2. Information fluency
Visual fluency
Numeracy / statistical fluency
Media fluency
…
Why fluencies?
◦ new trends in scholarship?
◦ new concept?
◦ how this affects libraries?
April 11, 2008 2
3. Information growth and dissemination
Net Generation
Literacy vs. fluency
The role of academic libraries
April 11, 2008 3
5. Then script came along
and the Library
and the Library was Good
April 11, 2008 5
6. April 11, 2008 6
Traditional literacy is the ability to read and to write.
user text library
7. 1445 – Printing press
1876 – Telephone
1895 – Radio
1895 – Cinematograph
1927 – Television
1976 – Personal computer
1991 – Internet
2004 – Web 2.0
April 11, 2008 7
8. Almost 800 MB of recorded information is
produced per person each year
New stored information grew about 30% a year
between 1999 and 2002
92% of new information is stored on magnetic
media, primarily hard disks. Film represents 7%
of the total, paper documents of all kinds
comprise only 0.01% of the total.
How much information?, Research project (2003), SIMS,
University of California, Berkeley
April 11, 2008 8
9. Total number of active periodicals around the
world doubles every twenty years
Total number of book titles published in the US
doubles every twenty five years
STM journals publish approximately 1,2 million
peer-reviewed articles every year
Regazzi, J. (2004). The Shifting Sands of Open Access Publishing: a
Publisher’s View, Serials Review, 30 (4), 275-280;
Mabe, M. (2003). The Growth and Number of Journals, Serials
16(2), 191-197.
April 11, 2008 9
10. “It is clear that we are all drowning in a sea of
information. The challenge is to learn to swim
in that sea, rather than drown in it.”
How much information?, Research project (2000), SIMS,
University of California, Berkeley
April 11, 2008 10
12. Tapscott, D. (1998). Growing up digital : The
rise of the net generation. New York ;
London: McGraw-Hill.
Frand, J. L. (2000). The information-age
mindset: Changes in students and
implications for higher education. EDUCAUSE
Review, 35(5), 15-24.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital
Immigrants, On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6.
April 11, 2008 12
13. Before students leave college
◦ 10,000 hours playing videogames
◦ 200,000 emails and instant messages sent and
received
◦ 10,000 hours talking on cell phones
◦ 20,000 hours watching TV
◦ 5,000 hours reading books
Prensky, M. (2001). Do They really think differently?,
On the Horizon, 9(6), 1-9.
April 11, 2008 13
14. ◦ They no longer perceive knowledge as a practical
goal
◦ They consider results and action more important
than collection and analysis of facts
◦ To solve a problem, they use trial-and-error
approach
◦ They are more active, more curious, and self-reliant
◦ They are cut-and-paste generation
Tapscott, D. (1998), Frand, J. (2000), Prensky, M. (2001)
April 11, 2008 14
15. Centre for Information Behaviour and the
Evaluation of Research (CIBER), University
College London. (2008)
College students' perceptions of libraries and
information resources : A report to the OCLC
membership. Dublin, Ohio: OCLC Online
Computer Library Center. (2006)
April 11, 2008 15
16. Assumptions Reality
They are more confident with
technology
True: but only 6-12% of students
are interested in Web 2.0
They prefer interactive systems True
They prefer digital and visual
forms of communications
Not proved
They do not tolerate information
delay
Myth
They are cut-and-paste generation True: students’ creativity is limited
They prefer quick information in
form of digested chunk, rather
than full text
Myth: students equally trust all
information sources
They are expert searchers Myth: students rely on online
information, but they prefer
horizontal information seeking
April 11, 2008 16
17. Basic skills Advanced skills
recognition of referents analysis
recognition of patterns evaluation
associating definitions - matching
of meaning to patterns
grouping, filtering
induction, deduction
synthesis
abstracting
April 11, 2008 17
Potter, W. J. (2004). Theory of media literacy : A cognitive approach.
Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications.
19. American Library Association. Presidential
Committee on Information Literacy. Final
Report (Chicago: American Library
Association, 1989.)
◦ Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring
individuals to recognize when information is
needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and
use effectively the needed information
April 11, 2008 19
20. Bradley University (IL) Strategic plan (1990)
◦ Information fluency is an important component of
educational process that might shape both its own
future and the future of the institution
Associated Colleges of the South (1999)
◦ Information fluency project
April 11, 2008 20
22. Daniel Callison, professor and Executive
Associate Dean at Indiana University School of
Library and Information Science (2003)
◦ ability to evaluate information and its sources
critically
◦ ability to employ critical thinking to derive evidence
from information
◦ ability to use information to accomplish specific
purpose
◦ ability to use modern computer technologies to
select, analyze, and infer conclusion from
information
April 11, 2008 22
23. Hannelore Rader, a Dean of University
Libraries at the University of Louisville (2004)
◦ Information fluency is the ability to navigate
information structures and to evaluate information
retrieved through these information structures
◦ Information fluency includes
library literacy
media literacy
computer literacy
Internet literacy
research literacy
critical thinking skills
April 11, 2008 23
24. Nandita Mani, Shiffman Medical Library at
Wayne State University in Detroit (2004)
◦ “Fluency” is more positive term than “literacy”
◦ Fluency is the concept that underlines that the
learning process is ongoing and does not come to a
complete finish at any given time
◦ Fluency does not require any type of measurement
◦ Levels of fluency could be different for any
particular individual
April 11, 2008 24
26. Numeracy / statistical literacy / data literacy/
quantitative literacy
◦ an aggregate of skills, knowledge, beliefs
◦ habits of mind
◦ communication capabilities
◦ problem solving skills that people need in order to
engage effectively in quantitative situations arising
in life and work
Statistical literacy: www.statlit.org
April 11, 2008 26
27. International Visual Literacy Association was
established in Rochester, New York (1969)
Susan Metros, professor of design technology
at the Ohio State University and Kristina
Woolsey, scientist at Apple computer
◦ digital technologies broke the barriers between text
and picture
◦ visual literacy includes the ability to understand,
interpret, and produce images and visual messages
April 11, 2008 27
28. Experience teaching visual literacy seminar
(Susan Metros, Kristina Woolsey, 2006)
◦ Students lack the ability to express themselves
visually
◦ They can create chart, but they can’t explain why
one chart better than another
◦ They can view images, but they can’t make them
April 11, 2008 28
29. Digital technologies changed information
landscape (quantity and nature)
Text no longer dominates in communication;
numerical data, visual images, sounds are
also important
Fluency is an emerging concept
Fluency is associated with analysis, creativity,
critical thinking
Fluency is difficult to assess
Fluency comes with life-learning experiences
April 11, 2008 29
30. Basic skills Advanced skills
recognition of referents analysis
recognition of patterns evaluation
associating definitions - matching
of meaning to patterns
grouping,
filtering
induction, deduction
synthesis
abstracting
April 11, 2008 30
Potter, W. J. (2004). Theory of media literacy : A cognitive approach.
Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications.
32. Library as a space
Library as teaching and learning centre
Models for library instructions
April 11, 2008 32
33. Making library a place where scholars and
students can socialize and discuss research
Providing space for public lectures, meetings,
conferences for all University Departments
Encouraging collaboration between different
University Departments and disciplines
Creating interdisciplinary learning space
Creating virtual space
April 11, 2008 33
34. ◦ Issues
Many faculty assume that students develop
information skills by doing their assignments
Timing
Faculty are not involved in designing IL
assignments
IL assignments are not graded
April 11, 2008 34
35. Examples
◦ University of Alberta, 8 week IL courses
◦ McMaster University aims to launch the Honours
Integrated Science program (iSci) in 2009
April 11, 2008 35
36. ◦ Challenges
Requires collaboration between librarians, faculty
and administration
Requires tremendous resources, including human
resources
New Mexico State University
Vaidhyanathan, Siva (2006). Afterword: Critical Information Studies.
Cultural Studies, 20(2-3), 292-315.
April 11, 2008 36
37. Focus on learning outcomes
Focus on development of advanced skills
Help students to analyze
Help students to think critically
Help students to create knowledge
April 11, 2008 37
38. Library
◦ 21st Century Fluencies
Annotated bibliography
◦ Information fluency
Bibliography on information fluency
◦ Media literacy
Selected bibliography on media literacy
◦ Numeracy
Bibliography on numeracy/statistical literacy
◦ Visual literacy
Selected bibliography on visual literacy
April 11, 2008 38
39. What skills students need in the 21st century?
What model for library instruction is the best?
Fluency or literacy: is terminology important?
April 11, 2008 39
