LOEX of the West 2012: Occupy Their Minds!
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The document is a slideshow presentation on information literacy (IL) and the politics of IL. It discusses how while IL efforts have made achievements over 35+ years, populations still lack IL skills and critical thinking abilities. It notes a lack of widespread IL testing, required IL courses, and library school courses on IL. The presentation calls for greater support and valuation of IL from administrators, embedding IL into curricula, and librarians taking action through advocacy and research to further IL goals.
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LOEX of the West 2012: Occupy Their Minds!
- 1. Their Minds! The Politics of Information Literacy Esther Grassian estherg@ucla.edu 6 Jun 2012 Day 89 - Occupy my mind, by Chris Barber, March 22, 2012 http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisbarber/6881179702/ CC: Attribution 6/9/2012 1
- 2. "Occupy Milwaukee" by wisaflcio, October 15, 2011 http://www.flickr.com/photos/wisaflcio/6253847857/ CC: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 6/9/2012 2
- 3. "Chicago: Don't Suppress the Occupy Movement" by World Can't Wait, February 29, 2012 http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldcantwait/6942786821/ CC: Attribution 6/9/2012 3
- 4. "Day 50 Occupy Wall Street November 5 2011 Shankbone 5" by david_shankbone, November 5, 2011 http://www.flickr.com/photos/shankbone/6316610588/ CC: Attribution 6/9/2012 4
- 5. "occupy" by Ian Muttoo, November 18, 2011 http://www.flickr.com/photos/imuttoo/6527271003/ CC: Attribution-NonCommerical-ShareAlike "Occupy movement gathering at St. Paul's.. 19.11.2011" by wheelzwheeler, November 19, 2011 http://www.flickr.com/photos/wheelzwheeler/6451690877/ CC: Attribution-NonCommerical-ShareAlike 6/9/2012 5
- 6. "Occupy Milwaukee" by wisaflcio, October 15, 2011 http://www.flickr.com/photos/wisaflcio/6253842053/ CC: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 6/9/2012 6
- 7. "Occupy Wall Street Dogs Animals Chihuahua Pets 2011" by david_shankbone, October 16, 2011 http://www.flickr.com/photos/shankbone/6251296811/ CC: Attribution 6/9/2012 7
- 8. Many IL Achievements BUT... 6/9/2012 8
- 9. Academically Adrift (2011) “Adrift,” by bigcityal, February 19, 2010 http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_sir/4371628648/ 6/9/2012 9 CC: Attribution
- 10. Recent IL-Related Studies • Rochester University Study (2007) • ERIAL Study (2008+) • Project Information Literacy (2008+) • Citation Project (2010+) 6/9/2012 10
- 11. How are they doing? Not well... “Quite Please” by Plashing Vote, December 13, 2010 http://www.flickr.com/photos/plashingvole/5257163431/ “We will always have addition” by Stephen Nakatani, August 22, 2010 CC: Attribution-NonCommerical-ShareAlike http://www.flickr.com/photos/snakphotography/4922435446/ CC: Attribution 6/9/2012 11
- 12. Critical Thinking Needed! • Cholera in Haiti beginning in 2010?! Why? • Devotion Vodka – good for you? • It’s an Election Year, too! 6/9/2012 12
- 13. 6/9/2012 13
- 14. [See text for all slides in Notes area, using “Normal View”] 6/9/2012 14
- 15. NMJ = Not My Job... “not_my_job” by bertrandom.test3, January 11, 2011 http://www.flickr.com/photos/51368082@N06/5347095513/ CC: Attribution-NonCommercial 6/9/2012 15
- 16. [See text for all slides in Notes area, using “Normal View”] 6/9/2012 16
- 17. • [See text for all slides in Notes area, using “Normal View”] 6/9/2012 17
- 18. • [See text for all slides in Notes area, using “Normal View”] 6/9/2012 18
- 19. My Informal Survey • 376 Respondents • 81% Academic Librarians • 16% School Librarians • Very few public & special librarians • 95% in Librarian Positions with MLS/MLIS 6/9/2012 19
- 20. What did they say? • 97%: ILI Essential! • 86%: No Entry OR Exit IL & Critical Thinking Testing • 89%: No Required IL Credit Courses • 23%: Full-Credit IL Course for MLS/MLIS Students – 18%: That Course Is Offered Regularly • 65%: No Prospective Employee IL Checking 6/9/2012 20
- 21. • [See text for all slides in Notes area, using “Normal View”] 6/9/2012 21
- 22. Currently... • 35+ Years & Many IL Achievements • ILI Essential! BUT... – Population Not YET IL – Lack Widespread IL Testing – Few Required IL Courses (Undergrads) – Few Regularly Offered IL Courses (MLS/MLIS) – Lack Widespread Support for IL 6/9/2012 22
- 23. "Howling Wolf" by Prairiekittin, August 2, 2009 http://www.flickr.com/photos/prairiekittin/3780955137/ CC: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 6/9/2012 23
- 24. 1. Administrators & Government Officials VALUE and SUPPORT ILI IL Librarians Advise on Education Issues U.S. State Governors’ IL Proclamations Effective School Library Programs + Teacher-Librarians (MLS/MLIS) 6/9/2012 24
- 25. More... IMLS Grants: Include IL-Related Issues U.S. Research Grants: Required Line Item Librarian (MLS/MLIS) U.S. Secretary (& Department) of Education and Information Literacy! 6/9/2012 25
- 26. 2. Formal & Informal Curricula Include Sequential IL & Critical Thinking Librarians Work Together for Lifelong Sequential IL – Public Libraries => School & Academic Libraries => Special & Public Libraries Critical Thinking & Collaboration with Others Throughout 6/9/2012 26
- 27. 3. Library Schools/iSchools Worldwide Prepare ALL Grad Students for Key IL Roles All Offer REQUIRED IL Course Tenure-Track Faculty + Practitioners Teach It Voluntary Post-MLIS IL Certificate IL Frames Library Schools’/iSchools’ Curricula 6/9/2012 27
- 28. Result? “Synthesis [critical thinking skills]” by Enokson, September 30, 2011 http://www.flickr.com/photos/vblibrary/6198416921/ “Application [critical thinking skills]” by Enokson, September 30, 2011 CC: Attribution http://www.flickr.com/photos/vblibrary/6198417101/ CC: Attribution 6/9/2012 28
- 29. "Revolution of the Mind" by Nekessa, October 7, 2011. http://www.flickr.com/photos/nekessa/6222722152/ CC: Attribution-NonCommercial 6/9/2012 29
- 30. What’s missing? “IMAG0931” by SimonXIX, January 1, 2000 http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonxix/7187240970/ CC: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 6/9/2012 30
- 31. Learners... • Politics of Research Tools • Generic Critical Thinking Questions • Certificates of Completion – Sample on my website: http://goo.gl/lxaKn – Greller – “...24 Sites to Find Certificates, Awards and Coupons” • Mozilla Open Badges Project 6/9/2012 31
- 32. • [See text for all slides in Notes area, using “Normal View”] 6/9/2012 32
- 33. Other Stakeholders... Data Speaks Loudest Need More Evidence! 6/9/2012 33
- 34. • [See text for all slides in Notes area, using “Normal View”] 6/9/2012 34
- 35. Embedded Librarians... “embedded” by Joseph Robertson, August 14, 2005 http://www.flickr.com/photos/josephrobertson/33994861/ CC: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 6/9/2012 35
- 36. ILI Beyond Higher Education School Librarians Public Library Librarians Special Library Librarians 6/9/2012 36
- 37. • [See text for all slides in Notes area, using “Normal View”] 6/9/2012 37
- 38. • [See text for all slides in Notes area, using “Normal View”] 6/9/2012 38
- 39. • [See text for all slides in Notes area, using “Normal View”] 6/9/2012 39
- 40. Library Schools/iSchools • Politics of Priority-Setting for Courses • Sample Library School Instruction Course Syllabus (1993) – ACRL BIS • SOPE (1993) – ACRL IS • Library School Outreach Task Force (2007/2008) – ACRL IS 6/9/2012 40
- 41. • [See text for all slides in Notes area, using “Normal View”] 6/9/2012 41
- 42. Action Plan... • TAKE ACTION! http://goo.gl/wbXpQ • Popular & Scholarly Examples & Data http://goo.gl/b02W9 6/9/2012 42
- 43. Just do 1! Blog Post - Student Testimonial IL Help to a Campus Administrator Free IL Train-the-Trainer Workshop Open IL Workshop - Campus Staff 6/9/2012 43
- 44. More Ideas... Letter to ALA COA & ALISE – IL Course Essential! Join or Start a Group Like LILi Volunteer - Higher Ed Accrediting Body Develop Research Studies: Impact of ILI! 6/9/2012 44
- 45. What did we discuss? • Need More Than Advocacy • IL Efforts & Achievements: 35+ Years • They Still Need ILI! How? 6/9/2012 45
- 46. Be Visible! just... “embedded advertising” by marcella bona, August 16, 2007 http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcella_ bona/2522283640/ CC: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 6/9/2012 46
- 47. “Minds and Signs” by Jagz Mario, November 14, 2011 http://www.flickr.com/photos/siwc/6344303327/ CC: Attribution-ShareAlike 6/9/2012 47
Notas do Editor
- Thank you for the introduction…It’s an honor & a pleasure to be here with you to talk about... occupying minds, constantly and consciously--the politics of information literacy...where we are now, where we could go, & how we can get there...In the abstract for this talk I said that the Occupy Movement was advocacy on steroidsAnd that’s worldwide, including...
- Milwaukee...
- Chicago
- Wall Street...
- London and Toronto...
- I admire the energy and conviction of Occupy protestors.BUT, I’m NOThere to pump you up with steroids or try to get you in Beast Mode...I’m here to urge each of you to go beyond advocacy,..
- ...to be visible, to carry a sign, to talk about, publicize, & showcase not just what information literacy CAN do, but what it HAS DONE for retention rates, for students transitioning from high school to college, or community college to universities, for undergrads, grad students & faculty, for workers, for employers, and for lifelong learning...Why do we need to do this?After all, librarians have worked very hard for over 35 years trying to help people learn how to learn, how to find, evaluate & use information effectively & ethically We certainly deserve recognition for all of those efforts...So, what do we have now that we didn’t have 35 years ago?
- You’re probably well aware of the fact that we have IL Standards in many different countries & for different educational levelsWe have all kinds of help for learners--videos & online tutorials, hundreds of credit courses, even more 1-shots, embedded librarians, Twitter help, research guides—I could go on & on about what we have now for learnersWe also have IL elements in many course learning outcomes &, as Laura Saunders pointed out back in 2008, in accreditation standards in all 6 U.S. higher education accrediting agenciesAND, we have IL organizations, research studies, books, journals, blogs and articles galore, as well as conferences like this oneWe have workshops & institutes to train IL librarians, including an IFLA/UNESCO Information for All Programme or IFAP to train librarians in IL in various countries. Woody Horton, a consultant who’s very active in IFLA & UNESCO, & an NFIL Champion of IL, has also started up an IL World Languages Project to document important IL materials in a huge array of languages This is all great!We should be proud of how far we've come & the richness of our teaching, learning, research and documentation BUT... and it’s big...
- When we look at the learners, we see a bleak landscape...You may have heard of Academically Adrift, a recent research study thatpaints a scary picture of undergraduates at a variety of institutions across the U.S., large & small, well-known and not so well-knownThe researchers say that 37% of students report studying less than 5 hours a week. Many read less than 40 pages a week, write less than 20 pages a semester, and don't seem to care much about learning. This study has even reached the popular press...David Brooks reported recently in the New York Times that "...nearly half the students [in this study] showed no significant gain in critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing skills during their first two years in college.”
- Sadly, IL-related studies tell a similar story...RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU'VE HEARD OF THE ROCHESTER UNIVERSITY STUDY OF STUDENT INFORMATION RESEARCHING BEHAVIOR (2007?)HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE HEARD OF THE ONGOING ERIAL STUDY IN ILLINOIS? (BEGUN IN 2008)HOW ABOUT THE U OF WASHINGTON'S PROJECT INFORMATION LITERACY? (BEGAN IN 2008)THE CITATION PROJECT? A 12-state multi-institutional study of 1st year English Comp college students’ writing and engagement with research resources Their results were first reported in 2010 in a journal article called WRITING FROM SOURCES, WRITING FROM SENTENCESTheir study revealed many serious problems, including students’ inability to distinguish a journal name from an article title or from a publisher’s name , as well as a lack of cited journal articles in the papers they analyzed—less than 25% of items cited were journal articlesAll of these studies aim to find out what students are actually doing in relation to information researching.The researchers used direct observation, videotaping of learner behavior, self-report interviews, focus groups, & analyses of research papers.
- What did they find?These studies found that students don't use library resources effectively, if they even know they exist or can find them online or in a physical library.They don't realize that librarians can help them with information research.They try hard on their own to deal with masses of information, with more pouring forth dailyAnd they struggle just to figure out what they need to know, from deciding how to vote to picking a researchable & appropriate topic for a paperMany copy & paste & MAY even cite, but fail to engage with the materialThey just pick out & may cite individual sentences in publications without grasping the arguments posed They don’t think critically about what they’re using & citingAnd, they don’t get the idea that academic research involves conversation, debate & evidence, as Bechtel pointed out in a highly insightful 1986 article in C&RLWhat’s the result?
- Those students may not be able to tell fact from rumor about world events, like cholera’s sudden appearance in Haiti in 2010 & the continuing epidemic there...They may accept questionable health claims like those reported by the Marin Institute,Here’s one... Devotion Vodka is good for you-- it's protein-infused, has no sugar or glutens, is low calorie & is made in America. And we're not even talking about candidates' election year claims, negative comments, half-truths and complete lies… Now, when you think about it, you may realize that some of the students in these studies are our future leadersIf they just drift along, don't know how to pose critical thinking questions in order to find reliable information & use complex reasoning to solve problems, we're sunk.
- So, Yes, in spite of all of our efforts, these studies tell us that we have not yet succeeded, that the world still needs us; it needs Information Literacy Instruction.Why haven’t we succeeded after all of this time and effort?Many barriers keep us from succeeding even within our own institutions & in the profession...
- RAISE YOUR HAND IF THIS IS THE SITUATION AT YOUR INSTITUTION OR ORGANIZATION...There’s a lack of understanding of what IL isPeople without MLS or MLIS degrees are hired into librarian positions &dismiss IL out of hand or just call it "teaching & learning”There’s a lack of IL in institutionalstrategic plansThere’s minimal library involvement even in those that do include IL There’s a lack of IL programs and curriculum integration that librarians and faculty buy into, collaborate on & supportLet's throw in declining reference and instruction statistics, tooAnd, how about "NMJ"?--The "Not My Job" Syndrome?
- Here's an example… In February, on the ILI list, Barbara Fister said librarians should not be teaching students "how to formulate citations," or "learn about plagiarism." She said writing centers do that, and these are not library functions. I disagree. I think she misses the broader IL picture. When we teach students how to cite, we can also help them understand...3 main reasons to citehow to distinguish among different types of materials so you can cite them correctlyhow and why citation styles differs from one discipline to anotherHOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD SAY THIS FALLS CLEARLY INTO INFORMATION LITERACY?
- What else do some librarians think is not their job? How about helping people learn to identify elements of tables, charts and maps If someone wants help in interpreting a table in Statistical Abstracts, we can help them find guides to doing just that But we can also point out the kinds of critical thinking questions to ask about statistical tables, including... the purpose, the time period covered, and the source of the information listed in the table. For maps, we can point out similarquestions to ask, like when was the map created, by whom, why, what kinds of labels does it use, and so on, These are the kinds of issues that Barber & Harper touch on in their 2010 book, Magnificent Maps: Power, Propaganda and Art. The words "Power" and "Propaganda" in that book title tell you clearly that mapmaking is a political process. The same is true for some statistical tables and charts.
- So, when we teach information literacy skills, we can help learners see that points of view can be expressed in many ways. All of this also offers great opportunities to collaborate w/faculty and many others. When we jump on these opportunities, we also help raise consciousness about the significance of ILI & the value of librarians in helping people gain or improve IL skills
- Ok—back to the studies I mentioned...Those are formal studies, conducted by researchers & widely shared I posted an informal survey, myself, from mid-March to mid-April of this year to gather some data for this talk. HOW MANY OF YOU REMEMBER COMPLETING THAT SURVEY? AND HOW MANY OF YOU ARE ACADEMIC LIBRARIANS?
- There were 376 survey respondents The vast majority, 81% (304), were academic librarians (66% (249) 4-year colleges or universities + 15% (55) community colleges)16% (60) were school librarians, also called Teacher-LibrariansThere were very few public library and special library librarian respondents: 1% (4) public libraries .5% (2) special libraries95% (356) of all respondents were in librarian positions and have MLS/MLIS degrees
- What did they say? 97% (366) said that information literacy instruction is essential for their user populations. As for meeting that need, here are some discouraging results from the survey ,86% (323) say: There is NO entry or exit testing for IL & critical thinking skills at their institutions89% (334) say: There are NO required IL credit courses at their institutionsLess than a quarter [23%]: Said that a separate full-credit IL course was offered to MLS/MLIS students when they received their degreesOnly 18% of total respondents said that course was offered regularly65% (246) say: Their institutions do not check to see if prospective employees have IL & critical thinking skillsBut,105 people offered comments & ideas about how to do this, including suggestions for interview questions & performance tests
- Here are some examples:Give them a question to answer and see if they go right to Google/Wikipedia or prefer databases instead.Ask how they identify reliable resources to keep current in their field“Show a you tube video and ask them if and how they would evaluate the veracity/credibility of the content.”Several people said that employers don’t check for information literacy skills because they don’t know what IL is & haven't been trained in it themselves, an important pointSome were surprised at the idea of information literacy instruction for staffBut staff need ILI tooAs one person said, “At the staff level, there are a number of unverifiable claims that are taken to be true by our employees which also display a basic lack of information skills. The tendency to over-simplify due to an inability to find the complexities in various issues halts our progress as an institution.”Ok—if anyone’s interested, I posted the complete survey results on my personal website, minus respondents’ contact information
- So, as of right now, we can say this... 1. We've been working hard on Info Lit Instruction for many decades. 2. We have much in the way of excellent IL products, knowledge and experience, rapidly expanding worldwide, including in virtual worlds.3. And many librarians believe firmly that ILI is essential for their user populations BUT...1. We don't have an information literate populace yet2. We lack widespread testing of any kind for IL skills, in education & in the workplace3. Few institutions have required IL courses for undergrads4. Few library school/iSchools REGULARLY offer an IL course for MLS/MLIS studentsand, we don't yet have widespread support for IL, including collaboration with faculty & integration into the curriculumPAUSE...What would the world look like if we did, if we were wildly successful?
- I love alternate worlds sci-fi, like the 1953 book, Bring the Jubilee, where the South won the Civil War.AND HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN THE 1998 MOVIE, "SLIDING DOORS”?In this movie, GWYNETH PALTROW LIVES 2 DIFFERENT LIVES, ONE WHERE SHE CATCHES A TRAIN, AND AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT LIFE WHERE SHE MISSES THAT TRAIN. These alternate realities make you think, WHAT IF... So, let's imagine a creative landscape, an alternate IL-savvy WORLD ...In this world...
- Administrators and government officials value an information literate populace; they support ILI in words, deeds, and funds. What does that mean? Administrators & government officials at all levels call on IL librarians as a matter of course to advise on education-related decision-making, including accreditation review for online learning programsAs NFIL has proposed, each & every U.S. state governor posts a proclamation supporting ILAll K-12 schools receiving U.S. federal funding require an effective school library program that includes at least 1 full-time teacher-librarian with an MLS or MLIS degree
- Also on the federal level, IMLS requires all prospective grantees to include IL-related issues in their proposalsAll U.S. federal research grants require a line item in the budget for at least 1 librarian with an MLS/MLIS degree & with IL knowledge and skillsHey, let's go wild & say we now have a U.S. Secretary of Education and Information Literacy!
- Second, we have formal and informal curricula & educational opportunities at all levels, pre-school through senior citizens, that include sequential IL and critical thinking elements in the form of expected learning outcomes, tested or self-tested regularly for mastery.Librarians collaborate with each other in all types of libraries, to help a wide range of user populations achieve those learning outcomes... including staff, faculty, students, and the general public, our community members. In fact, sequential ILI occurs throughout people's lives. It begins with public libraries and very young children, continues through school and academic libraries in K-20. Then it goes back to public and special libraries, helping employers and employees with IL skills, including critical thinking. And again, back to public libraries for adults later in life.Now, imagine that all of this stresses critical thinking & collaboration with others to design, develop, offer, assess & revise ILI
- Third, library schools/iSchools worldwide prepare allof their grad students for key ILI roles, as developers, collaborators and supporters so they can work with others to create and carry out all of this. All offer at least 1 required IL course for MLS/MLIS students..A tenure-track faculty member teaches this course, along with IL practitionersSome offer a voluntary post-MLIS certificate in ILOther forward-thinking library schools/iSchools frame their entire programs around IL
- The result? In this alternate world, natural curiosity & IL skills like critical thinking combine so that everyone poses IL-related questions regularly about search tools and the information they find by using those tools:Who created or posted it?Why?How up to date is it?How complete and accurate is it?And, librarians help them get there!Now, how do we morph into an alternate IL-savvy world, the one I described, or some other iteration of it?
- That's the subject of this talk--to take what we know, build on it, add to it, & create an action plan to make that alternate world a reality, to OCCUPY MINDS, so that everyone WANTS to be information literate & they know that LIBRARIANS can help them achieve that goal. Why do we need to be political and occupy minds in order to accomplish this goal?Students, teachers/faculty, administrators, government officials, and many others, think they are already information-savvy. They feel empowered by the quantity of information they can get now in an instant.What's missing here?
- There's a giant blank space in many minds right where IL skills and librarians belong.It has to do with overconfidence, a natural human trait, underscored by what some people call "data fatigue." Don't give me any more than the millions of results I already get from Google searches.I'm already overwhelmed and I have trouble figuring out which results are reliable and which are not. And doesn't Google list the best results first, anyhow? As Kruger and Dunning pointed out in "Unskilled and unaware of it" (1999), we just don't know what we don't know. Followup studies in 2004, 2005 and 2008 confirm this, all listed in the bibliography for this talk, also on my websiteBut what can we do about it? The answer? OCCUPY that blank space in MANY MINDS, strategically! So whose minds should we occupy, for what reason and how?
- Let's start with LEARNERSHere’s an example: We've been working hard to help people learn how to evaluate individual items they retrieve when searching for information.But we know that many of them still need to improve their critical thinking skillsWe already talked about helping them learn to think critically about statistical tables, charts & mapsWe can also step back & extend this to research tools like databases & search tools, like Google & Google ScholarThere are people behind them all, deciding to index or list certain publications, but not othersDeciding which subjects or descriptors to useOr turning people loose with full-text searching & no subject headings or descriptorsWe can also help people learn to pose questions about the scope of research tools, like the topics & time period covered & the types of materials indexed or providedYou don't need to be steeped in a subject area in order to help people learn to pose these kinds of questions
- In fact, all of these GENERIC CRITICAL THINKING points apply across the board, to all disciplines.Now, you may already be helping people learn all of thisIf so, great! If not, keep in mind that learning to pose critical thinking questions is not tangentialIt goes to the heart of the educational enterprise How do we get this across?We must occupy learners' minds by publicizing the benefits of IL to them, how ILI can help them for a lifetimeHere we can use data & examples of successful transitions in education, as well as what employers value And everyone likes rewards & recognition, so we can provide rewards of our own...We can give certificates of completion for attending IL sessions— there’s a sample I’ve used on my website or you can check out the Greller’s list of sites for K-12 & adapt them for higher edWe can also award IL badges for inclusion in student portfolios, in CVs & resumesWant to create your own? Mozilla has an Open Badges ProjectNow let's turn to OTHER STAKEHOLDERS-...
- Who are they?They includecampus administrators, instructors, staff,& others beyond undergraduates—grad students, employers, high school & middle school students & teachers, as well as the general public Talking helps you get their attention, even short elevator speeches, but data speaks loudest. We have lots of IL research studies that provide data, but we need more evidence that clearly demonstrate the value of ILI, illustrating that it results in......students who can think critically, who understand that argument & debate are essential elements of the academic process,who know how to find & evaluate evidence regarding arguments;who use evidence effectively & ethically to solve problems;who carry those skills over into the workplace & for lifelong learningAnd, we must use evidence to press for required ILI, as well as testing or interviewing in order to find out what are the IL gaps for everyone & then address them
- Do we need to publicize the value of IL to our librarian colleagues? Yes, within and beyond our own institutions. Instruction librarians are passionate about what they do, but I've heard other librarians complain that there is too much focus on instruction, too many ACRL conference proposals related to IL. HAVE ANY OF YOU HEARD THOSE SORTS OF COMPLAINTS? Well, this is what some might call the "too visible" side of IL… Now for the "too invisible" side of it…When it comes to academic librarians, the trend lately is to embed them in various ways.
- But what happened with embedding journalists in military units during the Iraq War? As David Ignatius pointed out in the Washington Post in 2010, we got a single perspective from embedded journalists. They couldn't visit villages in Iraq to get a different perspective unless they were with the U.S. military. Ignatius also points out that the same is true for reporters embedded in candidates' election campaigns. Similarly, embedding librarians in a single department or course, requires much focus & dedication It can mean a lot for that department or course, but, what about everyone else? How much of an impact are we having, who knows about it & how do we scale it for large institutions?We can find some answers about the impact of ILI in publications like Mounce’s 2000-2009 IL literature review & Orme’s 2004 article about the residual effects of the Texas Information Literacy Tutorial or TILTWe can use this evidence to support our actions, but, once again, we need to gather more
- Beyond higher education...Are there any school librarians left?There are so few in California...They work very hard to help their students learn how to learnWe know that because they tell us so, & because they have such wonderful practitioners like Joyce Valenza, & tools, like AASL’s Standards for the 21st Century Learner & more materials on their websiteThere seems to be a disconnect, though... Many of us have encountered Freshmen who seem to have no clue about scholarly information researching, who don’t engage with material they cite, or plagiarize, whether or not they understand what they’re using...We need research on what works, how to make ILI stick for a lifetime, & what that can mean for society, as well as individuals
- What about ILI in Public libraries?I've gotten emails from librarians in different parts of the world, asking for examples of public library IL programs in the U.S. Do public libraries help their users learn to identify, locate, evaluate & use information effectively & ethically? YES! Do they call it information literacy? NO.What do they call it? Homework help; Internet basic & advanced classes & online helpHere’s an example: The Palos Verdes Public Library in California offers Research Skill Appointments for elementary, middle & high school students & also invites parents & teachers to attend
- Another excellent example is the 2007 IS Award-winning Community Workshops Program in North Carolina, a joint effort of UNC-Chapel Hill & the Carrboro public librariesPublic libraries in other countries are also getting into ILIOn March 7th the Guardian reported that 60 public libraries in the UK will be working on pilot projects to “direct library users to quality Internet advice and information...” (Andalo) But public libraries are facing terrible budget problems, just like academic librariesFor instance, the Thousand Oaks Library in So. Calif. has lost 30% of its staff & they can’t afford to replace themIn the face of dire circumstances like this, we need to help public libraries see the big picture—that we’re all working to help people gain & improve their IL skills, regardless of what we call that effort
- What about special library librarians? Few responded to my survey... But, they often help employees, at or through their place of employment. Do they provide ILI? Yes, as needed or desired, though more often they may be doing the work for their users. It can be more difficult to join with special library librarians, as their work can be proprietary, due to the nature of their employer's bottom line--trade secrets, etc. But to the best of our ability, we can reach out & at least make them aware of freely available help, as well as our interest in promoting lifelong information literacy,If you want more on this topic, Christine Bruce offered insights into how IL might be applied in just about any workplace in her 1999 journal article, “Workplace experiences of information literacy”
- Now,Library schools/iSchools: As we know, there are many pressures on library schools/iSchools...regarding which courses they should teach in order to help their students achieve basic core competencies in librarianship & information studies We must let them know that full-credit IL courses are essential for MLS/MLIS students!In fact, the ACRL Instruction Section has been working hard on this issue for many decadesCLICKIn the early 1990s,I chaired a subcommittee of the the Education for BI Committee for the ACRL Bibliographic Instruction SectionWe gathered syllabi, assignments & other materials from library school courses in the U.S. & Canada designed to help MLS/MLIS students learn how to develop instruction programs & how to teachWe developed a sample syllabus & assignments along with other materials we had gathered, to offer to library schools, with the permission of those course instructors When the Section decided not to sponsor it, we shared it freely with anyone interestedLast week I was able to retrieve most of that material from a floppy disk & I’ve mounted it on my website if you want to take a look at it
- In 1993, I submitted the Final Report of the ACRL IS Strategic Options for ProfessionalEducation Task Force or SOPE, That report offered many recommendations for ways to increase the number of IL courses for library school studentsIt also included a position paper I wrote in 1991 proposing a voluntary Post-MLIS Certification Program for instruction librariansYou can find the complete report on the Instruction Section’s websiteThen in 2007/2008 I submitted the Report of the IS Library School Outreach Task Force, again, a group established to develop help for library schools/iSchools so more of them would offer IL courses to their MLIS studentsAre you seeing a pattern here?Links to both Reports are in the bibliography for this talk on my websiteSo, given all of this...HOW MANY OF YOU WOULD AGREE THAT WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION TO MOVE FORWARD TOWARD AN IL-SAVVY UNIVERSE?
- In the abstract for this talk, I said we would be creating an action plan together. I made a start by putting up 2 Google Docs open for editingOne is for a list of visible actions you can take, & the other is a table of examples & data you can use to support those actions
- Here are a few action examples ...Get a testimonial from a student about how ILI has helped her/him & post it (with permission) on a prominent blogOffer some IL help a campus administrator or government official—For example, you could show her/him how to find up to date statistics for a presentationOffer a free IL train-the-trainer workshop for TAs & other instructorsOffer a free IL workshop for staff at all levels at your institution or organization
- Write a letter (or start a letter-writing campaign) to the ALA Committee on Accreditation...& to ALISE about the critical need for IL courses for MLS/MLIS studentsJoin or start a multi-type library group in your region, like the LILi group I started, to share & foster development of sequential IL curriculaGroups like this can have a visible impactCarol Womack at Santa Monica College Library, the current LILi Chair, recently wrote a letter on behalf of LILi to the Library Dean at the University of Southern California, urging USC to offer an IL course to the students in their new online library school, currently under developmentThere’s a copy of that letter on the LILi websiteIf you want to have a national impact beyond libraries, volunteer to serve on a U.S. higher education accrediting body... according to the 2001 WASC bylaws they must have at least 3 public membersAnd again, very importantly, develop lots more research studies on the impact of ILI, so we can use that data to support our actionsI'm sure you can think of many more action steps you can take to put IL out there, & I hope you'll add them to the action listI hope you’ll also add to the list of IL-related examples & data we can use to support our actionsIn the bibliography for this talk, I’ve also listed a number of ALA and ACRL resources you can draw on for data & tactics as you prepare actions
- So, I talked about going beyond advocacy...about our decades of IL effort and achievement...and about the great need for ILI that still remains.Then I painted a picture of an IL-savvy worldNow, it’s up to you and me to help make that alternate world a reality...How?
- By taking action!You, one person, can make a differenceYou can raise consciousnessYou can remind people of the value of an information literate populaceYou can let them know how LIBRARIANS can help them achieve that goal through information literacy instructionYou just need to demonstrate VISIBLY that we’re helping people learn how to learn for a lifetime, with tremendous benefit to individuals & to societySo...
- Pick up that sign& Be a human microphone for Information Literacy & for librarians!