies (hereafter, DMIL) are essential foundations for these processes (Lloyd, 2010) and, hence, for knowledgebuilding itself. Yet differing models have been proposed to describe how learners might build knowledge about their landscapes/ habitats in ways that might be transferable from the educational into the professional setting. ...
... Use of a platform like KF to scaffold this cognitive work must mean that features of the tool itself -its capabilities, interface, usability and perceived affordances (Gaver, 1991) -mediate learners' individual and collective agency. In his discussion of practice theory, which underpins Lloyd's (2010) view of DMIL, Schatzki (1996, p. 113) explores the notion of equipment to explain how objects and tools help integrate dispersed practices (such as knowledge building) into specific settings: …objects… acquire meaning within practices. This occurs, most importantly, whenever objects are used in the performance of constituent actions. ...
This study investigates the digital, media and information literacy
(DMIL) practices that student developed through engagement with Knowledge Forum (KF), a platform designed to facilitate knowledge building dialogues. Participants included 73 students enrolled in a DMIL course in a University in the UK. The dataset comprised reflective essays submitted by students, analyzed thematically to examine perceptions and patterns of engagement with KF. Findings show that students appreciated the mesh structure of KF views, and how it facilitated idea diversity. Findings also show that students demonstrated higher levels of community discourse around design ideas, particularly in comparison with previous course iterations. Evidence of how students came to understand knowledge building principles through the way they integrated KF into their practice is discussed.
... People are connected to the temple through their physical interactions, but also through many shared symbolic meanings. Wenger (1999) and Lloyd (2010b) both state language, tools, symbols, values, perceptions, roles, regulations or rules of thumb are significant in creating shared meanings and collective practices. Castells (1996, p. 412) also stated the information can be taken many forms. ...
... The notion of information practices is always situated and linked to a site. It contributes to the making of an information landscape (Lloyd, 2010b). They occur in physical space and in physical time, and they are materially embodied across time and space (Dervin, 1999). ...
... It is a "complex web of relationships among people [that] depends on practical accomplishments", (Gherardi, 2008, p. 517), and according to Foucault, (1980), what people do and what it achieves in the world depend on power and knowledge relations. Furthermore, Lloyd (2010b) states, practices provide information skills related to our bodies. All these relationships between information and communities exist in various places. ...
This study used an ethnographic approach to explore the information practices of members of a religious organisation, the globalised Mahamevnawa Buddhist Temple. It was informed by an information practices theoretical perspective, complementing theoretical and practical work from Schatzki, Bourdieu, Lloyd and Olsson, and Gherardi, with work from a variety of disciplines, including Castells’ work on networked society, Sassen’s work on globalised organisations and Sack’s work on space and place. The study’s concern is with three aspects of this approach: what are the practices of monks and devotees of the Temple, what are the outcomes of these practices and how do monks and devotees understand the notion of the Temple. In this insider study, data was gathered from participant observation, interviews with both monks and devotees and email follow-ups, and analysis of the online presence of the temple through its website and other social media sites. The findings show that participants’ information practices lead to a range of outcomes, expressed in terms of the Bourdieusian notion of capital, with karmic capital emerging as a very important outcome of these practices. They also show how participants think the Temple exists not just in space but also in time, through temporary place. A key contribution of this study, situated in the context of the non-Western context of the Sri Lankan Buddhist diaspora, is its challenges to Western assumptions about information practices and their outcomes.
... Information literacy in this work is defined after Lloyd (2010a) "as a sociocultural practice that facilitates knowledge of information sources within an environment and an understanding of how these sources and the activities used to access them is constructed through discourse. Information literacy is constituted through the connections that exist between people, artifacts, texts and bodily experiences that enable individuals to develop both subjective and intersubjective positions" (Lloyd, 2010b). Figure 1 shows the information modalities relevant for information literacy based on a model by Lloyd (2007) that is adjusted to chemistry practice (Lloyd, 2007). ...
... Therefore, Lloyd suggests that researchers should focus on the sociocultural affordances of practice as the unit of analysis for studying information literacy, rather than information skills. This is because these affordances lead to the development of information skills (Lloyd, 2010b), which is a widely acknowledged attribute in the literature (Association of College and Research Libraries, 2015;Hosier, 2019;Rath, 2022). ...
... Learning the ways of a community of practice takes place when people participate: "They learn not only about the actual performance of practice (e.g., the doing of practice), but they also engage with nuanced and tacit information (e.g., the saying of practice)" (Lloyd, 2010b). This excerpt shows how the newcomers to the practice question the "sayings of the practice." ...
Information literacy is increasingly acknowledged as a contextual and social practice in teaching and research and can be beneficial to further our understanding of laboratory learning. However, there is a need for in-depth insight into the lived information practice in chemistry to develop contextualized information literacy instruction. This work explores the negotiation of information between beginners and experienced members of the chemistry community in a problem-based beginner laboratory. To this end, we conducted a qualitative study following the documentary method by audio-recording the students’ first lab session on-site. The reconstruction of the students’ information practice shows how beginners learn about group-specific knowledge through participation. The results highlight the importance of corporeal information to give meaning to textual and social information in the chemistry laboratory. Exemplified by the concept of acidification, our findings show how social and textual information alone is insufficient for beginner students’ understanding of tacit information. Physical experience and social guidance are necessary to develop shared conceptions between people in the chemistry laboratory practice. Beginner laboratory instruction could benefit from this work’s results by teaching beginners about the corporeal, social, and textual information modalities and showing how they connect in practice.
... Despite widespread adoption across the profession, this conceptualisation of IL as basic, discrete, transferrable, and universal skills had its critics (e.g. Tuominen, Savolainen, & Talja, 2005), arguing that IL should be considered within various sociocultural contexts (Lloyd, 2010). In addition to this criticism, Hicks & Lloyd (2021) highlight the emergence of IL-related empirical research and critical IL as factors that initiated a "second, constructivist wave of information literacy models for HE [higher education] settings" (p. ...
... In other words, the responses in this category highlight that learners are beginning to cross IL thresholds related to IL, and the ways in which they think about, understand, evaluate, consume, and use information are beginning to transform. In the "analyse" category, learners no longer view information as discrete objects but as parts of a larger information landscape (Lloyd, 2010). The line between "apply" and "analyse" may be a threshold itself. ...
Within the past decade, there has been a shift in how our guiding professional documents conceptualise information literacy (IL) — evolving from a skills-based conceptualisation to one emphasising ways of thinking and knowing. This has been both productive and disruptive. Our professional documentation does not provide a framework for making this shift or for scaffolding learning to develop complex and sophisticated ways of thinking and knowing. In this study, we apply Bloom’s revised taxonomy for educational objectives to instructor descriptions of IL (n=51) to develop a draft taxonomy that attempts to build a bridge between these two conceptualisations. The data was drawn from a survey that was administered to instructors and instructional support staff immediately preceding their participation in a multi-day teaching professional development workshop related to IL. We believe that this model has implications for how we approach the development of learners’ IL with intentionality, both in collaboration with faculty and for our own teaching practices as librarians.
... Information literacy occurs through the enactment of practice requiring a dynamic relationship with the symbolic and material objects embedded in the practice and the workplace (Lloyd, 2010a;Huvila, 2016;Olsson and Lloyd, 2017;Marchionini, 2019, p. 81). According to Bruni et al. (2007, p. 83), material objects mediate actions and activities and are ingrained in the work and ways of knowing the practices of the workplace landscape. ...
... Information literacy relates to doing, which constitutes using specific tools of practice. Practices in the workplace characterize information skills about the tools people use in the context of everyday lived experiences (Lloyd, 2010a;Lloyd, 2010c;Lloyd, 2010d;Lloyd and Olsson, 2018). According to Huvila (2018, p. 229), when tools are put to work in the workplace, procedures, norms and practices are also implemented in terms of how the tools ought to be used. ...
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the ways becoming information literate relates to the material objects in the Kente-weaving landscape.
Design/methodology/approach
An ethnographic research design was adopted wherein data was collected using participant observation and a semi-structured interview with 24 participants through their roles as either master weaver, junior weaver or novice weaver. Thematic analysis through a practice-based approach to information literacy frames the analysis of this study.
Findings
Information literacy relates to the material objects in terms of developing the know-how knowledge regarding the Kente-weaving tools used as well as what constitutes the quality of Kente fabrics.
Practical implications
Information literacy goes beyond having theoretical knowledge of the material objects of an information landscape. It is practical, not merely knowing the names of the material objects and what they are literary used for.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that contributes to the understanding of how information literacy relates to material objects in the craft workplace.
... 51). Lloyd (2010) describes information literacy as a socio-cultural practice operative within a landscape of information. Information is thus a priori embedded in an ecosystem of information production and consumption, which shapes and molds the information as it is received and interpreted by readers who then demonstrate literacy by evaluating, assessing, managing, synthesising and communicating that information. ...
... Stephanie Beene and Katie Greer (2021) argue for a shift from IL heuristics to mindsets and behaviours as a response to conspiracy theories. Having a public impact on the information landscape may also require researchers to promote IL beyond institutions of higher education as it has become clear that the information crisis is centered on public consumption of information, which cannot be addressed solely within the halls of academia (Lloyd, 2010;Trott et al., 2014). The 2021 theme of UNESCO's annual Global Media and Information Literacy Week focused on IL "for the public good." ...
The 21st century has been riven by information challenges, from mis/disinformation campaigns, fake news, and propaganda to online conspiracy theories. At a time when more people are literate than perhaps at any other time in history, we still see the rise and viral global spread of unhinged conspiracy theories across the web. The existence of such crowd-sourced conspiracy theories presents unique challenges for scholars and teachers of information literacy (IL), who face intractable challenges in inculcating healthy information practices. This is especially visible when we compare current IL frameworks with principles espoused within these conspiratorial movements. The online conspiracy theory QAnon demonstrates a particularly thorny problem for IL efforts because QAnon operates according to many of the same principles espoused in literacy frameworks. Since its inception in 2017, QAnon has become one of the most complex online conspiracy theories precisely because it relies on a complex set of informational practices enacted by thousands of followers known as anons. In this article, I argue that internet conspiracies such as QAnon weaponise IL through incitement to “do your own research”. I apply a qualitative approach to compare established principles advocated by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) to social media posts by Q and his anons to demonstrate the striking similarity in orientation toward questions of authority, context, literacy and research. In my analysis, we need new models for IL to combat conspiracism through a better understanding of the political contours of information ecosystems precisely because these similarities preclude effective engagement, and I conclude by gesturing toward future interventions.
... Additionally, for an affordance to have value, users must understand what it is. Lloyd (2010) viewed affordances from an information literacy perspective, arguing that engaging with affordances "facilitates meaning making" (p. 170) and enables users to become part of a community. ...
... Finally, participants' personal context and understanding enable them to contextualise a post and decide whether to share it. This can be seen as a learnt behaviour in the community of practice afforded by Instagram (Lloyd, 2010). If participants must make quick decisions about what to share to ensure their sharing stays relevant, and because they are using the platform for short bursts of activity, then relying on prior knowledge, trusted friends, and the community to share accurate information becomes a pragmatic use of the platform and the affordances it enables. ...
Social media platforms have had a tangible effect on how users share information and their digital literacy skills. Infographics are often shared on Instagram, but they harbour the potential for misinformation. Users do not always research posts before sharing, and the social nature of the site influences user behaviour. Current digital literacy theories highlight the need to integrate digital technologies into traditional information literacy theories, because technologies are increasingly central to everyday life and information consumption. In this article, I investigated digital literacy from a user perspective, examining how users’ digital literacy skills interact with their sharing of infographics. I also examined how infographics are used for activism, and the social and visual affordances of Instagram, which helped to dictate the users’ relationship with digital literacy. I conducted a qualitative study consisting of interviews with six participants. Participants were asked about their Instagram behaviour, infographic selection, and how they judge the reliability of an infographic before sharing. Participant responses were analysed using a grounded theory approach. Responses revealed that users are familiar with traditional concepts of information literacy, such as referencing sources, but often prioritise other areas, such as the social and personal contexts of an infographic when deciding what to share. Users also dialogue with online followers using visual imagery and activism. These sharing practices are contextualised within Instagram affordances and the behaviours the platform enables and constrains. The study is novel in examining digital literacy as enacted through Instagram, specifically the use of infographics, while also foregrounding the user perspective. The results emphasise the need to consider user perspectives in digital literacy whether conducting research or teaching.
... The early version burst reference (Case, 2007) also has the longest extended duration. Information literacy research (Lloyd, 2010) has become a priority since 2015, especially in the context of digital transformation. Classical information behaviour models also hold significant positions on the list, including Kuhlthau's information search process (ISP) model (Kuhlthau, Heinström, & Todd, 2008) and ...
Introduction. This study employs a bibliometric methodology, utilising CiteSpace 6.2.R4 as an analytical tool to examine the evolution of the journal Information Research over the past 24 years from the multivariate, time-phased, and dynamic perspective. Method. The journal was analysed by using CiteSpace to perform co-occurrence analysis, co-citation analysis, cluster analysis, and burst detection. Analysis. By analysing 2,180 articles indexed in the Web of Science database, it uncovered publication trends, research hotspots, and thematic evolution within the journal. Results. The findings of bibliometric study highlighted the journal's significant contributions to information behaviour, information retrieval, information management, and digital libraries. As an open-access journal, the Information Research journal has played a vital role in advancing both theoretical and practical dimensions of information science and information management. Conclusions. This study presents the first analysis of the academic contributions of the journal Information Research. It highlights the journal’s growing global influence, its core position within Librarianship and Information Science academia and its success in bridging disciplines through innovative research. These findings underscore the journals’ foundational role in shaping the past and future of information science.
... IL in the workplace is becoming one of the main narratives of IL, as scientific research recognises IL as a crucial competency for workers and a critical element for building organisational capacities and economic development. It becomes a factor of strategic value in the decision-making process in a highly competitive environment [36]. Today's workplace is "driven by knowledge and the influence of technology, where learning is lifelong and change is the only constant." ...
In the information society, information becomes a key resource for economic development. Such an environment requires a high level of information literacy. The chapter of the book provides an overview of current theory and recent research in the field of information literacy. The aim of the research was not only to identify a relevant model of information literacy (IL) that supports economic growth but also to present the evolution of information literacy, its importance, and relevant models. The results of the research identified A New Curriculum for Information Literacy (ANCIL) as a model of IL that strengthens the development of education and workforce skills for the information society, technological development, and socially responsible practices for a better future. In conclusion, the research results affirmed the importance of IL and ANCIL as a development force for humans and thus society in general, which means humans are a factor in successful economic development (a high level of IL strengthens innovation, productivity, information inclusiveness, and economic development).
... The need for these changes is particularly evident with the advent of generative artificial intelligence (Abdullah et al., 2022) and its impact on education (Baidoo-Anu & Owusu Ansah, 2023). In this study, however, we will stick to the broader framework of general information literacy (Lloyd, 2010(Lloyd, , 2021, although we recognize the interconnectedness of both phenomena (Scott-Branch et al., 2023). Kyllönen (2019) posits that our current educational system, still deeply rooted in the industrial age, is evident in our pedagogical methods, curriculum content, and structural organization. ...
This study investigates information literacy among 307 prospective teachers at Masaryk University’s Faculty of Education. Employing qualitative research and thematic analysis, the research identifies core competencies and challenges with information literacy in pedagogical practice. Key implications include integrating information literacy into the curriculum, enhancing ICT confidence through hands-on experience, and leveraging high-quality online resources. Students form intuitive models of working with information that does not allow them to fully adapt their teaching by using digital resources. The study emphasizes the necessity for educators to employ a variety of search tools, critically assess information sources, and engage in reflective practice. It advocates for a dynamic conception of teacher identity, adaptable to the evolving demands of knowledge and technology.
... The ability to search for information on the internet not only involves the skills of using search engines, but also includes an understanding of the internet and the ability to utilize various online activities, such as participating in discussion forums, managing email, searching for news, and enjoying entertainment via the internet, such as listening to music or watching videos [17]. ...
The advancement of digital technology has accelerated the flow of information widely and rapidly, but it also presents challenges in the form of hoaxes that can harm individuals and organizations. In the corporate context, mass layoffs (PHK) often become targets of fake news, causing panic and instability in the workplace. Employees play a crucial role in countering these hoaxes through strong digital literacy. This article examines how employees' digital literacy can contribute to combating mass layoff hoaxes on social media to maintain corporate stability. Using Katherine Miller’s organizational communication theory and the concept of digital literacy, this study highlights the importance of education and digital awareness in the workplace.
... This echoes information science scholars Hjørland's (2010) Saracevic's (2017) conclusion that expert users are more likely to make similar judgments about a source's relevance in relation to a particular topic or task. However, it need not only to be experts in academic disciplines that blend a deep sense of context, subject, and situation into the practice of information literacy, as illustrated in Lloyd's (2010) studies and conceptualizations of various workplace information literacies. ...
The process of determining whether a source of information is relevant is multidimensional, dynamic, and subjective. This essay puts information science scholarship on relevance, including the process and nature of making relevance judgments, in conversation with models of teaching and learning information literacy. Teaching librarians are encouraged to recognize students’ relevance judgments as sites of reflection and instruction. This essay suggests a variety of ways librarians might do this, from re-thinking source evaluation methods to emphasizing the opportunities available at the source selection stage. The process of determining relevance is a practical site of reflective possibility and deserves greater attention in information literacy teaching and learning. Discussing relevance judgments can help students better understand and evaluate sources, reflect on their own and others’ perspectives and motivations, and create opportunities to discuss the impact of information systems.
... In many ways, metaliteracy complements the work of other information literacy theorists who conceive of it as a sociocultural practice (Lloyd, 2010). Lloyd reframes information literacy as a messy, social, participatory, and affective process through which meaning is made and shared (2010, p. 14-24). ...
Introduction
This article explores two QAnon subgroups that were not active during the initial phase of the movement but now epitomize how QAnon has capitalized on social media to reach more people. We examine these smaller communities through the lens of information literacy and other literacies to identify opportunities for librarians and educators.
Results
The communities of conspiracy theorists explored here exhibit information behaviors distinct from the initial QAnon community, presenting opportunities for information professionals to employ new models of information literacy, metaliteracy, and other literacies to combat conspiracy ideation. Notable themes evidenced in both samples include an increasing religiosity affiliated with QAnon, affective states that promote conspiracy ideation, faulty hermeneutics and epistemologies, and specific literacy gaps.
Methods and discussion
We must update our understanding of QAnon and its adherents' shifting priorities and behaviors. Through investigating these smaller subgroups, researchers and educators can address the evolution of the QAnon movement by teaching to literacy gaps and logical fallacies, and acknowledging the troubling emotions that undergird broader belief systems.
... Para Lloyd (2010), a competência em informação catalisa todos os tipos de aprendizagem, por ser uma meta-prática incorporada em todas as outras práticas e áreas do conhecimento, sendo essencial para o pleno desenvolvimento humano nas suas dimensões profissional, pessoal, ética e política. ...
Resumo O desenvolvimento de competência em informação é base da aprendizagem ao longo da vida e um direito humano fundamental. Considerando-se a relevância social da competência em informação para a emancipação social, o seu desenvolvimento é essencial para concretizar inovações sociais, como o alcance dos objetivos de desenvolvimento sustentável. O presente artigo se trata de pesquisa exploratória descritiva com abordagem qualitativa e consistiu em estudo de caso múltiplo realizado em instituições do sistema de justiça, com o objetivo de propor uma matriz generalizável de competência em informação como fator de inovação social no sistema de justiça, a partir da percepção de atores do sistema de justiça a respeito dos processos pelos quais a competência em informação se alinha à inovação social. A coleta de dados se deu por pesquisa documental e entrevistas semiestruturadas com magistrados, membros do Ministério Público, professores universitários (centros de atendimento jurídico gratuito) e servidores do Poder Judiciário e do Ministério Público. A análise de dados foi feita por análise de conteúdo temática, análise do discurso do sujeito coletivo e pela Teoria da Atividade. A partir dos dados que emergiram das entrevistas, a matriz proposta foi descrita e explicada. Espera-se que esta matriz possa subsidiar futuras pesquisas e ações pertinentes à atuação das instituições pertencentes ao sistema de justiça, mais notadamente na implementação dos objetivos de desenvolvimento sustentável da Agenda 2030.
... Constructivists also claim that reality is more in the mind of the knower, as the knower constructs a reality based on the apperceptions shaped around their unique set of experiences with and their beliefs about the world (Jonassen, 1991). In IL instruction, constructivism is utilized to emphasize the context of the learner and focuses on recognizing their role in engaging with content and constructing meaning (e.g., Dömsödy, 2007;Lloyd, 2010;Williams & Wavell, 2007). ...
This paper aims to conduct a critical examination of the foundational assumptions and challenges of information literacy (IL), serving as a timely ‘reality check’ and a constructive instance of ‘problem-posing’. To this end, it advocates for an ‘aporetic’ approach, which constitutes a pivotal tool in philosophical inquiry. This approach posits that aporia—puzzlement rooted in the conflict of reasons—compels us to confront and grapple with (seemingly) insurmountable problems. It thereby creates opportunities to rethink fundamental concepts, theories, and perspectives. Through a critical literature review, this paper scrutinizes IL aporias across six scopes: conceptualization, theorization, philosophical underpinning, challenge, critique, and prospect. As a part of a broader project, the study focuses primarily on two key topics: truth and knowledge. The literature review identifies two aporias in IL: the disjunction between knowing and learning of knowledge, and the tension between information as objective truth and subjective interpretation of information, i.e., informativeness.
... In addition, "information literacy" is not generic, but context-dependent. Its specific form varies depending on features of the information landscape (Lloyd 2010). ...
The aim of this paper is to explore theoretical developments in the field of information literacy (IL), and their relevance to networked learning. The paper is a work of theory, but the implications for practice are not only explored, but are essential to the theoretical point being made. This is that although the promotion of information literacy are essential elements of networked learning, as they are what permit members of the network to create and sustain their own information landscapes, in an autonomous way, there exists in this field a damaging theory-practice gap. Different forms of information literacy exist, which reflect different forms of thinking and approaches to knowledge formation. At the present time, the exploration of variation in IL has best been done by scholars influenced by phenomenography, but this paper argues that this work, valuable though it is, has not as yet dealt properly with the question of authority and how this can be used to retard learning, as well as promote it. The network is identified as a location for learning in which the experience of variation can be best undertaken, but what is required is a critical phenomenography, and concomitant methods for learning that are attuned to the nature of authority and how this can be manifested in information exchanges. This would counter the tendency of modernity to separate intellectual capital from the communities that have created it, imposing the negative effects of cognitive work upon the network while draining off the positive benefits of this work.
... It resides in the experiences, skills, and intuitions of practitioners (McKenzie, 2009;Moring and Lloyd-Zantiotis, 2013;Nicolini, 2016), influencing how people interpret and personally experience a creative information practice (Medaille, 2010;Meyer and Fourie, 2018;Tulloch, 2022). In information practices, information literacy is co-constructed by individuals sharing the same information landscape (Lloyd, 2010b). It involves collective knowledge about shaping and enabling information, identifying legitimate sources, and operationalizing relevant skills and activities (Lloyd, 2012). ...
Introduction. The advent of generative AI has democratized art creation, enabling individuals without formal training to produce visually appealing digital artworks. However, it is not yet well-understood why and how laypeople engage with AI in creative information practice. Method. This study conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 participants, aiming to understand the motivations for laypeople's engagement with AI painting and the challenges they encounter. Analysis. The interviews were analysed using open coding and thematic analysis, with two independent coders achieving a substantial inter-coder reliability score. Results. Our findings reveal that laypeople's engagement with AI painting is a practice-oriented information practice, influenced by social and contextual factors. The engagement process is iterative, starting with a user prompt and AI-generated initial output, followed by continuous refinement. Laypeople engage with AI painting for emotional motivations, personal utilitarian motivations, and social interaction. Notable challenges include image quality, technological limitations, and personal constraints. Conclusion. These findings provide empirical evidence of the potential and limitations of AI in creative information practice. This understanding is vital for informing the design of future AI tools to enhance the human-AI collaborative experience in creative endeavours.
... But the field also has a prehistory. Through analysing how information literate practitioners emerged in the pre-digital era, how they were taught and how they communicated their understandings of practice, we can better appreciate how these actors helped shape contemporary information landscapes (Lloyd, 2010). As Cook (1997) puts it: what is past is prologue. ...
Through analysing how information literate practitioners emerged in the pre-digital era, how they were taught and how they communicated their understandings of practice, we can better appreciate how these actors helped shape contemporary information landscapes. Such studies can be conducted through the resources in special collections of libraries and archives. Case studies of medieval scholarly practice, and the history of the island of St Helena, are presented as examples of where these archival sources reveal the influence of historic information (literate and illiterate) practice on modern information landscapes.
... With the ongoing recast on information literacy theory, information literacy in orallycommunicating rural publics is suited as a phenomenon that is embedded and embodied on social practice (Limberg et al., 2012;Lloyd, 2010a, Lloyd-Zantiotis, 2004, and is basically about understanding an information landscape and utilising profitably the information that is available in the landscape (Lloyd, 2010b). Yet, for people to know the information landscape they operate on, they must be aware of the structures on which the landscape is embedded in. ...
The central goal of librarianship all over the world is to render information and knowledge services, in various formats, to different categories of people, through different types of libraries and information centres. The categories of people served are grouped into distinct circles that amount to the following as broad types of libraries: academic, school, special, national, and public libraries. But amidst its central goal of serving various user publics with relevant information, libraries in many developing countries have not been relevant to their rural dwellers.
In developing countries, the rural dwellers are the most part of the oral communicating groups. The orally-communicating group comprises of people who depend mainly on verbal means of communication to access information and obtain knowledge. Such people are often found in rural areas; among uneducated people or illiterates– characterised by their inability to read and write; and include those, even in cities and urban areas, who know how to read and write but still depend mostly on verbal means of communication to access information and obtain knowledge.
... However, accumulating empirical evidence has challenged such a conception of information literacy. First, information literacy is not a linear process, but is iterative in nature (e.g., Lloyd, 2010). Second, skill-based models of information literacy have been criticized for reductively framing information as a commodity (Tuominen et al., 2005), ignoring how context, for instance, and various disciplinary traditions, can affect information practices (Foasberg, 2015). ...
While academic librarians have been encouraged to collaborate with writing experts to improve students’ academic writing and research competence, their collaboration is perhaps far from satisfactory due to the lack of mutual understanding. This study, therefore, interviewed writing experts to investigate their understanding of information literacy as a basis for meaningful collaboration. Findings reveal that writing experts have a simple and rough understanding of information literacy, cannot explain information literacy as a scholarly construct, and highlight the textual dimension of information literacy. Based on these findings, I suggest formal communication of information literacy theories and co-development of a text-based rubric of information literacy.
... Es intrínseco a partes de las actividades humanas en todos los contextos según Lloyd (2010). Desde que nacimos, hemos recibido información ambiental para comunicar nuestras necesidades físicas y consuelo emocional (ALVES, 2007). ...
La situación de las personas de edad en la sociedad de la información puede ser de vulnerabilidad social, lo que puede llevar a la exclusión digital. Esto hace necesario dotar de competencias de información apropiadas, porque, como conjunto de aptitudes, conocimientos, actitudes y valores relacionados con la información, puede ser un instrumento que transforme la realidad social de las personas de edad. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar el uso de la metodología de juegos y los recursos tecnológicos actuales para extender la inclusión digital a los mayores en una escuela. Como metodología, la investigación fue de carácter aplicado, cualitativo y de caso en una institución federal de educación pública. La recolección de datos se realizó mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas, con tres preguntas referidas a la relación entre la apropiación de las competencias informativas de las personas mayores a través del uso de tecnologías digitales. Como resultado del estudio, se encontró que existe una falta de equipo en la casa de la gran mayoría de los participantes, visto como un carácter negativo para la inclusión de los ancianos en el mundo digital, además, la gran mayoría de los participantes tuvo grandes dificultades para tratar con estas tecnologías, debido a la falta de contacto con ellos. Como conclusiones de la investigación, hay que decir que las personas mayores deberían usar las tecnologías para su desarrollo mental y su inclusión en los medios digitales.
... This means that IL skills have become an essential learning tool but also function socially in a society. Lloyd (2010) explains that IL is understood in broader terms, rather than restricted to enactments related solely to text-based mediums (print or digital). The practice is also present in a corporeal and social sense, meaning, it does not just connect us to epistemic/instrumental ways of knowing, but also to local, nuanced, contingent and embodied forms. ...
This research investigated the most appropriate time for the University of Malta Library to provide information literacy workshops. This study looked into the student’s willingness to attend workshops at various points during the academic year by organizing monthly workshops and compare attendance. Additionally, different marketing channels were used and assessed to promote such sessions. As a result, information on the usefulness of the sessions was collected from participating students to identify whether an introduction to information literacy was enough or if the Library should develop a more detailed workshop/or series of workshops. Both quantitative and qualitative methods of research were used for this study. Bookings for different sessions were recorded together with year of study and students details. A short anonymous questionnaire provided feedback on the sessions including identifying aspects of marketing the students are more likely to engage with. The research will directly impact the University of Malta Library as it will guide future development with regards to workshops and marketing the Library may wish to create. Keywords: Information Literacy Sessions, Point of Need, Promoting Information Literacy, University of Malta, Case Study, Information Literacy Skills, Academic Libraries, Library Instruction, User Needs Assessment, Library Promotion Strategies, Information Literacy Programs, Student Success, Information Seeking Behavior, Library User Education, Library Outreach, Library Marketing, Effective Library Instruction, Library User Engagement, Information Literacy Assessment, Library Services Evaluation
... However, the contexts of the models are different: from general processes of ethical assessment, to higher education and participation and collaboration in digital information environment, including both production and information use in social networks. Several innovative frameworks and models of human information behaviour have called for new ways of conceptualisation of the intersubjective principles of human information interactions in ubiquitous digital information environment and online searching, such as information landscapes (Lloyd, 2010), information mapping (Whitworth, 2020), value-sensitive design with moral imagination (Friedman & Hendry, 2019), or information ecologies (Nardi & O'Day, 1999;Steinerová, 2010), and others. ...
The objectives of the study are to determine the main ethical factors related to human information interactions. The main research question was: What is the perception of ethical issues of information work and future topics of information ethics in digital environment? A brief analysis of related ethical issues of information is presented. The main applied methodology was a Delphi study on information ethics with selected experts from Slovakia and Czech Republic. The data were analysed with the use of mixed methods of discourse and content analyses and conceptual modelling. We present results of the discourse analyses (first round, 19 experts; discussion, 6 experts). Results are interpreted with regard to the ethical issues of work with digital information, main ethical dilemmas of the use of advanced technologies, and values of information. Results are visualised in three conceptual maps. A final conceptual model represents the epistemic consensus of experts, including social and cultural rules, value tensions between man and technologies, and utility, truth, and objectivity of information. We propose to include the identified ethical factors into models of human information behaviour. Recommendations for practice focus on value-sensitive design of digital services and products in the intercultural contexts of information literacy, education, science, workplaces, and everyday information use.
... U skladu s tim, čitanje s razmišljanjem dovodi do kritičkog čitanja i mišljenja. Kulturu čitanja možemo povezati i s informacijskom pismenošću u društveno-kulturnom pristupu metaprakse (Lloyd, 2010). ...
Purpose: Reinforcement and development of reading culture of secondary school students through theoretical and research section of the paper. The concept of reading culture among students of secondary schools is connected with the path of the book.Methodology/approach: The research shows results of the national survey made in the Republic of Croatia among students of secondary schools. The instrument used was a questionnaire. The research was anonymous. The sample obtained is convenient. The number of respondents was 251. Results of the research were processed by the computer programme Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), by means of a descriptive statistics and they are presented in percentages.Results: According to the processed sample, the results of this research showed that almost 1/3 of the students in Croatia did not have a developed reading culture. However, 2/3 of the respondents read at least one book per month. The survey encompassed a smaller number of secondary school students only in Croatia, so the sample was not representative. The research has shown that information channels need to be improved in order for information and books to reach students, potential readers.Research limitations: Students’ indifference to solve a questionnaire resulting in a nonrepresentative sample.Originality/practical implications: The research is the starting point for new surveys on reading culture of secondary school students. In Croatia, there is a lack of national representative and comprehensive researches of this kind, so it is assumed that the results of the survey will provide new hypotheses for future researches.
... It can represent different ways of experiencing information to learn (BRUCE, 2008(BRUCE, , 1997. It can be a learning approach (LUPTON, 2008), a catalyst for all kinds of learning (LLOYD, 2010) or a way of knowing (LLOYD, 2021). Besides, it can be the lifelong-learning process of interaction and internalization of concepts, attitudes and skills related to the accurate use and thorough understanding of information (BELLUZZO, 2017). ...
In contemporary times, the lack of capacity of individuals and communities to analyze and use information critically and to follow the cycles of technological advances results in disadvantage and in the maintenance of hegemonic contexts. This article presents a Systematic Literature Review with the objective of raising whether information literacy has been correlated with social innovation in the literature, to support the assertion that both areas are correlated and can be approached together in interdisciplinary studies, with benefits for the study of the two thematic areas. The results from the search in the Scopus, Web of Science, SAGE Open and Academic Search Premier databases were scarce and suggest that the topic has a potential field of study, which opens space for the suggestion of future research that aim at exploratory, documentary and empirical studies on information literacy to promote social innovation.
... Although certain frameworks are intended to be interdisciplinary (e.g., library-based frameworks such as AASL), there is an absence of evidence suggesting that a single framework focused on evaluating online information has successfully transcended disciplinary silos to achieve widespread inclusion across the curriculum. In part, we attribute the absence of an agreed-upon framework for navigating the contemporary information environment to the complex and multidimensional competencies required (Bruce, 1995;Lloyd, 2010), which contain aspects of information literacy (Zurkowski, 1974), media literacy (Aufderheide, 1993), science literacy (Hurd, 1958), civics education (Breakstone et al., 2021b), and digital citizenship education (ISTE, 2016), in addition to traditional literacy skills. These areas of focus are situated within separate disciplines (e.g., English language arts, science, social studies, and technology education) with different professional norms and epistemologies, making it difficult to reach a consensus on what effective curriculum design should look like to address this issue. ...
Este artículo presenta el caso de un proyecto de desarrollo educativo cuyas acciones apuntan tienen por objetivo, entre otros, el mejoramiento de la formación docente mediante la creación de una red colaborativa y el incentivo a la investigación en esta área del conocimiento. Parte de la necesidad que tiene el Paraguay de promover la innovación y la investigación en áreas claves para el desarrollo como lo son la educación y la formación docente. El diagnóstico realizado destaca las dificultades que tienen las instituciones educativas para realizar actividades de investigación y desarrollo por lo que el proyecto Aula Pyahu destinó parte de sus recursos a un programa incentivo a la investigación y la creación de una revista académica específica para atender temáticas sobre formación docente. Para el estudio de este caso, se tuvieron en cuenta fuentes secundarias, tales como los registros e informes del proyecto, así como fuentes primarias, incluyendo cuestionarios y entrevistas a actores participantes del proyecto. Los resultados destacan que el proyecto Aula Pyahu ha logrado consolidar una red de investigación robusta para la formación docente en Paraguay. La continuidad de estas acciones, la formalización de la "Red Aula Pyahu para la Formación Docente en Paraguay" y la búsqueda de nuevas fuentes de financiamiento prometen fortalecer aún más esta iniciativa y contribuir al avance del conocimiento en el campo de la formación docente.
This paper addresses the concept of informational transition, which here refers to changes in information‐sharing practices that are traditionally based on co‐location in the office but became abruptly disrupted due to the COVID‐19 lockdowns. It presents findings from a qualitative, 2‐year longitudinal interview study involving 13 university employees. The results indicate that socio‐material changes created a liminal space during the lockdowns that necessitated new ways to share information. The transition was initially driven by pragmatic, tactical, and existential tensions, resulting in liminal solutions during the lockdowns. These tensions primarily stemmed from the inadequacy of digital alternatives to fully replicate in‐person interactions in the office. Once the offices reopened, the tensions shifted toward reevaluating the effectiveness of practices used before the lockdowns. After the lockdowns, information‐sharing practices were adapted to incorporate new elements while downplaying some previous practices. Furthermore, the findings suggest that such informational transitions in information practices also have broader implications for work practices in general.
This article aims to identify information sharing channels to verify the information use panorama and to assist in the development of information literacy in the justice system. The research is qualitative and consisted of a multiple case study in institutions of the justice system. Data collection techniques consisted of mental maps and semi-structured interviews and data analysis used was the Collective Subject Discourse Analysis and construction of mental maps. The results obtained with the mental maps pointed to the internet as the main source of information and the information obtained through people being also valued, as well as that obtained from official sources. The Collective Subject Discourse Analysis indicated official sources and people as the main sources of information. The results point to an informational panorama based predominantly on digital formats and the to the need to improve or expand sharing channels for the dissemination of knowledge in the justice system. Thus, sharing channels are essential for developing information literacy in a context of information overload, the impacts of new technologies and social changes.
Creative pedagogy is not well defined and has not yet received much attention in the field of library and information science. This research employed constructivist grounded theory, through semi-structured interviews conducted with library information literacy instructors, to better understand the role of creative pedagogy in information literacy. The aim of the research was to synthesize findings into a theory to better understand how and to what extent creative pedagogy is being applied in the teaching of information literacy. The findings show that although they do not necessarily use the language of creativity, many library instructors are integrating elements of creative pedagogy into their teaching. Perceived challenges, such as being a guide or guest in someone else’s classroom and in connecting with students around information, as well as opportunities in both the physical and virtual classroom spaces, seem to require a shift in the way information literacy engagement takes place. Library instructors recognize the need for these shifts but many struggle to implement an alternative approach in the information classroom. At the same time, library instructors face several barriers, including a lack of preparation for their teaching role and the limitations of the one-shot instruction session.
Information literacy instruction is a critical component of modern education, empowering learners with the skills to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively. In the increasingly diverse educational landscape, it has become essential to tailor instructional methods to meet the varying needs of learners from different backgrounds, abilities, and learning styles. This study explores the various information literacy instruction methods designed for diverse learners, examining their effectiveness, strengths, weaknesses, and current trends. The research highlights the growing demand for inclusive educational approaches that cater to linguistic, cultural, and neurodiverse groups. This paper also addresses the necessity of adapting library instruction methods to meet the needs of 21st-century learners in a rapidly evolving information environment.
L’article explore la métaphore du Chat botté pour décrire les agents conversationnels animés par l’intelligence artificielle, en particulier les chatbots comme ChatGPT d’OpenAI. Ces outils utilisent le langage naturel pour simuler des conversations humaines et peuvent s’avérer pertinents dans les bibliothèques universitaires pour des tâches comme la création de métadonnées et le service de référence, ainsi que l’offre de formations. L’étude aborde une approche d’apprentissage interactif par interactivité avec ces technologies, mettant en évidence à la fois leur potentiel et leurs limites, notamment leur tendance à générer des « hallucinations » informatives sans fondement dans la réalité. Les compétences requises pour intégrer efficacement ces outils dans les pratiques professionnelles des bibliothécaires en milieu universitaire sont discutées, tout comme l’importance de comprendre et de maîtriser les requêtes (« prompts » en anglais) pour obtenir des réponses utiles et précises.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, nonbinary and genderfluid adults did information work to discover their gender identities as they explored information on social media, online, and in person. Due to cisnormative restrictions, this information was necessary to identify and validate their gender identity as authentic. During the pandemic, more nonbinary people were able to self-recognize their own gender because there was more time for reflection and more access to nonbinary narratives online, including representations of nonbinary life that defied White, thin, androgynous ideals. By analyzing interviews with 22 U.S. adults who came out as nonbinary during the pandemic, this qualitative study contributes to both the sociological study of nonbinary identity development and to the information science literature on deeply meaningful and profoundly personal information work. This study also contributes to further understanding of why it seems like more nonbinary and genderfluid people “came out” during the height of the pandemic.
The literacy ability of the Indonesian nation is still not in line with expectations. One solution to the problem is to integrate literacy in learning, especially presentation learning. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to describe the integration of literacy in the presentation of learning to students in universities. The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative method. The form of integrating literacy in presentation learning is by using an eclectic type of literacy (early literacy, basic literacy, library literacy, media literacy, technology literacy, or visual literacy) according to the needs at each stage of speaking, either at (1) pre-speaking stage, (2) speaking stage, and (3) post-speaking stage. Implementation of learning is done cooperatively student and stdent, collaboratively between student, lecturer, and instructor and interaction between student, lecturer, instructor, and learning materials. Thus, this strategy is expected to build a multiliterat and multicompetence students.
Describing the structure of library and information services for rural dwellers is the focus of this chapter. As various countries have varying criteria for determining a rural area, emphasis will be given more on the Nigerian context which, however, may have certain resemblance with the situation in some developing countries around the world. A typical rural area in Nigeria is characterised by low population, small hamlets and villages, and dominantly depend on agriculture for livelihood. Rural areas are located outside towns and cities. Presently in Nigeria, infrastructural and socioeconomic situations in rural areas is such that keep rural masses trapped in social exclusion, political negligence and development backwardness. Rural people are largely underprivileged in access to quality health care, good pipe born water, electricity, good road and other amenities. Even in today's society where information is indispensable in everyday life, people living in rural areas are not having effective access to various information they need in other to lead meaningful life. This has been a recurring situation in rural areas and consequently foster the need for information services in rural areas.
Audiovisual translation (AVT), broadly understood as a synonym for media content localization, and not only as a particular practice of linguistic transfer, is undergoing a revolution that was unthinkable only a few years ago – even in those territories where viewers are less accustomed to localized content. Digitalization and technological changes, which have had such an impact on the way audiovisual texts – whether original, localized, or adapted – are produced, distributed, edited, consumed, and shared have also had a substantial impact on the AVT profession. This article explores the ways in which technology has been evolving as an aid to translators: from being merely a clerical aid for transcribing digital texts to automating tasks and integrating machine translation into human translation processes. This it does by providing a range of tools to assist translators in their work processes, progressively migrating both tools and processes to cloud-based environments. The focus is then on AVT, and more particularly on dubbing, where digitalization has shaped the consumer market and posed several challenges to language technology developments and AVT professional practices. Academia has also paid attention to such developments and has increasingly dealt with a number of matters affecting both practice and training to cater to the needs of current media markets. A final word is devoted to proposing a literacy-based framework for the training of translators that embraces technology so as to incorporate automation as an additional aid and which redefines the audiovisual translator’s workstation.
We often find ourselves overloaded with information. In this research, we build upon extant theory on information literacy, rich media, and information seeking in the context of students’ fitness and physical exercise. This is important as the students’ practices of fitness and physical exercise can lead to desirable outcomes such as health, or negative outcomes such as injury. With a qualitative approach we address “how students seek information in the context of fitness and physical exercise”. Grounded upon eight interviews and in-situ observations at a Nordic University, our preliminary findings point out that even if students exhibit elevated levels of literacy in academic issues, they seek and evaluate the information pertaining to their fitness and physical exercise in a quite different way from their academic issues. As expected, students prefer rich media information in digital format, but it is striking how every student consumes information in a highly customized unique way.
Demands for an evidence-based healthcare increase and today all medical decisions are to be based on scientific results. The evidence-based healthcare means that hospital librarians have a stronger role as mediators of scientific information. The evidence-based movement implies a positivistic epistemological view that influences the information literacy practices. This study focuses how the information literacy practices of hospital librarians in Sweden are constructed and enacted in relation to different epistemological perspectives in healthcare. The analysis is structured around three identified practices of hospital librarians where information work is performed: the clinical practices, the information seeking practices and the health technology assessment (HTA)-practice. In these practices, different epistemological perspectives are present, which affects the information literacy practices of hospital librarians. There is a movement from the holistic knowledge connected to the clinical practices, via specialized knowledge and generic instructions in the information seeking practices, to the most specialized knowledge and positivistic perspective in the HTA-practice.
The purpose is to present ethical challenges of information literacy and introduce the concept of ethical information literacy as an ethical experience. We ask the question: Which ethical components are decisive for ethical information literacy based on information experience? We apply content analyses of selected models of information literacy and information experience and results of a Delphi study on information ethics based on a consensus of 19 Slovak and Czech experts (a survey) and 6 experts (an online discussion.) Results are visualized in conceptual models of ethical issues of digital information. The final model of ethical information literacy experience represents ethical factors of ethical sensitivity, moral imagination, social and intercultural contexts and rules, tensions between people and technologies, values of truth and utility. We recommend inclusion of the ethical components into new models of ethical information literacy experience and apply them in further research and design of value-sensitive digital services.
This paper examines information technology and information literacy of employees as one of the more essential prerequisites for creating smart hospitals, which are, on the other hand, a prerequisite for sustainable financial operations. Since nursing is the backbone of every hospital, research is focused on the nursing profession. Namely, if medical personnel do not know the basics of information and communication technology (ICT) and are incapable of recognizing, finding and structuring information into new knowledge and exchanging it with colleagues, an intelligent hospital is impossible, and the business is worse. For this reason, research was conducted to determine the state of computer and information literacy in the nursing field in hospitals in north-western Croatia. It was carried out in 2021, which determined the ratio of administrative work and health care and examined the level of ICT knowledge of nurses and technicians. Analysing the secondary, higher and higher medical school curriculum determined the current situation and required improvements. The research results showed that computer and information literate staff spend less time on administration; they estimate that there is not enough content on computer literacy in the existing curricula. The hospital's operations will also be efficient because the competencies of the nurses will enable better implementation of business processes and a better financial result for the hospital.
This study investigates how workplace learning is enacted to make a novice Kente (a hand-woven fabric in Ghana) weaver information
literate in the Kente-weaving landscape. Ethnography was used as the research design. Interview and participant observation were
used as the data collection methods. For the interview, semi-structured interview techniques were used to solicit information from
all three levels of weavers (Master, junior and novice weavers) in Bonwire Kente Centre in Ghana. Out of the 62 weavers at the
Bonwire Kente Centre, 24 weavers representing 8 each from each level of weavers were purposively chosen. The findings of this
study show learning is enacted to make a novice Kente weaver information literate of the Kente-weaving craft by the affordance of
guidance provision, conversations, observation and learning by doing. This study contributes to the information literacy literature and
workplace learning that learning and becoming information literate do not relate solely to the cognitive activities of the mind, but also
to the body through the affordance of the workplace.
In this paper, the author explores the prospect of, and the rationale for, the critical workplace information literacy (CWIL) construct, by situating it at the junction of critical information literacy (CIL) and workplace information literacy (WIL), the two hitherto discrete frameworks and subdomains of information literacy (IL). This preliminary attempt at the conceptualisation of a new construct was guided by the question of what role CIL can play in empowering workers to attain decent work. The author frames the conceptualisation around the ‘decent work’ (DW) concept, as a normative goal of the critical workplace information literacy construct, and discusses the rationale for it in the framework of the discussion on the decent work deficits in the contemporary work and information environment. Freire’s critical hermeneutics and dialectics of voice and empowerment are drawn upon. The paper argues positively for the role of CIL in attaining decent work and for the need for a new construct that would help fill the knowledge and discursive gap in IL and its subdomains and overcome the current silos in the IL community. The author concludes that developing a concept requires a broad deliberative process informed by both theoretical and empirical research, and gives suggestions for future research.
Most research on information literacy has emerged from the academic sector and there is a lack of research undertaken in the workplace. To further expand on this area of study, a survey was undertaken to investigate librarians’ understanding of information literacy and the application of information literacy in government libraries in Australia. Of particular interest is that many government librarians either do not include ‘critical thinking’ skills in their definition of information literacy, or if they do include it, they do not believe that they should have the responsibility for teaching it. This most likely reflects the difference in client base, students compared with adult professionals. There was a high response for instruction for online library services (catalogue, journals, databases and library website). This indicates a recognised need for instruction and the development of courses and support materials in these services.
Information literacy is a meta-competency that encapsulates the generic skills of defining, locating and accessing information. It is an essential and integral competency for both the knowledge worker and effective knowledge management. Librarians need to realign their roles from providers and organizers of information, to facilitators and educators of clients’ information access and process. This requires librarians to develop partnerships with workplace communities so as to understand the role that information plays in the knowledge economy; and to develop a new language that is relevant to workplace communities and ties information literacy instruction to the authentic situations of the workplace. Information literacy is a meta-competency: it is the currency of the knowledge economy. The themes introduced in this paper are drawn from the current doctoral research of the author. The research examines what it means to individuals to be information literate in a workplace context, and how information literacy manifests and transfers in to workplace practice.
This article is based on research into the practical problem of masculinity and learning and practising safety in the mining industry. The research began with a post-structural analysis of gendered subjectivity in miners' yarns but argues that a concept of ‘culture’ is needed to elucidate a middle-level relationship between individual workers and the organisation. Concepts of ‘culture’, however, are problematic in this context because they have been used uncritically in organisational literature. The author explores the enactment of a concept of ‘culture’ through an ethnographic study of mine workers. It was found that workplace cultures are characterised by violence and aggression, risk taking, and competitiveness, which impact on learning and practising safety. In emergent understandings of culture in this study the author suggests that ‘culture’ can be reconceptualised in order to involve workers in their own cultural analysis and to articulate the relationship between the complex, collective, and contested nature of contemporary workplaces and the learning that takes place there. Such a cultural analysis enables the possibility of identifying sites of change and ‘culture’ as a concept that can be mobilised as a technology for workers to intervene in their own workplace practices.
Many countries have implemented versions of competency-based training in which competency standards or statements serve to provide standardized learning and skill development outcomes for vocational education and training. It seems that a main attraction that motivated the introduction
of such competency-based systems was the assumption by some that they would be 'failsafe', in that achievement of the learning and skill development outcomes would guarantee that the learner was workplace competent. However there were always convincing conceptual reasons for denying that the
achievement of standards-based learning and skill development outcomes would be equivalent to being workplace competent. This paper aims to explain these reasons, to provide empirical evidence of the scope of the gap between formal standardized training and workplace competence, and to address
the implications of this gap for the improvement of vocational education and training. The assumption that the gap could be avoided overlooks the crucial importance of context and culture in workplace performance. It is argued that sound vocational education and training needs to take account
of these features.
Purpose
– The purpose of this article is to explore the contribution that an information literacy approach to the empirical study of workplace learning can make to how people understand and conceptualise workplace learning.
Design/methodology/approach
– Three cohorts of fire‐fighters working in two regional locations in NSW, Australia were interviewed using a semi‐structured interview approach. Constructivist grounded theory methodology was employed to work with the data; post‐structuralism.
Findings
– Study findings indicate that an understanding of information literacy and information literacy practices contributes to workplace learning by highlighting the relationship between different modalities of information, and the relationship between workplace learning and professional identity. Information literacy is not solely confined to developing skills related to accessing information in textual or digital modalities, but requires access to social and physical sources of information.
Originality/value
– The information literacy approach contributes to a developing understanding of the role of workplace learning by highlighting the process as a catalyst for learning. This process is underpinned by ways of knowing about the types of situated information sources that are valuable for learning about practice and profession.
To date, LIS studies of workplace information practices have primarily focused on occupations that require a university education, and, consequently, little is known about the information practices of blue-collar workers. This study uses a qualitative case study approach to examine the workplace information practices of a blue-collar worker--a vault inspector at a hydroelectric utility company. Using social practice theory as a framework, this article argues that vault inspection is a practice involving situated judgment, embodiment, educated perception, finding and navigating, and classification. This article also asserts that the practice of vault inspection produces documents that act as "boundary objects" that dynamically connect disparate parts of the organization and meet a range of organizational information requirements. This suggests that vault inspection is an "information practice".
This article develops a range of concrete analytic approaches to empirical studies inspired by poststructuralist thinking. The analytic strategies offered provide examples of "putting deconstruction to work" in the context of the analysis of qualitative data. The discourse-destabilizing impacts are shown by examples derived from the author's own research and that of others. Among the analytic strategies, the author discusses the ways in which constructions of discursive categories and storylines can be investigated. And as a means of sharpening the discourse-transgressing lens, the use of troubling and alienating concepts and models of analysis is explored, together with the use of paradoxes and nonconventional renarrations of data. The approaches are not presented as directly transferable techniques. They are meant to work as inspiration for other researchers in their methodological development of analytic tools.
An ontogenetically-informed epistemology is necessary to understandings of apprenticeship learning. The methodology required in this enterprise is a constructive phenomenology, a phenomenology that takes into account the fact that as infants, we were apprentices of our own bodies: we all learned our bodies and learned to move ourselves. The major focus of this essay is on infant social relationships that develop on the ground of our original corporeal-kinetic apprenticeship. It shows how joint attention, imitation, and turn-taking - all richly examined areas in infant social development - are the foundation of apprenticeship learning in later adult life. The relationship between each infant capacity and later apprenticeship learning is demonstrated in examples from present-day research, specifically, research in the areas of medicine, sport, music, and tailoring, and research carried out by philosophers on apprenticeship learning.
Information literacy (IL) is recognised internationally as an essential competence for participation in education, employment and society. Communities and organisations need strategies to ensure their members are efficient and effective information users. An investigation of formal IL strategies in UK universities was initiated to examine their content and presentation. The study breaks new ground in undertaking an in-depth qualitative analysis of 10 institutional cases, evaluating IL practice from a strategic management perspective and discussing how corporate strategy concepts and models could increase effectiveness in this emerging area of professional practice. Its insights and suggestions contribute to the development of IL and related strategies at both conceptual and practical levels. The study found that all the strategies aimed to integrate IL into subject curricula by engaging stakeholders in collaborative partnerships. Common approaches included the adoption of professional standards and development of new methods of delivery, including e-learning. The majority of strategies covered IL of academic and other staff in addition to students. Most strategy documents provided extensive contextualisation, demonstrating the relevance of IL to corporate concerns; many included case studies of good practice. Few documents conformed to strategic planning norms: none provided mission or vision statements and several contained poorly specified objectives. The study concluded that corporate strategy tools, such as stakeholder mapping, portfolio analysis and customisation models, could strengthen IL strategies. Future research could test the use of such analytical techniques to advance IL strategies in higher education and other sectors.
Technology is potentially offering many opportunities to extend and expand distance learning in the higher education sector. Electronic conferencing, in particular, is seen as a technique, which offers opportunities for course delivery and methods of interaction for distant learners. This paper examines the similarities and differences between face-to-face seminars and on-line discussions. Through the concept of affordance it is shown that both benefits and limitations for interaction exist for real and virtual meetings.
This paper discusses workplace participatory practices -- the reciprocal process of engaging in and learning through work. The reciprocity between the affordance of the workplace (its invitational qualities) and individuals' engagement in the workplace is proposed as a means of understanding how learning through work proceeds. How workplaces invite individuals or cohorts of individuals to participate in and learn through work can be understood in terms of how they are afforded opportunities to engage in activities and interactions that are central to the values and practices (i.e. continuity) of the work practice. These affordances are shaped by workplace norms, practices and affiliations (e.g. cliques, associations, occupational groupings, employment status) and are often characterised by contestation and inequitable distribution. Access to opportunities for practice, and therefore learning, is directed towards sustaining the work practice and/or the interests of particular individuals and groups. Nevertheless, how individuals engage in and learn from work is also shaped by their agencies, which are a product of their values, subjectivities and identities. These reciprocal processes of participation in workplaces are illuminated through an analysis of the micro-social processes that shape the participatory practices of three workers over a six-month period -- a union worker, a grief counsellor and a school-based information technology consultant. The findings illuminate the bases for participation, performance and learning for each of the three workers. Yes Yes
This is a journal article. It was published in the Australian Library Journal and the definitive version is available at: http://alia.org.au/publishing/alj/ A joint project carried out by Leeds University and Loughborough University, funded by JISC studied the information literacy of non academic staff in higher education. The in-depth, qualitative, study deployed an information audit, interviews and focus groups with eleven staff in the Finance and Research Departments at Loughborough University. The information literacy needs of staff were compared with the JISC iskills model. The hierarchical and collaborative nature of the workplace meant that people’s experience of information literacy in the workplace was more fragmented than in the academic context. Common labels could be used to describe information literacy in the different contexts but more emphasis was placed on data, internal information and information from other people in the workplace. Time had an impact on information literacy. Social networking skills were recognised as key information literacy skills. The need for staff to know how to organise information and develop information policies was identified.
Information literacy is a natural extension of the concept of literacy in our information society, and information literacy education is the catalyst required to transform the information society of today into the learning society of tomorrow. Across the world, educators in primary, secondary, tertiary and professional education contexts have been developing strategies and policies for designing learning opportunities that will enable learners to take advantage of the information and communication infrastructures available to them. This paper, a reprint (with permission) of Bruce's paper in the proceedings of the UNESCO Information Literacy Meeting of Experts, provides a background discussion of information literacy as a catalyst for educational change.
In response to evident limitations in university students’ use of online information for learning this paper proposes a reflective, holistic approach - with potential for higher education and wider lifelong learning contexts - based on a model that combines principles of reflective practice, action research and Bruce’s Seven faces of information literacy.
The information literacy (IL) research territory has been maturing over the last decade. As Bruce (2000) suggests, this research territory may be described in term of five dimensions: 1) the sectoral location of the research; 2) ways of seeing IL; 3) what is being investigated – the research object; 4) how the object is being investigated – the research approach; and 5) disciplinary influences. She also suggests likely trajectories for future IL research include: Growth beyond the educational sector; Attention to a wider variety of cultural settings; A firmer more consolidated research agenda; Greater collaboration between researchers; An agenda driven by funding priorities.
This paper reviews the development of IL research in Australia from 2000 through to 2005, and considers future directions. It presents a picture of evolving understanding of IL and a diversification of research contexts and approaches. Although educationally focussed projects predominate, increasing research activity is occurring in workplace and community settings. Interest in different cultural settings is also emerging, with investigations being initiated across cultures and into cultural influences.
Sources of information and other opportunities available via the Internet are increasing exponentially. This comes with the steady increase in Internet use for education, marketing and commercial trading, and in government for communication of information to citizens. Using the action research cycle of planning, acting, recording and reflecting, this article introduces a model for an approach to Internet searching and use. The model is a conceptual framework for Internet searching that will help people to overcome the challenges of working within an environment that is subject to continuous change, both in the forms of technology used and in the content that is available through the Internet. Our model encourages the searcher to use action research principles to enlighten their searching, reflecting and learning about new techniques as the tools that they use change around them. Our model should prove valuable to educators, researchers and consultants to inform their own practice as well as for use in the educational environment
Introduction. Organizations seek and use information to understand and enact their worlds. Information constitutes what the organization 'knows' about its environment and its tasks, and thus creates a basis for action. However, the link between information, knowledge, and action is problematic and not well understood.
Method. We consider three case studies that highlight different aspects of the interaction between information and knowledge in organizations. The first case compares information seeking and use in the due diligence processes of a government agency and a venture capital firm. The second case surfaces the epistemic properties of information seeking in the preparation of country studies by the staff of a German bank. The third case recollects the experience of large-scale information sharing among copier technicians of a multinational office products company.
Analysis. These case studies suggest that organizations behave as epistemic communities with distinct epistemic and information cultures that influence how information is sought and utilized, and how beliefs are formed and re-formed.
Conclusion. . To understand information behaviour in organizations is to understand how organizations are simultaneously information-seeking and belief-forming social systems, where information is shaped by epistemic practices as much as beliefs are the outcomes of information seeking and use.
Intended as a main text for general human geography courses at universities and colleges, the book begins by investigating the interaction between geography and behaviour, and the macro-scale approaches to understanding human behaviour in the environment. The section on micro-scale approaches covers environmental information, decision making and environmental perception. Detailed consideration is given to the main behavioural perspectives in human geography, including consumer behaviour, urban living, industrial location, natural hazards, leisure and recreation, stress and pathology, migration and residential mobility, and voting behaviour. The book concludes with a survey of humanistic approaches to the study of behaviour in the environment.-after Authors
Despite some progress over the past decade, library and information professionals still report that universal information literacy is a distant, if not a receding, goal. A study by the Information School of the University of Washington, in cooperation with the Washington State Library, surveyed through mail, email, telephone, and focus groups a majority of librarians in the state concerning their views on information literacy. The results of the study have clear implications for educating these professionals about information literacy and indicate that such education must include at least the following elements: A commitment to the value of a broad definition of information literacy; an acknowledgement that conveying critical and evaluative skills to patrons is an acceptable aspect of information literacy; training these professionals to be able to train others; and educating these professionals in advocacy, public relations, marketing, and coalition building.
This paper reports a longitudinal study of information literacy instruction (ILI) in Canadian academic libraries, focusing on how instruction is organized, delivered, and evaluated. Results of the third national survey (1995, 2000, and 2005) of ILI are detailed. This research is intended to increase understanding of and to improve ILI.Cet article présente une étude longitudinale sur la formation en recherche d’information (FRI) dans les bibliothèques universitaires canadiennes et est axé sur la manière dont la formation est organisée, offerte et évaluée. Les résultats du troisième sondage national (1995, 2000, 2005) de la FRI sont présentés en détail. Cette recherche est destinée à améliorer la compréhension de la FRI dans le but de son amélioration.
Picture the communications future: every home linked via cable TV, push‐button phone, and video cassette to virtually every information retrieval bank in the country; every citizen able to efficiently get an answer to every question, a solution for every problem.This picture is but a slight exaggeration of the current expectation of both communication practitioners and researchers for the not too distant future. To this end, practitioners in broadcasting, journalism, library science, and other “information” dissemination professions are devoting mammoth efforts to designing bigger information retrieval systems capable of handling more information. Communication researchers, it seems, have adopted “information” as their key concept for the 1970s.This special section of the Journal of Broadcasting focuses on some of the harsh realities of this future. The first article by Dervin attempts to present an assessment and perspective on the assumptions that underly the current “information” thrust. The second by Bowes looks specifically at the potentialities and limitations of the new media technology. The final article, a conceptual critique by Stamm, emphasizes some issues which may need to become a focus of communications study if in the future we will be able to do “better” as well as do “more” with the new technology.
This paper reports on the findings of focus groups conducted with first year undergraduate students at the University of Ballarat. The questions developed for the focus groups were designed to gain an insight into how first year undergraduate students perceive both the information resources they require and the skills necessary to access those resources. In summary, the focus groups revealed much about student perceptions of the information skills that they will require, the experiences that form the basis for these and continuing influences that may lead them to change their perceptions.
This article reports on a study we conducted with first-year students in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne in 2003. Building upon our 2002 research (Library Review, 2003, vol 52, n°5 pp209–217), we investigated the prior library instruction, information preferences and skills of students enrolled in first-year subjects in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne. Our article reflects on how this investigation has broadened our understanding of the information literacy (IL) knowledge and prior experience of entry-level students at university. It considers the implications that the results of our study have for ‘teaching librarians’ and attempts to answer questions about how we can better assist students to build upon what they already know.
The Finn Report highlights the need for young people to collect, analyse and organise ideas and information as a key competency within the area of Workplace Language and Communication. This paper redefines the collection, analysis and organisation of ideas and information as a constituent part of the broader concept of information literacy. It is further suggested that information literacy should be identified as a separate key competency which is essential to the development of broad- based skills required for workplace efficiency and the ability to encompass change. The paper describes the competencies required within the field of information literacy as integral to all subject areas and recommends their infusion into the curriculum development process. It is further suggested that the competencies are not exclusive to one educational sector, that they should be developed in a continuum which encompasses the transition from school to work, from school to tertiary education and from tertiary education to work. A recommendation of the paper is that the Mayer Committee pursue the development of an information skills curriculum which would support the continued development of information literacy across all educational sectors.
This study examines if public libraries in a province in South Africa are ready to assume an enhanced responsibility for information literacy education, specifically that of students, and, if so, what inhibiting and facilitating factors might exist. The public libraries in the rural province of Mpumalanga provide the case site. "Readiness", at one level, refers to physical capacity and, on a second level, to more subjective attributes such as staff attitudes and beliefs. The paper reports on the first phase of the study - in which both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered by means of a questionnaire/interview survey of 57 public librarians in 46 sites. The study finds that Mpumalanga public libraries are indeed heavily engaged in serving school learners. Shortcomings in certain physical facilities, such as the lack of space and absence of retrieval tools, are inhibiting factors with the heritage of apartheid still impacting on the availability of and quality of service. The low level of professional education of public library staff is found to impede innovation in library program ming. The prevailing information literacy education model largely comprises one-to-one support, although there is a fair amount of source-based group library orientation. Moving towards information literacy education will depend on a shift in conceptions of the educational role of public libraries. In the absence of recognition of their curricular role by public library authorities and educators, many public librarians are not sure that their services to school learners are legitimate. There is, however, dawning recognition that present approaches are not meeting the needs of school learners and that more effective communication with educators is required. This recognition comes from public librarians' frustrating encounters with learners rather than from insight into information literacy education theory and experience. The fundamental conclusion is that sustainable information literacy education in public libraries will depend on more dynamic leadership and on a vision of a new model of public library.
This article examines the highly specific problems of roof support in coal mines to construct a theoretical framework that describes how texts represent information that is embodied, sensory, and uncertain. As this analysis suggests, workers in risky environments may follow instructions and still fail as situations change. Engineering and management approaches also may fail unless they reflect the kinds of embodied sensory information decision makers need to assess risk in local contexts. This analysis then raises ethical questions about (a) textbook notions of instructions as systematic procedures designed to produce predictable outcomes, (b) limits of particular types of information as signs or indexes of risk, (c) the role of generalized knowledge in uncertain environments, (d) the role of texts in representing knowledge that is sensory and uncertain, and (e) the locus of responsibility for safety if knowledge exists outside of written texts.
This article contributes to discourse-oriented, information-seeking research by showing how discourses, from a neopragmatist perspective, can be explored as tools that people employ when they actively engage in information practices in varied social contexts. A study of nurses and the nursing profession in Sweden is used as an empirical example of such a context, which is in the article understood as a community of justification. The nurses' accounts of information practices are further analyzed as expressions of their use of discourses as tools in the promotion of specific interests as to what the nursing profession should be. The analysis shows how the science-oriented medical discourse and the holistically oriented nursing discourse are two tools employed in the nurses' accounts of their information practices. In these discourses, which operate at both a workplace and an occupational level, a key component is what nurses consider to be relevant information.
Information literacy is being increasingly recognised as an important educational outcome for university graduates. How it is experienced, however, has only recently become the subject of scrutiny. The study reported here examines varying conceptions of information literacy amongst a group of lecturers, librarians, staff developers and learning counsellors. A phenomenographic approach was used to discover their conceptions. Data were gathered from participants, both male and female, through interviews, e‐mail discussions and workshops. As an outcome of the analysis, seven categories, or “faces” of information literacy were discovered. These categories depict information literacy as it is conceived or experienced. They provide target conceptions for the educational process which differ from the more conventional competencies or skill‐based objectives.
Public libraries have long played an active role in creating literate communities, and we must now take steps to create information literate communities. Librarians and library stakeholders can use reliable advocacy techniques to strengthen information literacy in their own communities.
The purposes of the study were to explore the role of Canada's public libraries in developing the public's information literacy (IL) skills, to explore current IL train-ing practices, and to explore the perspectives and IL experiences of individuals who visit public libraries to access the Internet. This article documents the second phase of a larger study, which included semistructured interviews of library staff () and customers () as well as site observations conducted at five n p 28 n p 25 public libraries. Analyses were conducted qualitatively within a phenomenological framework. Results show that the primary use of the Internet in public libraries is communication. Customers reported confidence in using the Internet, while library staff indicated that customers' IL skills were poor. Greater attention needs to be paid to connecting to customers who believe they are highly information literate yet may lack sufficient skills.
Information literacy is about people's information practices in their information and communication technology (ICT) environment. Increasing access to ICTs to bridge the digital divide has implications for the information literacy needs of people in developing communities. The research described in this paper investigated development workers' perceptions of information literacy needs amongst local staff participating in community development projects in cross-cultural situations. A phenomenographic approach was used to elicit five hierarchically related, qualitatively different understandings of information literacy needs within the development context. The results reveal possible directions for those involved in bringing ICTs into workplace settings within developing communities. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
This chapter introduces and draws upon the other papers in this volume to address the issue of how task performance is achieved in workplace settings and the extent to which the knowledge needed for task performance is generic (that is, transcends workplace settings). Specific questions involving the mutual interaction of task performance, knowledge use, and people and artifacts are raised. The questions are then explored from a variety of theoretical frameworks, including cultural historical activity theory, cognitive theory, and socio-cultural and socio-linguistic theories.
Three problems in relation to Luciano Floridi’s work on the Philosophy of Information (PI) and the relationship of PI to Library and Information Science (LIS) are considered: the claim that LIS is a materials-based discipline, Floridi’s claim about Information as a message transfer system, and his downgrading of Social Epistemology to be a subset of PI. The recent history of LIS and the practice of professional library work are examined for evidence of the basis for making claims about LIS. A view of information based on individual interpretations is preferred to Floridi’s account, which is found to be too innocent of LIS practice to be accepted without revision, as is his view of LIS as an applied PI. published or submitted for publication
This chapter focuses on an apparent information literacy imbalance between many university students’ well developed digital skills and less developed critical awareness. The adverse effect of this imbalance on their learning may be intensified by students’ differing cultural, linguistic and educational experiences. In addressing this imbalance we propose an information literacy approach, underpinned by a series of conceptual models, which fosters the reflective use of information for learning in a dynamic and culturally diverse higher education context. The models presented in this chapter combine principles of reflective practice, action research and information literacy in a framework that provides a sound theoretical base for fostering a critical approach to information use for learning. They are intended to be used both with and by learners and they have an inclusive orientation that accommodates cultural, linguistic and educational differences. Information literacy educators may find them useful as a basis for analysing learners’ needs and for designing and implementing evidence-based information literacy responses. Learners may use the models to scaffold their ongoing information literacy development or to monitor their research progress.