scholarly journals How can you tell if it’s working? Recent developments in impact evaluation and their implications for information literacy practice.

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Markless ◽  
David Streatfield
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Impact Evaluation ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Literacy Practice ◽  
Programme Theory ◽  
Literacy Support ◽  
Library Impact

This paper surveys the (patchy and uneven) advances in LIS impact evaluation over the past ten years and notes the surge forward in public library impact evaluation, before looking more broadly at international and educational impact evaluation scene and noting the advance of programme-theory driven approaches. The authors then identify various trends drawn from the wider evaluation discourse that they think are likely to be relevant to information literacy (IL) practitioners, academic staff, employers and others who are concerned with impact evaluation of IL work.The trends identified are:growing clarity about the levels of evaluation expertise needed to deliver information literacy support from the perspectives of leaders of LIS education programmes, staff of academic institutions, library leaders and managers and IL practitioners,growing interest in more inclusive or democratic approaches to impact evaluationthe limitations of the simple logic model of evaluationre-purposing of existing data to meet new evaluation needscollecting and presenting stories of change as impact evaluation evidence.Implications for IL practitioners are offered in relation to each of these trends. The authors then predict that over the next ten years there will be a strong focus on whether IL interventions are having an impact in combating misinformation and disinformation; more systematic and sustained approaches to IL impact evaluation in the health and higher education sectors but less so in some school libraries and other settings. They think that the more proactive public libraries will adopt IL evaluation approaches, that workplace IL will continue to depend upon the organisational culture, and that research on information seeking in context will shed light on evaluation priorities. Finally, they hope that future IL work will be underpinned by programme theory-based evaluation. 

Influence of Information Literacy Competencies on Users of the Saulsville Public Library, South Africa

Mousaion ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rexwhite Tega Enakrire ◽  
Isaac Mpho Mothiba
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Information Discovery ◽  
Information Literacy Competencies

Information literacy competencies indicate the ability of an individual to apply a certain search strategy of information discovery, to understand its design, to value judgement, and to use it in various contents and contexts. The influence of information literacy competencies plays an important role in enabling information users to meet their information needs and prepares them for lifelong learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of information literacy competencies of users in the Saulsville public library, South Africa. The rationale was a lack of awareness and the inability of the users to find their information needs based on the task and decision at hand. The descriptive survey design adopted for this study made use of a questionnaire to collect data from 1 120 registered members of the Saulsville library. Of the 1 120 registered users being the population for the study, the authors purposively used 10 per cent (112 members) of the population as sample size. The findings revealed that users of the Saulsville public library had limited awareness and competencies of information literacy. The users were exposed to some form of library orientation and the use of library resources during their visit to the library. The findings further indicated that the users’ information literacy competencies were affirmed through the quality of information obtained and the satisfaction of library services rendered by library staff. The study recommends the acquisition of new technologies that could enhance users’ interactive information literacy training in public libraries and formal education settings.  

scholarly journals Student trauma experiences, library instruction and existence under the 45th

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 183-199
Author(s):  
Michelle Gohr ◽  
Vitalina A. Nova
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Literacy Practice ◽  
Systemic Racism ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Issues

Purpose By historicizing the broader system of education contextualized under the 45th presidential administration, this paper aims to provide a nuanced discussion regarding the condition of information literacy and librarianship as capitalist institutions in service to the state. In response, tools to oppose systemic racism and minimize harm in the classroom as well as recommendations for change and resistance are addressed. Design/methodology/approach The paper focuses on historical analysis of libraries as institutions within larger educational systems and draws heavily on critical theories as a method of critique. Findings This paper demonstrates that the 45th presidential administration is a logical progression of neoliberalism and institutionalized discrimination, which has had adverse effects on the health and safety of (primarily marginalized) students, library workers and library practice, but that critical reflection and information seeking on part of librarians may provide solutions. Practical implications This paper can be used as a guide for librarians seeking to contextualize the educational environment and apply a critical praxis to information literacy programs. Social implications The reflection presented in this paper can aid in expanding awareness in LIS surrounding issues of equity and justice, and impart urgency and need for institutional change. Originality/value Given the lack of diversity in library and information science, this paper provides critical interventions for information literacy practice. The authors’ unique practical and theoretical backgrounds allow for nuanced discussion and pedagogical creation which directly impacts and addresses key issues of justice and equity in the classroom.

scholarly journals Going beyond the 'library': the current work of the Scottish Information Literacy Project

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (102) ◽  
pp. 29-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Caskie Crawford ◽  
Christine Irving
Keyword(s):  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Media Literacy ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Current Work ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Literacy Training ◽  
National Information

Reviews briefly the origins of the Scottish Information Literacy Project from its origins in 2004 as a project solely devoted to developing a National Information Literacy Framework for Scotland to the present time. The project now encompasses workplace information literacy, the skills agenda, lifeong learning and media literacy. The article concentrates on current activity: the restructuring of the first draft of the Framework to make it a genuine lifelong learning document and the pursuit of the workplace agenda, following a successful research project. This now focuses strongly on having information literacy recognised as an essential workplace skill. Work is also being undertaken with public library partners to develop information literacy training in public libraries. The policy implications of the work are reviewed.

scholarly journals Homeless Patrons Utilize the Library for More than Shelter but Public Library Services Are Not Designed with Them in Mind

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 174-175
Author(s):  
Samantha J. Kaplan
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Convenience Sample

A Review of: Dowdell, L., & Liew, C. L. (2019). More than a shelter: Public libraries and the information needs of people experiencing homelessness. Library & Information Science Research, 41(4), 100984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2019.100984 Abstract Objective – The study sought to examine the information seeking behavior of homeless patrons and how public libraries meet the needs of homeless patrons. Design – Qualitative phenomenological study. Setting – Public libraries in New Zealand. Subjects – Four homeless patrons who were current library patrons and seven public library workers (senior managers and two front line workers). Methods – Purposive convenience sample of homeless patrons and library workers to participate in face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. The study utilized Creswell's four-step data analysis spiral to produce a synthesis. Main Results – Homeless patrons utilize public libraries for far more than daytime shelter, patronizing the collections, and accessing services. The participating libraries did not have existing policies, practices, services, or staff designed for the needs and wants of homeless people, however, current offerings largely met the needs of homeless patrons. Conclusion – Homeless people use public libraries much like non-homeless patrons and public libraries could develop specialized offerings for them, though they must take care to do so in a way that does not further marginalize this group. Additional research is needed to understand why some homeless people do not utilize the libraries. 

scholarly journals How Adult Fiction Readers Select Fiction Books  in Public Libraries: a Study of Information-Seeking in Context

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kamy Ooi
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Book Clubs ◽  
The Public ◽  
Book Choice ◽  
Internet Radio ◽  
Book Selections

<p>This study examines from the viewpoint of twelve adult fiction readers, who are members of book clubs, how they go about selecting fiction books to borrow from the public library. The methodological approach taken was a qualitative one in that each participant took part in an individual, semi-structured, face-to-face interview. The central premise of the study was that information seeking occurs in a context and must therefore be understood as influenced by context. In attempting to understand how adult fiction readers select their books then, the study examined a variety of contextual factors that influenced book choice. Personal characteristics such as mood and lifestyle were found to have an impact on book selections. Family and friends, and peers from book clubs, also played important roles in participants' book choices. The mass media, including the Internet, radio, television and the printed press also impacted participants' choice of books. Radio, in particular, was a popular source among participants. The study also examined the role that the public library played in fiction readers' book choices. It was found that while the public library provided a range of readers' advisory tools to assist fiction readers in their book selections, not all the tools were helpful to the study's participants. Library staff also played a largely invisible role in participants' book choices. Implications for public library services are discussed in the study.</p>

Implementation of information literacy programmes in public libraries

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Kingori ◽  
Dorothy Njiraine ◽  
Stephen Maina
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Information Resources ◽  
National Library ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Major Player

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the implementation of information literacy programmes in the public libraries in Kenya as demonstrated through a case study of the major public library in the country – Kenya National Library Service (KNLS). Design/methodology/approach The use of a case study research design made it possible to establish in-depth personal views, opinions and attitudes of the various respondents through face-to-face interviews and questionnaires. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used to collect data from the respondents. Purposive and random sampling techniques were used, and data were analyzed. Findings Major findings of this study indicated that the majority of users at the KNLS relied heavily on the print information materials, while some users, especially researchers, utilized the Internet for their academic work or research. The findings indicated that information literacy should be embedded in the information literacy programmes in all public libraries. Research limitations/implications The study was confined to the KNLS. A much wider scope could be untenable, necessitating such limitation. Practical implications As KNLS is the national library charged with the responsibility of providing public library services, it is a major player in terms of policies and guidelines. The study will encourage users in public libraries to appreciate the importance of information resources and also sensitize public library administrators to support information literacy programmes. Social implications The study will enable the educational administrators to develop and plan relevant instructional models related to information literacy, critical thinking and independent learning. The challenges and solutions experienced at the KNLS can be applied in other public libraries in Kenya. Originality/value The study identified the various gaps and challenges that exists in implementation of information literacy programmes in public libraries. Major recommendations of this study are: users should be provided with training on use of information resources; library staff should be provided with methodology skills to make them effective trainers; and public libraries should partner with other stakeholders to provide information literacy programmes. In addition, adequate funding for physical, material and human resources should be provided to facilitate the implementation of information literacy programmes in the public libraries in Kenya.

scholarly journals How Young Adult Readers Select Fiction in Public Libraries: A Study of the Factors Which Influence Information-Seeking in Context

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Rachel Randall
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
Peer Influence ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Family Influence ◽  
Reading Material

<p>Research Problem: The purpose of this research paper is to observe the information-seeking behaviour and book selection methods of the youth today, mainly in the public library context. There are so many questions, and prescribed answers as to how young adults seek reading material for themselves, who and what influences them, what is the best way to communicate with them, as well as how technology effects these processes. There are few recent research articles on this topic, and no qualitative-research examples, which prevent us from uncovering rich, genuine data about how young adults respond to aspects such was Web 2.0, peer influence, family influence, teacher/librarian influence, the introduction of new collections, book displays, youthful-looking book covers and so forth. Methodology: Qualitative research methods used. Focus groups were conducted with 3 groups, each consisting of 8-11 teenagers, who are members of Auckland Libraries. Results: We can observe that for optimal effect on young adults, public libraries (or even publishing houses, bookstores and schools) is to be wiser and more focused with some services, and to understand what young adults are actually seeking. It is about giving a facelift to some current services, re-organizing the collection, re-thinking how the web and Web 2.0 is used, and being more strategic in establishing personal relationships with young adults. Implications: This research offers theoretical grounding within a comprehensive literature review of as much current information examples as possible. It also offers practical lessons, offered by the examples given from the young adults themselves, which public libraries may or may not choose to employ, in order to draw young adults to their services, to use their collections, and to stay as members for life.</p>

scholarly journals How Adult Fiction Readers Select Fiction Books  in Public Libraries: a Study of Information-Seeking in Context

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Kamy Ooi
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Book Clubs ◽  
The Public ◽  
Book Choice ◽  
Internet Radio ◽  
Book Selections

<p>This study examines from the viewpoint of twelve adult fiction readers, who are members of book clubs, how they go about selecting fiction books to borrow from the public library. The methodological approach taken was a qualitative one in that each participant took part in an individual, semi-structured, face-to-face interview. The central premise of the study was that information seeking occurs in a context and must therefore be understood as influenced by context. In attempting to understand how adult fiction readers select their books then, the study examined a variety of contextual factors that influenced book choice. Personal characteristics such as mood and lifestyle were found to have an impact on book selections. Family and friends, and peers from book clubs, also played important roles in participants' book choices. The mass media, including the Internet, radio, television and the printed press also impacted participants' choice of books. Radio, in particular, was a popular source among participants. The study also examined the role that the public library played in fiction readers' book choices. It was found that while the public library provided a range of readers' advisory tools to assist fiction readers in their book selections, not all the tools were helpful to the study's participants. Library staff also played a largely invisible role in participants' book choices. Implications for public library services are discussed in the study.</p>

scholarly journals Publishing Literacy for Researchers

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susanne Mikki ◽  
Ingrid Cutler
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Classical Text ◽  
Academic Curriculum ◽  
Feedback Questionnaire

The purpose of this paper is to present an example of teacher-librarian collaboration (TLC) in a highly diverse branch of geography as a part of bachelor's seminar teaching. One can say that everything is geography if the phenomenon in question is delimited in a certain region, place or space. Thus every other discipline provides its methods, paradigms and information sources into the use of geography. This obviously presents a challenge to the librarian as he tries to support the geography students' information seeking. The topics can vary between cellular biology applications to sociological perception which also means a large variety in information needs. In our paper we aim to describe different approaches of collaboration this kind of variety requires based on the experiences and feedback gathered in a project, the aim of which was to integrate information literacy (IL) into the academic curriculum. Collaborating with teachers with different backgrounds and from different scientific traditions can be challenging for the librarian. Not only the information sources, databases and methods are different but it is the whole approach to the science that is different. Thus it is fairly obvious that the competence of a single librarian or a teacher is not sufficient for an effective IL instruction. The key here is the collaboration when librarian's information literacy and teacher's academic subject competence complete each other. A successful TLC gives opportunity for both marketing the idea of information literacy and the competence of a library professional. It may also increase the efficiency of teaching and studies and even shorten the time for a student to graduate. Especially in the case of seminar teaching TLC seems to give a valuable opportunity to instruct the students' seminar thesis along the way. In 2008, Kumpula Campus Library launched a project to integrate the IL teaching into the academic curriculum and to enhance the collaboration between the campus library and academic staff. The aim of our case project was to support the bachelor level students in their work of their bachelor's thesis. The librarian participated in the bachelor's seminar by giving a lecture about information literacy and a personal guidance in the students' information seeking process. The main idea was to make a timely intervention in order to give the best possible support to the academic writing across the curriculum. The importance of a timely intervention is well described in the classical text of Carol C. Kuhlthau (1993). The students came from the department of geography in the faculty of science of the University of Helsinki. The personal guidance session was conducted together with the seminar teacher to support both academic writing and information seeking process. After the seminar, the effect of the IL teaching was evaluated by a feedback questionnaire.

scholarly journals PERAN BUKU DAN PERPUSTAKAAN DALAM DEMOKRATISASI INFORMASI

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Faisal Syarifudin
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Access To Information ◽  
Global Era ◽  
Filter Process ◽  
Information Media ◽  
Development Participation ◽  
Printed Materials ◽  
Democratic Life

Democratization of information is a manifestation of a nation's democratic life in which people participate in all aspect of development. Participation requires openness and freedom to get access to information. Availability of information in the global era must be accompanied by competence to filter, process and utilize information, which is known as information literacy. Among various formats of information media, printed materials especially books are mostly preferred because they are easy and convenient to use. Books as information media are closely related to libraries, particularly public libraries which are the most democratic and enable all members of community to interact with information and knowledge. However, it is unfortunate that public libraries and libraries in general have not been given proper attention in Indonesia. Keywords : information literacy, public libraries, public library manifesto

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