Librarians, Learning and Information Literacy in the Digital Age
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Presentation from Jane Secker's session at the Librarians as Teachers conference held on 10th June 2015 in Birmingham.
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Librarians, Learning and Information Literacy in the Digital Age
- 1. Librarians, learning and information literacy in the digital age Dr Jane Secker, London School of Economics Librarians as Teachers, ARLG West Midlands 10th June 2015 Image: Kevin Dooley, flickr.com CC BY-NC 2.0
- 2. 2015: time to reflect What has changed in the last 5 years in your role? Are you more or less recognised as a teacher? #LibTeach2015
- 3. Librarians as teachers ... We are talking about information literacy (IL) in the digital age But what do we mean?
- 4. Librarians as teachers ... We are talking about information literacy (IL) But what do we mean? Library instruction
- 5. Librarians as teachers ... We are talking about information literacy (IL) But what do we mean? Library instruction User education
- 6. Librarians as teachers ... We are talking about information literacy (IL) But what do we mean? Library instruction User education Bibliographic training
- 7. Get outside the library bubble Kitty behind the bubble by Beatnik photos licensed under CC-BY
- 8. The role of the teacher in the digital age Signpost by thepicturedrome licensed under CC-BY-NC
- 9. Threshold concepts & liminality “A threshold concept can be considered as akin to a portal, opening up a new and previously inaccessible way of thinking about something.” - Jan Meyer & Ray Land
- 10. Information literacy ... … supports transition Higher education is “not just more education, but different”. Students coming from school are not sure what learning is - it’s always been managed for them. (ANCIL Expert Consultation Report, 2011, p.20) Secker and Coonan, 2011
- 11. Information literacy ... … develops independent learners It involves students being able to articulate the expectations of a new information context, and also being able to reflect on their own learning. Part of the process of becoming an independent learner also involves helping a student understand more about the process of learning. (ANCIL Expert Consultation Report, 2011, p.22) Secker and Coonan, 2011
- 12. Information literacy ... … includes the social dimension of information As a profession, we need to think about what students need to know and be able to apply in the information environment. Our commitment should be to life-long learning rather than the longer life of our library resources. (ANCIL Expert Consultation Report, 2011, p.28) Secker and Coonan, 2011
- 13. Information literacy is a continuum of skills, behaviours, approaches and values that is so deeply entwined with the uses of information as to be a fundamental element of learning, scholarship and research. It is the defining characteristic of the discerning scholar, the informed and judicious citizen, and the autonomous learner. (ANCIL definition of information literacy, 2011)
- 14. ANCIL: Rethinking IL Secker & Coonan (2011)
- 16. Challenging perceptions of IL “… if the teachers, whether they’re school or university teachers, don’t have the same view of IL that we do, it’s always going to be [about] the skills. And the skills are fine but anybody can teach the skills; it’s teaching the changing attitude and the different approach that I think has to come from the teachers.” (ANCIL Expert Consultation Report, 2011)
- 18. “Being able to use different ways of finding information and being able to judge whether the information is trustworthy or accurate is vital: it opens up choices, empowers us and can give us more confidence.” (Welsh Information Literacy Project, 2011)
- 19. Qualifications and staff development
- 20. “Information literacy .... empowers people in all walks of life to seek, evaluate, use and create information effectively to achieve their personal, social, occupational and educational goals. It is a basic human right ... ” (UNESCO, 2005)
- 21. ‘Victorian mindmapped man’ by LukePDQ, flickr.com CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
- 22. “If the learner/user becomes information literate, that is, self-sufficient, then the role of the information professional is necessarily redefined as the one of facilitator of learning, rather than provider of information.” (Andretta, 2005)
- 23. Image credit: Gungahlin Public Library (reproduced by permission of Libraries ACT) Image © Gungahlin Public Library (reproduced by permission of Libraries ACT) The challenge becomes, not finding that scarce plant growing in the desert, but finding a specific plant growing in a jungle. We are going to need help navigating that information to find the thing we actually need." - Neil Gaiman
- 24. The SADL Project 2013-2015 Collaborative Project: Library Learning Technology and Innovation (LTI) Teaching and Learning Centre Student Union IT Training Engagement with 4 academic departments Social Policy, Statistics, Law, International Relations 40 student ambassadors
- 25. Undergraduate support at LSE 2012 Audit of undergraduate support proved a catalyst Used ANCIL as audit tool Report: Bell et al (2012) Found support was ‘patchy’ Transition was offered by all / none Help offered at point of need / crisis Assumptions that others were responsible Assumptions : dangerous!
- 26. Working with students as partners Key focus in UK with Jisc Change Agents Network Building student engagement in conjunction with the ‘top down’ approach ie having a strategy Digital literacy is a key area were we have a lot to learn from students Avoids falling for the digital native rhetoric
- 27. SADL workshops Workshop 1: Introduction to the SADL project: finding and evaluating information Workshop 2: Reading and research practices Workshop 3: Managing and sharing information Workshop 4: Managing your digital identity All resources on project website: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsesadl/resources/
- 28. How do you approach an assignment? Workshop 2: reading and writing in your discipline?
- 29. Workshop 4: Managing your digital identity Digital Footprint: why does it matter?
- 30. SADL Senior Ambassadors Senior ambassadors appointed to mentor students Planned and helped teach each workshop Invaluable source of advice and support for teachers Useful experience for students Our greatest champions?
- 31. Lessons learnt to date Developing relationships with students takes time and need to build trust Workshops require: Clear aims and objectives but flexibility A lot of preparation time A suitable learning space Valuable staff development – new techniques, activities Ambassador role requires clear expectations and ways to facilitate peer support and mentoring Need greater support from academic departments and other students to make a wider impact
- 32. The librarian as teacher? Photo by Andrew_Writer licensed under CC-BY-NC
- 33. What did the little bird tell us? http://visibletweets.com/
- 34. There are no answers, only more questions... j.secker@lse.ac.uk / @jsecker http://janesecker.wordpress.com https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsesadl http://newcurriculum.wordpress.com
- 35. Further reading Bell, Maria and Moon, Darren and Secker, Jane (2012) Undergraduate support at LSE: the ANCIL report. The London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK. Available at: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/48058/ Threshold Concepts and Information Literacy http://www.ilthresholdconcepts.com/ LSE SADL Project website and resources (2014) Available at: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsesadl/resources Secker, J and Coonan, E (2011) A New Curriculum for Information Literacy. Available at: http://newcurriculum.wordpress.com Secker, Jane, Karnad, Arun , Bell, Maria, Wilkinson, Ellen and Provencher, Claudine (2014) Student ambassadors for digital literacy (SADL): project final report. Learning Technology and Innovation , London, UK. Available at: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/59479/
Editor's Notes
- The CILIP debate was won on this topic in January What does it mean to be a teacher in the digital age? Librarians are teachers – not trainers, but teachers
- 15 years of working in the profession – time to consider how far we have come as a profession, but I’d like you all to take a moment to reflect on your personal journey. Where are you now, what has changed in the last 5 years in your role? Are you more recognised as a teacher? Are you teaching more or less? Share that with the person next to you. Turn to them, say hello, and share one observation. Emma Coonan and I did our ANCIL research in 2011 trying to meet the needs of undergraduates of the future so we reflected last month on whether this work was still relevant. In January the ILG hosted a CILIP Debate - Emma Coonan and Geoff Walton won the CILIP debate that librarians were teachers – so do we need to keep talking about this? Has this battle been won? Are librarians teachers or in fact are they something else?
- Librarians as teachers is the theme of today’s conference and in my mind this means IL. And by IL we DON’T mean: library instruction user education bibliographic training – we have moved a long way from Database training – which button to press which are functional low level skills (they have a place as as foundation) but we are looking to develop students higher order cognitive abilities We mean IL in the sense that UNESCO mean IL, we mean the ANCIL definition. We need to be rethinking IL with a broader definition, but also in a way that is learner centred. IL is not a pre-defined set of competencies and while these can be useful they are artificial. They reduce IL to a set of tick boxes. They imply it is something that has a pre-defined level that once achieved it dealt with, rather than it being an on-going iterative process. The longer you teach IL, the more you find yourself wondering if you CAN teach IL – it’s a way of thinking
- Librarians as teachers is the theme of today’s conference and in my mind this means IL. And by IL we DON’T mean: library instruction user education bibliographic training We mean IL in the sense that UNESCO mean IL, we mean the ANCIL definition. We need to be rethinking IL with a broader definition, but also in a way that is learner centred. IL is not a pre-defined set of competencies and while these can be useful they are artificial. They reduce IL to a set of tick boxes. They imply it is something that has a pre-defined level that once achieved it dealt with, rather than it being an on-going iterative process. The longer you teach IL, the more you find yourself wondering if you CAN teach IL – it’s a way of thinking
- Librarians as teachers is the theme of today’s conference and in my mind this means IL. And by IL we DON’T mean: library instruction user education bibliographic training We mean IL in the sense that UNESCO mean IL, we mean the ANCIL definition. We need to be rethinking IL with a broader definition, but also in a way that is learner centred. IL is not a pre-defined set of competencies and while these can be useful they are artificial. They reduce IL to a set of tick boxes. They imply it is something that has a pre-defined level that once achieved it dealt with, rather than it being an on-going iterative process. The longer you teach IL, the more you find yourself wondering if you CAN teach IL – it’s a way of thinking
- Librarians as teachers is the theme of today’s conference and in my mind this means IL. And by IL we DON’T mean: library instruction – it’s very strange that American librarians ‘instruct’ students (I think they mean teach) user education bibliographic training We mean IL in the sense that UNESCO mean IL, we mean the ANCIL definition. We need to be rethinking IL with a broader definition, but also in a way that is learner centred. IL is not a pre-defined set of competencies and while these can be useful they are artificial. They reduce IL to a set of tick boxes. They imply it is something that has a pre-defined level that once achieved it dealt with, rather than it being an on-going iterative process. The longer you teach IL, the more you find yourself wondering if you CAN teach IL – it’s a way of thinking
- I think the one thing I’m clear we need to do is to get outside the library world – start talking to other groups about the teaching that librarians can and are doing. The role of the librarian has changed a lot and I think we all know that. But it may be outside the library world that people still don’t realise And don’t realise the overlaps between what they are trying to teach and how we can help them
- What is the role of the teacher in the digital age? Does everyone know the picture of the person with the content being poured into their head. Certainly the role of the teacher in HE Is to be a facilitator of learning. Content is no longer scare – content is everywhere so in fact we should be questioning the role of the teacher in higher education The learner needs a guide, but most of all they need to be equipped with abilities to ask questions The role of the teacher is now arguably that of learner
- These feature in the new ACRL Framework for information literacy. Their attempt to move away from a standards based approach that says the information literate student will be able to do X Y and Z. Threshold concepts are also about a state of liminality – or transition– Emma and I recognised that IL is about transition and a degree of uncertainty, anxiety in learning – to learn you have to lose something It is defined as the transitional period or phase of a rite of passage, during which the participant lacks social status or rank, remains anonymous, shows obedience and humility, and follows prescribed forms of conduct, dress, etc.
- In the research I did back in 2011 with Emma Coonan – here are the first few strands Transition is not just the first few weeks at university – it can happen when a student gets their first bit of feedback, when they first write a dissertation
- Is that scary? Maybe Is it overly ambitious? Yes definitely Is it the preserve of the librarian – no definitely not!
- Emma and I spent 3 months reading the literature, talking to experts and testing out our emerging theories to develop what is known as ANCIL. Our ten strands of ANCIL attempt to view the learning process holistically and from the perspective of the learner. That process should also not focus on simply finding and managing information, but how you use information in a new context (as an incoming undergraduate). How you start to develop independent learning skills, how you start to learn the rules of the game in your discipline, what are valid sources, who are the key thinkers? How is evidence used in your discipline. And then from finding, evaluating and managing information, through to presenting, communicating, using information to develop knowledge and finally to consider that social and wider implications and be able to apply what you have learnt in a new context – the workplace – your home life. In developing ANCIL we are partly trying to broaden our understanding of information literacy, but also to show how the teaching that librarians do fits into a broader framework for universities and colleges. ANCIL is about developing students as lifelong learners. Its not about teaching tools and technologies, but it is teaching students problem solving abilities to adapt. In the course of today’s talk I can only give a brief overview of ANCIL – however I urge you to take a look at the full curriculum document which is available from the new curriculum website referenced at the end. And if you are excited about it, get in touch with us!
- PART OF WHAT HAS GIVEN ANCIL ITS LONGEVITY? We looked hard at whether we needed to include ‘digitalness’ or technology as a discrete strand in our curriculum, but ultimately we figured we were looking at it the wrong way up and that ‘digitalness’ is a bit of a red herring. Our view is that information literacy refers to all forms of information, including analogue, digital, visual and and anything else as a part of a broad landscape of information. What matters is not the platform or the format, but the context, and the uses to which students are expected to put various types of information at each stage of the scholarly career. Our research doesn't split off digital or other literacies into a separate conceptual container - the focus is rather on developing students' abilities, attitudes and values across all aspects of information use and handling so that they are equipped to deal with information judiciously, no matter what format they encounter it in – and no matter when.
- There are some perceptions around IL – in the library world and outside that we need to challenge. Librarians may be guilty of thinking IL is Going to save us NOR Is it necessarily understood by other support staff or by teachers But also: IL doesn’t belong to us (it’s not appropriate to see it as ‘the saviour of the library’ in a digital era). As Katy Wrathall has said “Ownership if a flawed concept”. Clare McCluskey’s research in LIR explored how to build partnerships to explore librarians as full partners in higher education, not just providers of services. This builds on earlier work by Claire McGuiness who had found most interactions between faculty and librarians were of the functional service provider nature. Faculty perceptions of IL McGuinness article back in 2006 : faculty perceptions – its related to student motivation, they will pick it up over time, they (the faculty) are already doing it, they pick it up from fellow students] We need to establish common ground and have a collective vision of the kind that could be achieved through a strategic framework like ANCIL (it’s happening at LSE, Derby, Worcs, YSJ … all in line with each institution’s particular needs.) Building partnerships is all about having a better understanding of what we each do.
- Through carrying out these audits at LSE so interesting notions around the perception of librarians emerged. So for instance … what stops faculty from taking us seriously as teacher? It’s not perceptions of capability but of credibility The perception problem is because of a complex legacy assumption that “librarians look after books”. They may do other things as well, but our primary role is to tend the stuff. So every time you teach a session they think you’re doing them a special favour! They think they’re taking you away from your “real job” which is doing stuff with books. You say IL (or, you talk about your teaching or your provision or your support) -- what do faculty colleagues hear? … IL = finding books and journal articles IL= library tours IL = ICT support Think about the preconceived ideas from staff about what your session IL teaching will cover. Does this convey the breadth of information literacy as defined by ANCIL? E.g. Sarah Faye Cohen [excellent blog posts on ‘starting with the WHY of study and research’] – but when she was being introduced her faculty colleague said “Sarah is going to tell you about the library now”. (Rhetorical question: how many of you even use the word ‘library’ when you teach? Or do you find yourself talking about ‘information’ instead in a broader way?)
- A process of empowerment?
- And on the capability side – part of the issue is NOT being seen as a teacher, but part of the issue is not having the confidence of qualifications to be a teacher when we enter the profession. So in many cases we are seeking qualifications on entering a professional post, when it becomes apparent we need to teach. So quick straw poll – can I ask how many people in the room have a formal teaching qualification? How many of you are studying for one at the moment? I think it is worth noting that few if any library and information courses in the UK have a core teaching component. Every course has a core module on library management, even though most librarians won’t need it until they get to management level in about 20 years. But why not teach something every librarian will need as soon as they walk into the job? And it’s not just about the practical side of teaching, it’s about understanding learning. And finally, on teacher training, in the future we may be spending far less time teaching students and more time teaching academics about information literacy, so they can teach students IL. I think it’s vital that we integrate information literacy into our educational qualifications (PGCEs etc.) as a priority.
- How about a basic human right?! That’s what UNESCO says information literacy is! In evaluating, judging, producing and using information, you make your voice heard, you make a difference. This isn’t about writing essays – it’s about lifelong learning, about social uses of information, about understanding power and how it’s used. But it includes precisely what higher education is supposed to produce: a judicious and informed individual capable of creative, holistic, and critical thinking.
- So how we teach – or how we help the development of information literacy values and behaviours in our learners in higher education - supports the emergence of that judicious, informed individual, that empowered citizen, that agent – that person who acts. Process, not thing. Or is it? the idea of a continuum or spectrum of information literacy teaching. Materials provision vs. agency – a continuum How much of what you do is about organising what’s out there (published) and how much is about what’s in there (head) and still taking shape? It’s not going to be one or the other, is it. So where on that spectrum does your teaching fall ... Both in terms of theories espoused – the framework you adhere to, the values that guide you – and also in how your practice manifests. Because it’s not going to be the same thing! But more importantly, and less obviously, than that: All our teaching, both theories espoused and theories in practice, is situated in a wider institutional context which itself has already constituted the student’s experience of education. Our interactions with them are shaped by these touchpoints with the institution and by the values that underlie what they encounter. So as well as thinking about your own practice and embodiment of values – where you’d put yourself on the continuum – ask yourself as well what’s your library’s place on the continuum, your institution’s values, your vice chancellor – and what impact does that have on your practice? Should libraries be trying to provide allthestuff, and support students in developing critical, evaluative and analytical abilities in order to encounter and use information? Or should libraries be only offering quality, reliable stuff - preselected so that it's guaranteed to be relevant and useful? There's no single, simple answer to this on where libraries should stand. But where do you, personally, stand? And where do your colleagues and your senior management team and the University administration and the Vice Chancellor stand? How they see the mission of the library directly affects the academic ecosystem in which you are trying to carve out, or fit in to, the role of being a teaching librarian. It doesn’t help that existing information literacy models have tended to create definitions based on the belief that there can be universal competency standards, outlining a ‘right’ way of searching and outputting information, as though we can ‘sign off’ students once and for all when they reach the required standard (which happens once and for all).
- Neil Gaiman, bless him, doesn’t get that. But Susie Andretta does ...
- Personally: I am not in the ‘right answer business’! If information is an adventure game learners have to find their own pathways and follow the signposts of their own choosing. Yes, information –particularly the landscape of library resources ... may be a dark, foreboding forest; but I’m not Gandalf. I’m not the one who knows where the path lies for your quest. I don’t have that knowledge. You do. That’s what I’m here for, to let learners know that.
- Project aims To better understand the existing digital and information literacies of students To explore the role of Student Ambassadors as peer support for others on their course To explore how aspects of digital and information literacy can be embedded into the curriculum To share good practice at LSE on embedding digital, academic and information literacies
- Staff assumed aspects of IL were covered by others or students would already know it – this is very dangerous given the diverse student population at LSE Approach to transition was often sink or swim and help offered as remedial or targeted at specific groups such as students who’s first language is not English (this is probably half of them!) High achieving students also struggle Bit fish in a small pond – the brightest kid in school until they get to LSE! Where the pond is full of big fish!
- Funding came from a HEA / Jisc initiative about embedding digital literacies into an institution and the literature review we did back in 2014 also highligted that strategies at the top level (the framework) only get you so far! Working from the ground up can also be effective – and these two together are powerful.
- Jane Format of the workshops Interactive – we learnt from them as much as they learnt from us Activity based Quick wins where they learnt a digital skill Meetings with students initially envisaged as focus groups Then thought that rather than just seek information from students, should also provide development for students – 2 way Interactive activities Provide input Quick win – skill they leave with
- Ellen Show some of the work done How students approach and assignment One is stats and one is social Policy Shows tools used and the approach Also shows how students interweave academic work with their lives – cook and eat, facebook chat, social media
- Jane Range of different software used – other posters with further tools Students shared with us and each other – asked about tolls they didn’t know about and were interested in trying these out.
- Maria Set clear expectations about the role of digital literacy ambassadors Are the students an ambassador, a champion, a mentor for others? Be prepared for trust to take time to develop – students will open up as they get to know you Workshops need a lot of planning and resources to ensure they are engaging and interactive – plan for plenty of activities and opportunities for you to learn from the students! Early workshops need to be structured – makes students more comfortable. Can get more flexible as project goes on once they gain confidence and get to know us and each other Learned how to teach Ugs, activities – adapted resources made available as OERs from Adam Edwards, Middlesex and Matt Borg, Sheffield Hallam - Workshop 2 – fuzzy on our aim meant less satisfactory but good input from students still. Made us think and reflect better for 3 and for rest of project objective. and space has an impact on the atmosphere you are creating – if you want informal, then don’t use a board room! Staff development issues – time consuming and need others able to teach this style of workshops
- We are all in the maze The librarian as a teacher can act as a bridge to another place They can help transform the students understanding by working with discipline experts
- I don’t have all the answers – we have to keep on searching and questioning! I’m still in that liminal space trying to work things out By continually searching for answers I hope that together we will get there!