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Gillian Dawson, Information Consultant at the University of Aberdeen Library discusses the need to educate users even with the easy availability of information online.
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User education: why we still need it in the 21st c.
Gilian DawsonInformation ConsultantUniversity of Aberdeen Library
Higher education◦ Undergraduates to researchers
Secondary schools ◦ S4 to S6
Age range for 16 to 70 Information to support the learning process & gain the bit of paper
Parameters
Physical collections unnecessary say users More open access information not buried in
databases Print groups fighting back in some
disciplines Google generation is older than 25
◦ Our teachers and professors rely on it
Invisible Information
Undergraduates
Source; AU LibQual survey 2009
Academics
Source: AU LibQual survey 2009
Pref
er e
-boo
ks
Pref
er p
rint b
ooks
Mixtu
re
Pref
er e
-jour
nals
Pref
er p
rint j
ourn
als
Mixtu
re
17
7058
72
20
53
24
70 6862
30
58
Staff % Students %
Preference of format
Source: AU Library survey 2010
Search engines used by 89% of students at start◦ Don’t even use advanced search
Databases have to be found and then learned
Catalogues no longer fit for purpose New generation of resource discovery
systems◦ Encourages refining of searches
Finding information by search tools
Changing the way people communicate and access information
Information is changing from books to blogs
Finding information by Web 2.0
MEEBO Twitter Facebook Smart phone
download app
8894 93
23
60
8894 93
24
75
Staff % Students %
Web 2.0
Source: AU Library survey 2010
Finding information …….. or telling us what we wanted to hear
Staff top 3 Students top 3
OPAC 34
Library databases 18
Metalib for e-journals
15
OPAC 56
Library databases 35
Google Scholar 27
Source: Aberdeen University Library survey 2010
Information overload doesn’t exist Evaluation unnecessary
◦ Take the easiest to find Ethical use only if caught
◦ Plagiarism is rife from primary school onwards◦ Spend 20% of my time instructing on avoiding
plagiarism to schools and PGs Role of information is changing in education
◦ Learning by discovery/ active learning rather than learning by absorption
Using information
Huge market for librarians to write about LISTA subject search
◦ IL = 3000 hits◦ User education = 270 hits
Obama’s IL declaration in 2009 Yet IL has failed to make an impact outside libraries CoE barely acknowledges it
◦ Survey of teachers in E & S did not link IL to learning process
◦ Separate skills process HE strategic plans rarely mention libraries or IL Where is Obama now?
So what about IL?
Big industry Spend time and staff salaries Some of us do it for a living Librarians & teachers/academics see its
value Must demonstrate value for money Are we failing? Will next generation of search tools make us
redundant?
Whither user education
Librarians are optimists Librarians are adaptable
... of course not
Prin
ted
guid
es a
re u
sefu
l
e-gu
ides
are
use
ful
Libr
ary
inst
ruct
ion
is u
sefu
l
37 39
25
4436
45Staff Students
Help
Source: AU Library survey 2010
Information gathering is still complex 3 systems of finding are in use Browsing print as a technique is only as
recent as the open shelves Database searching built on traditional
catalogue/keyword techniques Web type discovery systems/Google
searching the invisible
The current situation
Our role in a shinking market Show them how to use the things they use
better even if it is Google Scholar Spending less time on databases means
more time to talk about….. Evaluation Ethical use Tie search results to the library
The future moves with the times
“It’s time to stop boring our users with conducted tours of libraries, earnest library guides, and endless demonstrations of those arcane databases that we love so much”. (Godwin, 2008)
Peter Godwin, (2008). Conclusion. In Information literacy meets library 2.0, ed. P. Godwin and J. Parker, 165–81. London: Facet.
..and I leave you with this
