EDUC 6816 - Weekly Reading #8

This post is in response to the article: A Discipline-based Approach to Information Literacy

"In a holistic conception of IL, classroom faculty and academic librarians should have complementary, though distinct, roles in helping students become information literate" (Grafstein, 2002).

Okay - so, in an ideal world this would happen. This article goes on to talk about librarians' roles to teach the information skills needed as a prerequisite across subject matter.... such as:

photo by Ellen Forsyth
Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 2.0

*Searching skills
*Generic critical thinking skills including:
     -Timeliness
     - Authority
     - Bias
     - Verifiability
     - Logical consistency




While teachers should be responsible for the information skills that need subject-based context.....skills such as:

    * Evaluating the content of arguments
    *Assessing the validity of evidence
    *Proposing original solutions

So - this sounds right to me. BUT, in the real world, library funding is being cut. This article also says (in a nutshell) - the earlier the better. In other words, these kind of information literacy skills should be taught to children as soon as they enter school. I totally agree. BUT (again).... these skills, and these interactions, are not being valued (at least not financially) by administration.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that in a lot of cases (especially as students progress in their studies), this distinction between teacher & librarian roles will blur. Teachers (and librarians) should look out for both these skill sets, and, when necessary, compensate for them. I know I don't have the luxury of a librarian and a lot of my students come to me lacking some of the basic skills listed under the "generic critical thinking" category above. I feel responsible for teaching them those (especially when it relates to the internet) and fold them into subject-based context skills. It's probably not as successful as it could be though (in an ideal world).

Questions:
1. What is the difference between IL and BI and why is this distinction important?

Bibliographic instruction (BI) is instruction in "traditional (print) library resources" such as learning how to access information in reference sources and library holdings. Information literacy is about "evaluating information...for authenticity, accuracy, credibility, authority, relevance, concealed bias, logical inconsistency and so on" (Grafstein, 2002).

2. Why should classroom faculty teach IL?
 Two reasons why:
1. IL creates self-directed, life-long learners.
2. Attaining IL also means understanding the basics of subject-based knowledge - which classroom faculty are responsible for.


3. What is the role of classroom faculty in developing information literacy?
Subject-based knowledge is necessary to teach these IL skills (which is the role of the classroom teacher):

• Evaluating the content of arguments
• Assessing the validity of evidence
• Proposing original solutions 

Additional Resource:

A blended librarian talks information literacy

This is a blog post about a librarian at Buffalo State College in New York who teaches a class on information literacy - complete with a multimedia research presentation as the final project! It is presented as a microcosm of a larger movement within college libraries called "blended librarians."

Sources:

Grafstein, A. (2002). A discipline-based approach to information literacy. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 28(4), 197-204. Retrieved from http://westmont.edu/_offices/provost/documents/Senate/Full/2009-2010/Discipline-Based Approach to Information Literacy.pdf