Members

Faculty Chair:

Debbie Anderson, RSCC

District Support:

Janet Gesin

Charge

Highlights

What is information literacy? The 1991 American Library Association (ALA) definition is:

To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed informationÉ . Ultimately, information literate people are those who have learned how to learn. They know how to learn because they know how knowledge is organized, how to find information, and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them. They are people prepared for lifelong learning, because they can always find the information needed for any task or decision at hand.

We enhance the ALA definition by adding:

Information literacy is the ability to effectively access and evaluate information for a given need. It includes an integrating set of skills and knowledge of tools and resources that expand learning beyond the classroom and textbook. The process would teach students to think critically about paths to information and about the appropriateness of possible bias of materials.

We believe information literacy encompasses the ability to:

• Identify or recognize the need for information.
• Access information regardless of the format or medium in which it is stored.
• Analyze information and evaluate its quality and utility.
• Synthesize information using critical thinking skills such as selection, logic, organization, association and organization.
• Use information effectively in the pursuit of identified goals to encourage creativity and increase knowledge.

Two private companies that offer information literacy modules are: Pledger Educational Consulting, Resource Based Learning Units, http://www. ozemail.com.au/~pledgerp/dorlas.html and INFOEN, http://www. lainet.com/infoen/

As part of our look at the changing role of librarians and libraries, the committee met at several new libraries including Phoenix Public Library, Scottsdale Public Library and the American Graduate School of International Management. Our conclusions include:

• Librarians are no longer "Keepers of the knowledge" or "Keepers of the collection."
• Librarians need to be navigators to information rather than dispensers of books.
• Academic librarians need to take an active role in instruction, especially with electronic resources.
• Libraries need to physically meet the changing dynamics of learning with collaborative work spaces, individual work spaces, workstations and access to assistance.
• Libraries still need to have a humanistic feeling. They need to be a pleasant environment as well as fit the needs of the electronic age.
• We anticipate that libraries will have an ever-expanding role both electronically and instructionally. Thus, our continuing question: How are we going to meet that challenge?

For more information, visit our Web site at:

What next?

To achieve the infusion of information literacy in existing courses we recommend: È utilizing teaching methods such as active, collaborative, and inquiry-based learning; È employing course-integrated instruction; È involving close cooperation with faculty and computing; and È working collaboratively with subject specialists and classroom teachers to integrate information literacy into each course.

As the roles of librarians and libraries change, there is also a need to have the option to make Information Literacy a separate course. Such a course should be available in workshop formats with flexible format and schedule to meet the needs of diverse members of our college community.

This report will be presented at the All Library Meeting in August 1996. It will also be suggested that this recommendation be adopted by the Library Instructional Council.