The Most Basic of the Basics
The 4th R. Research.
Information Literacy.
I recently presented via video to a group in Belarus. It was a very meaningful and interesting experience. We had simultaneous translation and they had the handouts translated in advance. The best part was the extensive Q&A session.
One of the most insightful questions was about the broad applicability of information literacy (Big6) skills. The questioner posed something like, “Professor Eisenberg, you offer a new way of thinking about research and library skills. You say that these skills are applicable widely – not just for research papers and projects. But, are there any places where these skills are not important, are less applicable?”
I must admit that I was stumped at first. I hadn’t faced this question before. So, I fumbled a bit and started talking about the applicability of “literacy” itself – reading and writing. While reading and writing are certainly widely applicable, there are instances where they are less important – when riding a bicycle, for example (or learning how to ride a bicycle) or taking a photograph or deciding whether to go to the movies or for a walk. Oh yes, there are certainly instances where reading and writing could help in these situations, but it’s not required.
But, even in these situations, information skills come into play. You still size up the situation (i.e., define the task), gather information, process/use information, and sythesize decisions. You even engage in information evaluation (e.g., do I need more?) and possibly loop back to a different stage in the process.
Then it hit me – hard – that information literacy is the most fundamental, the most basic of the literacies. Reading and writing is essential in our society, and media literacy, and digital, technology, visual, financial, and all the rest are certainly important. But, information literacy – information skills – the information problem-solving process underlies all.
I will think about and write about this more, but one question: if this is true, why is information literacy teaching and learning not a focused, central part of every school? More to follow….
Mike
