Technology and Information Literacy

Blog #2:  How is technology changing our view of information literacy?  What challenges does this bring to library services? Describe an "aha" moment you had this week, if any. 

How we view Information Literacy has changed drastically because of advances in technology.  When I think back to my own high school and college years, information literacy comprised mostly just knowing how to find resources that fit my topic and how to incorporate them into my research paper.  I had to learn to use the card catalog, record call numbers, and then physically find the book in which the information I needed was stored.  It was slow going, and I often didn't have very many sources with which to work. I don't recall spending much time critically evaluating the sources I found, other than perhaps looking at the date, and I doubt I created anything with my research other than a traditional paper.

Things have changed.  They have changed so much the ACRL Framework for IL calls information literacy an "educational reform movement."  Because of technology tools, it is much easier to find and obtain certain resources, but there is a much greater need for students to understand the dynamics of the world of information.   The words "landscape," "environment," and even "ecosystem" were used in our readings this week to describe this world.  This, I think, was my biggest aha moment. As Renee Hobbs points out, as researchers, we now have to consider not only the information, but the role economics and entertainment might be playing in what information is available to us, and how that information is presented.  Dunaway (2011) also points out all of the captured knowledge that exists and stored is manipulated by information technology.  Databases and Web search engines limit access to information and rank search results.  Certainly, one of the biggest challenges tech brings to library services is a general sense that we are not needed, that patrons can certainly just Google all by themselves.  We need to help our patrons understand the complexities of the information ecosystem, and that Google is really just the tip of a very large, very complex information iceberg.

Another big shift caused by technology, particularly social media, in information literacy is the know-how to create and share new knowledge.   Students must be able to go beyond writing a traditional research paper that is read only by a professor into a creating a myriad of presentation possibilities that can be shared on a much larger scale.  This involves evaluating which presentation style is appropriate for the message and audience, knowing how to use the technology tools to create the presentation, and considering ethical issues in sharing particular information in particular ways.  The teacher/librarian's role in this process is much different than simply standing up and lecturing about citation styles.  It is essential that we teach critical evaluation and self-reflection skills.