Joint Effort

List of Contributors. Editorial Advisory Board. Preface. Introduction - Information Literacy and Information Behaviour, Complementary Approaches for Building Capability. Transforming Information Literacy for Higher Education in the 21st Century: A Lifelong Learning Approach. Curriculum and Curriculum Integration of Information Literacy in Higher Education. The Construction of Information and Media Literacy in Education Policy: A Study of Singapore. Information Literacy in Higher Education: Research Students' Development in Information Search Expertise. Mediating Culture: Media Literacy and Cultural Awareness The Representation of Race and Ethnicity in Maya and Miguel. Empowering Professional Practices of a Community of e-Learners: Special Education Teachers in Alaska and their Information Literacy Conceptions. Information Literacy of Undergraduate Students in Thailand: A Case of the Faculty of Arts, Silpakorn University, Thailand. Building Partnerships for Information Literacy among HE Institutions in African Universities: Opportunities and Challenges - A Case Study. Perspectives on Legal Education and the Role of Information Literacy in Improving Qualitative Legal Practice. Information Literacy in the Business School Context: A Story of Complexity and Success. Workplace Reflections of Information Literacy Training: The Case of the Agriculture and Health Sectors in Tanzania. Workplace Information Literacy: It's Different. Diversifying Information Literacy Research: An Informed Learning Perspective. The Use of Participatory Techniques in the Communication of Information for Communities: Information Literacy and Collaborative Work for Citizenship Development. About the Authors. Developing People's Information Capabilities: Fostering Information Literacy in Educational, Workplace and Community Contexts. Library and Information Science. Developing People's Information Capabilities: Fostering Information Literacy in Educational, Workplace and Community Contexts. Copyright page. Index.

A Review of:
 Bury, S. (2011). Faculty attitudes, perceptions and experiences of information literacy: A study across multiple disciplines at York University, Canada. Journal of Information Literacy, 5(1). Retrieved from http://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/JIL/article/view/PRA-V5-I1-2011-1
 
 Objective – To explore faculty attitudes towards information literacy (IL); in particular, faculty perception of student IL competencies, importance of IL skills and instruction, and ideal means of planning and delivering IL instruction.
 
 Design – Online survey questionnaire. 
 
 Setting – Large public research university located in Toronto, Canada. 
 
 Subjects – 221 full-time faculty. 
 
 Methods – The author designed and distributed an online survey to all full-time York University faculty (n=1,451) in March 2007 using Zoomerang software. The survey consisted of between 26 and 36 questions depending on responses selected by respondents, and included both open- and closed-ended questions. The author hand coded the qualitative data and used SPSS to analyze the quantitative data. The survey had 221 usable responses giving a response rate of 15.2%.
 
 Main Results – The study revealed a high degree of concern among survey respondents regarding undergraduate students’ information literacy skills, accompanied by a perceived gradual increase in IL abilities corresponding to student year. Faculty ranked each of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education as being extremely important. No ACRL standard ranked below 6 on a scale of 1 to 7, suggesting full agreement with the value of IL proficiency. Of the faculty 78.7% felt that IL education should be a joint collaboration between faculty and librarians. A considerable majority of respondents (81.7%) answered that IL instruction should be required for all students. Far fewer faculty incorporated IL teaching in practice, with 52.9% engaging in IL instruction and 47.1% not incorporating IL instruction at all. Of the faculty who incorporated librarian-led IL sessions into their courses, 85% of faculty perceived a “substantial impact” or “some impact” on their students’ IL competencies.
 
 Conclusions – The author concludes that this study adds evidence to the claim that a disconnect exists between faculty beliefs about the importance of IL and their teaching practices. Faculty consistently express concern regarding student IL abilities and support collaborative IL instruction, yet the rate of IL integration within their classes remains low. The results corroborate that faculty perceptions and attitudes towards IL remain relatively consistent when compared with other studies. The author recommends that librarians be flexible regarding IL instruction models and encourage further investigation of faculty development models to achieve wider IL integration. A stronger advocacy role is also advised to increase instruction opportunities and the promotion of information literacy at the institutional level. The author identifies four areas for future research, including examining why faculty do not incorporate IL instruction into their classes, disciplinary differences in IL attitudes and adoption, which IL instruction models faculty view as most effective, and replication of this study to test generalizability. As of the study’s publication, the author was conducting a qualitative follow-up study in the form of semi-structured interviews with faculty.

PurposeThis paper aims to measure the perceptions of librarians about information literacy (IL) instruction, their current IL practices and the problems they face while offering IL instructional programs in public and private sector university libraries in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative research design was adopted, and a survey was carried out for this study to collect the data through an online questionnaire for the university librarians. All librarians (a total of 120) were approached to collect the data, of whom 92 (76.6%) responded to the survey.FindingsThe findings reveal that the librarians working in the university libraries of Islamabad are aware of the significance of IL instruction to fulfil the information needs of their library users. A majority of the librarians indicated having adequate skills to offer IL instruction. Moreover, the majority of the librarians are offering IL instruction to users at their respective universities. However, some of the barriers affecting IL instruction programs were also reported including the absence of IL instruction courses in the library and information science (LIS) curriculum, a shortage of trained library professional staff to provide IL instruction, a lack of commitment among librarians for IL instruction, a lack of training opportunities for librarians and a lack of interest from library users. These obstacles have a negative effect on IL instruction in the university libraries of Islamabad. Therefore, this study suggests that librarians are needed to take several necessary steps to overcome these obstacles to achieve the best results in IL instruction programs.Originality/valueThis study presents a picture of the status of IL skills, current practices and barriers to offering IL instruction in the university libraries of Islamabad. This research bridges the gap in the existing literature and will help to create awareness about the importance of IL skills among LIS professionals in Pakistan. Moreover, the findings of this study will help encourage librarians for the enhancement of IL instruction services in university libraries of Islamabad in particular and Pakistan in general.

College teachers' information literacy training research

PurposeIn most higher education institutions, information literacy (IL) instruction is usually considered the purview of librarians, not disciplinary faculty. However, a small but growing body of research indicates that students learn the research process best when these skills are taught in the context of a course or a discipline. For this reason, teaching faculty should share ownership of IL instruction — but how? In this case study, community college librarians explain how they successfully trained faculty to integrate IL into their English Composition courses and teach IL independently.Design/methodology/approachUsing a multimethods approach, the investigators draw on faculty interviews, student surveys, and content analysis of student essays to evaluate the impact of faculty-led IL instruction on student learning after one semester.FindingsFaculty reported that their instruction of IL was improved, and students work better as a result of their collaboration with the librarians. Compared to previous semesters, faculty perceived gains in terms of students’ ability to synthesize and cite evidence in their writing. Student survey results indicate perceived gains in their IL skills, but an assessment of their written work reveals a discrepancy between this perception and the actual application of these skills.Research limitations/implicationsBecause there is no control group, no conclusions can be drawn as to whether faculty-led IL instruction is as effective as librarian-led IL instruction or whether students’ academic performance improves due to faculty teaching IL. However, the purpose of this study is primarily descriptive. It addresses how other libraries may create a culture of shared ownership of IL instruction on their campuses.Practical implicationsThis study offers an alternative model to library instruction and suggests ways instruction librarians can prioritize their outreach and instructional efforts to maximize impact on student learning.Originality/valueWhile much has been written about how librarians can improve IL instruction, few studies mention the role of faculty. This case study starts the conversation.

Information Literacy Collaborations that Work Edited by Trudi E. Jacobson and Thomas P. Mackey. New York, NY: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2007. 264 p. (Information Literacy Sourcebooks). $85.00 USD. ISBN 1-55570-579-0∞ Information Literacy Collaborations that Work should certainly be of interest to academic and community college librarians engaged in the noble task of information literacy (IL) instruction. The volume is a very pragmatic addition to the Information Literacy Sourcebooks series. Librarian and faculty collaboration is showcased as an effective approach to reaching students at their point of need for information. The fourteen case studies included in the work provide tangible means and practical examples for improving the quality of student research. According to the work's foreword, the volume should be related to the 2000 publication of The Collaborative Imperative: Librarians and Faculty Working Together in the Information Universe by Richard Raspa and Dane Ward as it continues and updates the discussion of this specialized topic. For those readers interested in a broader perspective on issues surrounding IL instruction in academic contexts, the 2004 publication Integrating Information Literacy into the Higher Education Curriculum edited by Ilene F. Rockman may be of use. It includes discussion of librarian and faculty partnerships but details many other aspects of this integration process. Finally, this volume is likely to gain relevance to the larger body of IL related literature because its content implies some commentary on the effects of the introduction of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education on librarian and faculty approaches to IL instruction. The example collaborations discussed are grouped into three sections: each section emphasizes a perspective or a factor that impacts on the nature of the instructional collaboration and approach to IL instruction. The first section examines how librarian and faculty collaboration can occur in the context of different kinds of academic programs, as it considers campus-wide program implementation. The second part emphasizes the importance of taking into account the IL needs of students studying a specific discipline. The third section is concerned with the challenges of incorporating technology into IL instruction. Each section is introduced with a short essay, which highlights key strategies for fostering instructional collaboration relevant to the chapters within a particular section. These introductions are useful for quickly determining the relevance of a section for a reader's interests. Appendixes of marking rubrics, sample assignments or worksheets follow the essay to which they relate, and they are one of the most valuable aspects of the book. They provide a focused reader with models and templates to be adapted for their own instructional needs and academic context. Each chapter is a thorough exploration of an instructional collaboration. Typically, the discussion begins with a review of the intellectual framework and background important to the particular collaboration. This varies from a miniature literature review to a citation of inspirations for the work to be described. …

Previous experience, literature reviews, as well as continuous contacts with the Schools of Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) have led us to assume the following statements for the Information literacy (IL) education at BTH: Information literacy is a generic skill which should be taught as a compulsory part of the educational programs The integration of the teaching of IL in the educational programs is necessary to achieve qualitatively good results concerning IL The Schools of BTH are responsible for the IL education of students The library can, together with the Schools, create and offer IL modules adapted to the educational programs Today IL education at BTH is quite extensive, but also irregular and highly dependent on contacts with individual teachers, which makes IL education vulnerable. In order to bring this problem to light, and inspired by the Borås model (presented at Creating knowledge VI), as well as Sydostmodellen, the library at BTH contacted the Board of Education during the winter of 2012, and presented a plan on how the library and Schools at BTH could cooperate in order to integrate IL education within all educational programs. Suggestions regarding content, extent, progression, timing, assessment and learning outcomes of the IL education are the focal point of the presented plan. As the first result of the proposal, the library has been commissioned by the BTH Quality Assurance Council to review the situation regarding IL education at BTH together with the educational program directors. In cooperation with the programs, the library should also make a plan for each program on how to integrate IL education as a part of generic skills. At the conference, the following themes were addressed and discussed during our presentation: sustainability of IL education, collaboration within the academy regarding IL education and how integration of IL education at university educational programs is reflected in research on IL in general.

The purpose of this study was to propose appropriate strategies that could be adopted for the effective implementation of information literacy (IL) instruction in academic medical libraries of Pakistan. Head librarians of academic medical institutions were surveyed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The results have revealed that IL skills of library users have been perceived by the head librarians as inadequate. Respondents identified workshops/seminars and formal in-class teaching as part of the main curriculum as the most effective IL instruction delivery methods. The majority of the respondents were in favor of integrating IL instruction into the curriculum as a credit course. An overwhelming majority of the respondents was of the opinion that both librarians and faculty should design IL curriculum. However, respondents were divided and undecided regarding the role of the teaching faculty in imparting IL instruction.

Is it possible to administer an information literacy assessment in only a few classes that would provide essential, adequate, data from semester to semester? In a college with a student body of about 2,000, would it be possible to obtain actionable assessment results if only 150 to 200 students were assessed each semester? This article is the result of the creation and implementation of the information literacy assessment that was launched in the fall of 2009 by Savage Library at Western State College of Colorado (WSC). WSC changed its name to Western State Colorado University on August 1, 2012. The authors of this article, a librarian and a lecturer in English, collaborated closely to embed the information literacy assessment into multiple sections of the second-year writing class required for all Western students. This article presents an overview of the information literacy (IL) assessment and an analysis of the data obtained from the assessment. The article also provides an overview of how to embed IL instruction and IL assessment into the classroom to improve student skills in critical thinking, IL, public speaking, and research and persuasive writing. Through a specific case study in which IL instruction and assessment was used in multiple sections of the same second-year required writing course (COTH 202: Academic Writing and Inquiry), a broader set of implications is suggested for the usefulness and relevancy of the IL assessment in almost any academic course, regardless of the discipline. One model for how librarians and faculty might collaborate by incorporating IL instruction and assessment in a classroom setting is presented. This particular collaboration resulted in a substantial improvement in student learning outcomes as well as an easy-to-use formative method of assessing and then adjusting IL instruction as it is situated in a required writing course. OBJECTIVES Because the college had established IL as an essential general education requirement to ensure that students were achieving a proficient level of IL skills, the Communications and Theater program (COTH) committed itself to embedding library instruction into a class that was required for graduation. COTH 202: Academic Writing and Inquiry is a research writing and public speaking class where students learned scholarly research skills, wrote research papers, and communicated the results of their research in front of the class using a variety of media. IL was one of the learning outcomes specified for this class as well as for the COTH program. By expanding the number of classes receiving IL instruction, by ensuring that every student received information literacy by embedding this instruction in the required COTH 202 classes, and by assessing IL skills and making changes to the IL program based upon data from the assessments, it was expected that IL skills would increase from semester to semester. In the fall of 2008, Savage Library set out to create its student IL assessment. Assessment questions from several IL assessments formulated by colleges and universities throughout the country provided excellent models from which the library created its assessment questions. Each question was tied to one or more learning outcomes from ACRLs list of five IL standards and eighty-seven learning outcomes. (1) The assessment comprised fifty questions worth ten points each. The majority of the questions were from ACRL Standards 1-3. Relatively few questions were linked to Standards 4 and 5 because those standards are difficult or impossible to operationalize and assess quantitatively. It was up to the faculty to assess those standards by grading assignments according to rubrics established by the COTH program. It was our goal to have an assessment that would be a tool to improve IL instruction from semester to semester and a measure of how well the program achieved national standards by mapping each question to ACRLs IL competencies. …

The research explored the current practices of information literacy (IL) instruction in medical libraries of Pakistan. A semi-structured questionnaire was mailed to the head librarians of all 114 academic medical libraries in Pakistan. It investigated the types of IL instruction provided, topics covered, methods of delivery and assessment, level of integration in the curriculum, and level of collaboration with teaching staff. The study revealed that 74% of the respondents had offered some types of IL instruction in their institutions during the previous year, ranging from library orientation to research-level skills. IL instruction is typically only offered to new students or first-time library users or on demand. A majority of the respondents developed IL instruction programs without faculty involvement. Librarians were primarily responsible for offering IL instruction in medical institutions. Face-to-face instruction in computer labs or lecture halls and individual instruction at reference desks were identified as the most common IL instruction delivery methods. The data indicated that oral feedback, written feedback, and searching in a computer lab were the most popular assessment methods that medical librarians used. IL instruction activities in medical libraries of Pakistan are in their infancy. Medical librarians also lack systematic approaches to IL instruction. Medical librarians need to develop educational partnerships with faculty for integrating IL instruction into the mainstream curriculum.

Information literacy instruction in four Vietnamese university libraries

Results from a survey concerning the effects of information literacy instruction (ILI) on business students are presented. The effects of ILI on student learning outcomes, and the influence of ILI on the adoption and use of online library resources and the mediating effects of self-efficacy and anxiety are examined.Sont présentés ici les résultats d'une étude sur les effets de la maîtrise de l'information sur l'enseignement aux étudiants de gestion des affaires. L'étude s'intéresse également à ces effets sur les objectifs d'apprentissage, à leur influence sur l'adoption et l'utilisation de ressources bibliothécaires en ligne, ainsi qu'aux effets médiateurs de l'auto-efficacité et de l'angoisse.

This paper aims to present an overview of information literacy (IL) instruction in Pakistan from the following perspectives: research literature produced; IL instruction as a credit course at LIS schools; and continuing professional development (CPD) activities for information professionals. This study was based on a review of the literature on IL, a survey of LIS schools, searching through the electronic messages archives of the professional groups, and exchange of information with peers. The findings revealed that 13 research papers were published on IL from Pakistan. Out of 12 LIS schools, four offered a 3-credit hour course on IL instruction at the Masters level. Continuing professional development opportunities were limited in Pakistan. A few university libraries just started formal IL programs. We recommended that IL be included in the curriculum at all LIS schools. Research studies on different aspects of IL must be conducted. LIS schools and associations must prepare the professionals to run IL instruction programs.

Abstract
 Objective – While library literature contains many studies examining faculty perceptions of the value of librarian-led information literacy (IL)instruction, there is little evidence regarding IL instruction practices of disciplinary faculty independent of librarians. In a climate of uncertain budgets, increasing student enrollment, and increased conversation around the need for IL, media, and digital literacy skills, this study aimed to investigate a little-researched area of the IL instruction, learning, and development milieu.
 Methods – In collaboration with the institutional research office, a data and methods triangulation approach was used. A survey of disciplinary faculty was administered and disciplinary faculty focus groups were also conducted. Student outcomes and annual assessment reports, documents that describe teaching and assessment methods for courses across the university, were analyzed. Voyant, a text-mining tool, was also used to determine key phrases and terms related to IL in these documents.
 Results – Results revealed that disciplinary faculty highly value skills and understandings affiliated with IL competency. Faculty provide the majority of IL learning opportunities independent of librarians, although these learning opportunities are generally provided through implicit, rather than explicit, methods. Pedagogical methods that may enable explicit practices, such as the use of standards and competencies, are infrequently used.
 Conclusion – Evidence and findings from this study are being used to inform several initiatives to work with disciplinary faculty for IL instruction, including new services, resources, and instruction models to support IL development in students.

Information literacy (IL) is a set of abilities that enable individuals to recognise when information is needed and to subsequently locate, evaluate, and utilise the required information. It enables people to interpret and make informed judgments as users of information sources, and also to become producers of information in their own right and thereby more active participants in society. Information literacy is the basis of lifelong learning. It is common across all disciplines, all learning environments, and all levels of education. This study, which was conducted among academic and library staff and students at the University of Zululand (Unizul) and the Durban University of Technology (DUT) in KwaZulu-Natal (SA) and Mzuzu University (Mzuni) in Malawi, reports on the offering and teaching of IL in these institutions of higher learning. The findings reveal that IL is offered and taught as a module at Unizul and as a course at Mzuni by their respective Departments of Library and Information Science, though not across all the faculties. At DUT, IL is only offered and taught by the library during the Library Orientation programme, campus wide. Problems encountered in the teaching and learning of IL include inadequate time, lack of computer skills, inadequate venues and equipment for teaching and students' practicals, and lack of cooperation. The study recommends that the module or course of IL should be incorporated into the university curricula of all three institutions, and the DUT should introduce a dedicated module or course in information literacy and embed it into the students' course materials. The three universities should also advertise to academic staff, students and decision makers the importance of having modules or courses in IL.