Information literacy — then and now The information literacy movement & American libraries

1 September 2000 Inno2000 — Helsinki

Information literacy — then and now

The information literacy movement & American libraries

Patricia Davitt Maughan

The Teaching Library

University of California, Berkeley

U.S.A.


Agenda

• Information Literacy movement in the U.S.• Convergence with concept of the “Teaching

Library”• The Teaching Library @

University of California, Berkeley• Recent developments in Information Literacy


Information literacy — 1974

– Proposal to the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science

– National goal of “information literacy” within a decade

Paul G. Zurkowski — Information Industry Association



• “Information literates”– people “trained in the application of information

resources to their work … who have learned techniques and skills for utilizing a wide range of information tools as well as primary sources in molding information solutions to their problems.”

Paul G. Zurkowski

Information Industry Association


A Nation at Risk — 1983

• U.S. National Commission on Excellence in Education report

• A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform– largely ignored the roles of libraries


The Boyer Report — 1987

• College: The Undergraduate Experience in America– “the quality of a college is measured by

resources for learning on the campus and the extent to which students become independent, self-directed learners.”


Response to 1980’s educational reform reports

• No mention of emerging information technology• In response, Columbia University and U of Colorado

brought together leaders in higher education and librarianship for a summit meeting

• Question — how can meaningful educational reform occur without consideration of the emerging “Information Society” where future generations of students will live?



• American Library Association (ALA) Presidential Committee on Information Literacy

• charge —– to define information literacy– to determine “its importance to student performance,

lifelong learning, and active citizenship.”



• ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Final Report

• the information literate person —– able to recognize when information is needed– able to recognize what information is needed to

address a given issue– able to locate, evaluate and effectively use the

needed information



• ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Final Report

• new model of learning — based on information resources

• active & integrated, not passive & fragmented• develop critical thinking on the part of students• commitment beyond the library by schools & colleges• to “integrate the concept of information literacy into their

learning programs.”


National Forum on Information Literacy

• focus — to promote “individual empowerment” within the Information Society

• broad based membership – 75 national & international organizations

• adopted ALA’s definition of Information Literacy• meets 3 times per year in Washington, D.C.


National Forum on Information Literacy 2


Tompkins — evolution of “The Teaching Library”

• American universities – preeminent in research– undistinguished for the quality of

undergraduate teaching & learning• American university libraries

– preeminent in building research collections– largely unsuccessful in their support of

undergraduate teaching & learning


“The Teaching Library” — 1990

• Tompkins, Philip, “New Structures for Teaching Libraries,” Library Administration and Management 4 (Spring 1990), pp. 77-81

• envisions a new role for the university library ... a technology intensive library of the future, which has come to be called “the teaching library”


Tompkins — “The Teaching Library”

• 1960s and 1970s institutional response to the growing complexity of research libraries on U.S. campuses – the separate undergraduate

library– core collection of books and

journals– librarians dedicated to teaching

their use


Tompkins — “The Teaching Library”

• 1990s — some U.S. libraries afforded the chance to plan for expansion– to conceptualize a new type of

library


Tompkins — defining “The Teaching Library”

• “… an environment that will empower users to create a distinct learning culture with new roles for faculty, computer professionals, librarians and students … a facility that will continue — via computer courseware, information software, and print products — the learning that is formally initiated in the lecture hall.”

Philip Tompkins — Deputy University Librarian University of Southern California


Tompkins — Teaching Library goals - 1

• unique facility to train students & faculty to acquire information

• the core — large numbers of interactive workstations

• humanizing the use of technologies



• campus center & retreat– encouraging group learning & study

• combines traditional information with emerging learning & information technologies

• provides collections & technology for collaboration– print, electronic, graphics, animation, sound & video



• gateway to more extensive library services and collections

• locally • regionally • nationally • internationally

• staff oriented toward supporting & enhancing technology-intensive learning– comfortable with innovation– teachers & trainers


The Teaching LibraryUniversity of California, Berkeley (UCB)

• “… to bridge the gap between the classroom and the Library’s information resources”

• Teaching Library mission —– to ensure that all graduates of the University are thoroughly

familiar with the information resources and tools in their respective fields of study

– prepared to conduct a search for information resources in any field of study


UC Berkeley Teaching Library Program

• focus — humanities & social sciences• customized in-class presentations

– teaching resources & strategies appropriate to particular courses

• drop-in workshops• Faculty Seminar series• self-help leaflets• web design


Instruction page


Faculty Seminar page


Faculty Technology Program — 1998 —

• co-taught by Teaching Library, Information Technology Program & Office of Media Services staff

• teaching technology– web page design • courseware • digital imaging

• participation doubled in 3 years• progress — slow, incremental

– spring 2000 attendance est. 38


UC Berkeley Teaching Library Organization — 15.5 FTE

Adm inistrative Assistant1.0 FTE

Program Coordinators7 staff6 FTE

User Research Coordinator0.5 FTE

Media Resources Center3.0 FTE

Library G raphics O ffice2.0 FTE

California Heritage Project2.0 FTE

Head of the Teaching Library1.0 FTE


UC Berkeley Teaching Library Organization

• Program coordinators– teach faculty & students how to

use a wide range of information resources

– collaborate with selectors, faculty & campus student support units



• Program coordinators– integrate library & information literacy instruction

into appropriate points within the undergraduate curriculum

– design & provide course-integrated & drop-in instruction sessions

– publicize the instructional program


UC Berkeley Teaching LibraryInstruction Statistics

Year Number ofSessions

Attendance

1993-1994 380 3,9421994-1995 291 4,7871995-1996 399 5,2081996-1997 560 7,1691997-1998 501 7,263

UC Berkeley Teaching Library Statistics



• User research coordinator– designs programs to better

understand library users & focus library services on known user needs

– helps to identify user needs– describes library users’ levels of

information literacy and computer competency



• Teaching Library User Research Program• Ongoing survey of Information Literacy Competencies

Survey of graduating seniors (1994 — )• pre- and post- testing in 2-hour course-integrated

instruction sessions• fold what we learn back into the re-design of library

instruction programs



• Teaching Library User Research Program• Survey of Faculty & Graduate Student Library Use

and Satisfaction (1997)– Collections and Services

• SERVQUAL Survey of Faculty and Graduate Students (Fall 2000)

• Strategic Planning Focus Groups• Statewide Resource for Focus Groups

– instruction • moderating



• California Heritage Project — 1– K-12 outreach effort – teacher training in Oakland & San Francisco

public schools– basic training in use of classroom

computers• MS word, web pages (Netscape Composer),

Internet searching, saving images & editing with Photoshop



• California Heritage Project — 2– training in use of primary resources to teach

history & social sciences• California Heritage databases of historical images,

Library of Congress American Memory Collection, National Archives

– training in historical analysis• synthesizing, interpretive & evaluative skills training


UC Berkeley Teaching Library – CA Heritage Projects


Information Literacy — recent developments

• 1996/1997 — California Association of Research Libraries – Statement of Principles for Information Literacy criteria– revised existing WASC accreditation standards– recommended institutional information literacy assessment

plans

• 1997 — Association of College & Research Libraries– formed the Institute for Information Literacy


IIL Organization


Information Literacy — recent developments

• 1998 — American Libraries Association– updated 1989 Presidential Commission on Information

Literacy Report

• 2000 — American Libraries Association/Association of College & Research Libraries (ALA/ACRL)– approved revised draft of Information Literacy Competency

Standards for Higher Education– Middle American States Commission on Higher Education

distributed as resources for evaluators– formally endorsed by American Association of Higher

Education (AAHE)


ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards

• Information literacy

lower order skills higher order skills


What’s needed to undertake information literacy training by the Library?

– Strong commitment from the institution– strong commitment from library administration– proficiency in teaching, technology & assessment

among library staff– a faculty who will partner with librarians and other

information handling professionals


Challenge for the 21st Century

• Instructional librarians must develop rhetorical & political skills– to persuade faculty &

administrators that there is a coherent set of intellectual skills in information seeking that can be taught and evaluated

– can be dovetailed with the larger goals of the institution


Implications for Teaching Librarians

• teaching

• faculty development

• outreach/advocacy

• assessment


Endnote• “… information literacy must be seen as a concept

inextricably connected to the improvement of the undergraduate curriculum — and not just the “hobbyhorse” of librarians … information literacy — when it is narrowly conceived — will continue to be viewed ... as a peripheral activity unless it is an integral component of the teaching and learning process. Broadly construed, information literacy should be seen as a strategy for improving a student’s ability to learn how to learn.”

Howard L. Simmons The Challenge and Practice of

Academic Accreditation

Documents

Information literacy — then and now The information literacy movement & American libraries