Information literacy teaching

What is information literacy and why is it important?

Two recent definitions help explain what we mean by information literacy and the skills which underpin it.

"Information literacy is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner." (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals 2004)

"i-Skills are defined as: the ability to identify, assess, retrieve, evaluate, adapt, organise and communicate information within an iterative context of review and reflection." (JISC 2005)

Developing your information literacy skills will help you improve your research, whether it's for an essay, thesis, or research project. In practical terms information literacy skills help you understand:

  • your need for information
  • the resources available
  • how to find information
  • the need to evaluate results
  • how to work with or exploit results
  • ethics and responsibility of use
  • how to communicate or share your findings
  • how to manage your findings

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How we can help you develop your information literacy skills

We already deliver information literacy skills teaching to students in a range departments.

Many of the materials we use are available from our Information literacy self-paced workbooks web page.

We want to develop what we do to provide equal opportunity to students (and staff) in all departments. To this end we invited University Teaching Committee to visit us to review what we were doing. The visiting panel made a number of recommendations which were approved by UTC in November 2005. The full UTC visit papers and recommendations are provided below.

UTC confirmed our belief: "Firstly, that if students are to fulfil their academic potential, the acquisition of information skills is vital. Secondly, that the delivery of information skills is most effective when the relevance of the skills being taught is explicit. In the light of these conclusions, the panel recommended that all departments should embed information skills within the curriculum." UTC 2005 Visit report (PDF , 26kb)

We aim to complement the work being done in academic departments by teaching students:

  • about the resources available
  • how to be effective searchers
  • to critically evaluate the information they find
  • the importance of thinking about their research topic before searching Google
  • the limitations of relying on web search engines
  • what to do when Google doesn't have the answers!

Over the next couple of years we will be developing our teaching to incorporate the generic information literacy learning outcomes approved by UTC in May 2006, and to provide online modules.

To find out more about how we can help you - whether you're a student or member of staff - please talk to your Academic Liaison Librarian.

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University Teaching Committee visit and recommendations (11 July 2005)

A University Teaching Committee panel visited Subject Services on 11 July 2005 at our request and followed the procedures used for departmental visits.

The visit was very positive and the recommendations and action plan were approved by UTC in November 2005. The main recommendations were that:

  • All departments should embed information literacy skills within the curriculum

  • UTC should approve a set of generic learning outcomes for information literacy skills which should be developed by Academic Liaison Librarians in consultation with academic colleagues [see Generic information literacy learning outcomes below for progress on this recommendation]

  • Academic Liaison Librarians and departments should discuss how best the learning outcomes could be delivered and assessed

  • Departments should be encouraged to invite their Academic Liaison Librarian to Boards of Studies meetings and to send them copies of agendas and minutes, and also to discuss information skills at Boards of Studies at least once a year in the presence of their Academic Liaison Librarian

  • Subject Services should be brought into the University's quality assurance loop. This would include (i) Subject Services submitting to the Committee a 'by exception' annual review report of its teaching activities, (ii) Subject Services being included in the Committee's cycle of visits, and (iii) the appointment of a Departmental Contact for Subject Services. A representative of Subject Services would also be invited to join the Coordinating Group for Supplementary Programmes

  • Departments should be encouraged to incorporate questions on information skills in their end of year/programme evaluation forms.

The recommendations are being taken forward by the Library Information Skills Group during 2006-2007.

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Generic information literacy learning outcomes

The Library Information Skills Group presented a proposal on generic information literacy learning outcomes to University Teaching Committee on 22 May 2006. This was one of the recommendations arising from the UTC visit to Subject Services in July 2005, and approved by UTC in November 2005.

UTC approved the learning outcomes and asked the Subject Services Section to take forward this initiative with departments.

The recommendations will be taken forward by the Library Information Skills Group during 2006-2008. The learning outcomes will be incorporated into our teaching and development of online modules. We will provide more information as we make progress.