Information Literacy- Week 3 Post

To begin my information literacy quest, I selected Edward K. Owusu-Ansah’s article “Debating definitions of information literacy: enough is enough!” The article was published in Library Review Vol. 54, No. 6 in 2005, and I selected it because I figured it would give me an idea of the multiple definitions of information literacy (and, perhaps, a solid definition, since he claimed that there had been enough debate over the issue).

Owusu-Ansah argued that there is no real conflict between the various definitions of information literacy: rather, they all provide different steps or processes in order for people to achieve information literacy. (At this point, though, he has yet to forward a definition of his own—the simplest he provides was from Stephen Foster, who “equate[s] information literacy with knowing how to use libraries.") In order to illustrate his point that all of the definitions say basically the same thing, Owusu-Ansah spends much of the article presenting a timeline of proposed definitions. Here is a compressed version—feel free to skim; it’s still pretty long:

1974: Paul Zurkowski says that individuals who are information literate are “people trained in the application of information resources to their work.”
1989: ALA defines information literacy as a set of abilities. (Quoting Owusu-Ansah) “[these abilities are] recognizing an information need and locating, evaluating, and using the needed information effectively.”
1990: Michael Eisenberg and Robert Berkowitz introduce big six skills approach. The skills (quoting Owusu-Ansah) are “task definition, information-seeking strategies, location and access, use of information, synthesis, and evaluation.”
1992: Christina S. Doyle expands upon ALA’s definition, giving ten steps on can follow in ALA’s set of three abilities. (I’m not going to list all steps, but you can find them in full in the article).
1993: Carol Kuhlthau interprets information literacy as (quoting Owusu-Ansah) “a way of learning, not a discrete set of skills.” Like her colleagues in the field, Kuhlthau also felt the need to separate her definition into steps, in this case, the six stages of the learning process. (Again, look to the article for the list)
1997: Christine Bruce looks at information literacy as the thinking process that occurs when encountering information. She contributed a list of “seven experiences” representing this process. (See the article)
2000: The ACRL takes numbered lists to a new level, combining all of the previously mentioned steps to a list of five standards, 22 performance indicators, and 87 outcomes.
Thus ends the timeline (Phew!)

Owusu-Ansah basically argues that none of the various other definitions and lists put forth go beyond what the ALA proposed in 1989. He says that all argue that there’s a “deficiency among information seekers and users” that the library has the opportunity to reduce. Not to be left out of the list game, Owusu-Ansah puts forth 15 traits of the information literate, which deal with abilities to identify and determine information needs, strategies for finding information, and understanding issues that go along with gathering information (such as intellectual property). Though Owusu-Ansah says the library is not the only institution responsible and able to teach these traits, it can help the increase of information literacy.

* * *

Armed with the definitions and steps I learned from Owusu-Ansah’s article, I moved onto “Information Literacy and the Public Library,” an article by Jane Harding published in 2008 in Vol 21, No. 4 of Australasian Public Libraries and Information Services. Out of the three articles I read, I found this one to be the most useful and interesting. After quoting the definition of information literacy she was using, “…to be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” (from the 1989 ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: final report), she went on to give reasons public libraries were well suited for increasing information literacy and challenges that the libraries would have to overcome.

Here’s a list of some of the strengths: Public libraries are recognized as a place of learning, librarians are information literacy experts, public libraries reach a broad client base, public libraries are an access point (for information and technology resources), reference interviews provide teaching moments.

Here are three of the challenges public libraries face: some librarians resist taking on the new role of teacher, public libraries are limited to helping those who use them, public libraries have limited resources.

Harding concludes by saying that public libraries generally do a good job overcoming (or succeeding despite) the challenges and are playing an important role in the development of information literacy. The lists of strengths and challenges will be useful to keep in mind in my future career when I attempt to increase information literacy.

* * *

The final article I surveyed, entitled “Information literacy: The changing library,” was written by Cushla Kapitzke and published in 2001 in Volume 44, Number 5 of Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. Out of all of the articles, I found this to be the least useful, perhaps due to that fact that it is a decade old.

In it, Kapitzke argues that many libraries are being used as “cybraries” (meaning that patrons use their electronic resources without entering the library). Because of this “cybrary” (I don’t know about you all, but that word just makes my skin crawl) trend, users are not having face-to-face interaction with a librarian and are expected to have technical competence, which not all have. Kapitzke says that information literacy—which according to her “consists of a hierarchy of information problem-solving skills"—needs to be developed so that users can find success not only in these “cybraries” (shudder), but in their social practices as well. Though I don’t completely understand how she invisions these skills helping social practices, I suppose the same skills needed to use and understand information could be used to pick up and understand social cues.

That’s the end of my SI 643 novel (sorry it was so long). Here’s hoping the world becomes information literate and Owusu-Ansah, Harding, and Kapitzke live happily ever after.