Unifying Librarian Skills with Students’ Need for Information Literacy

Abstract

The presentation will focus on the challenge of unifying the librarians’ skills, knowledge, and eagerness to communicate these, with the students’ need for information literacy (IL). We propose that this is done best by departing from the view of IL as a normative concept where the meeting between librarian and the students focusses on teaching the students tools and techniques for future use. We perceive it as far more beneficial to view IL from a Limberg perspective, where focus is on the students’ learning and needs in his/her current situation and context.

Based on teaching experiences at Aalborg University Library, we will explore the shift in approach to IL through two cases. The teaching activities at Aalborg University are founded on problem-based learning (PBL). PBL entails among other things that students are responsible for their own learning and work with real problems in groups. PBL is therefore a highly significant element in our perception of IL and a corner stone in the teaching activities at Aalborg University Library.

Our new approach to IL specifically means that we more gradually than before instill the students with the knowledge and skills needed. In our teaching activities, we focus on showing the complexity of the academic world of information, and at the same time provide the students with basic navigation skills. Hopefully, this enables them to discover what it is they need to know in order to become information literate in the given situation, and if necessary ask us for assistance to achieve this. Based on their motivation to learn, we can support our teaching with a guidance session where we unfold the tools and knowledge required for them to become information literate in their given situation.