Mike Eisenberg The Information School University of Washington

1. Mike EisenbergThe Information SchoolUniversity of Washington Information Literacy: Ensuring Effective Use of Information

2. www.big6.org All Big6 resources available from: Linworth 800-786-5017 linworth@linworthpublishing.com

3. Information Literacy • Why is information literacy important – for society? – for libraries? • What do we mean by information literacy? • How is information literacy best learned?

4. Why This is Important…

5. “To ensure that students...are effective users of ideas and information.” Why? Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning, AASL and AECT, 1998.

6. So What? • What does this have to do with me? • Is this what libraries are really about today? YES!

7. Problems • Everyone – information access, overload, quality • Students – gaining essential information knowledge & skills • Schools – providing meaningful learning opportunities • Librarians – becoming central “players” (delivery and recognition)

8. Solution • Active, engaged, vibrant library programs • Highly knowledgeable and skilled librarians • Programs and professionals directly focused on learning – in all types of libraries

9. Example – Master’s CurriculumUniversity of Washington • Required Course: LIS 560 Instructional and Training Strategies for Information Professionals • Develops knowledge and skills in instruction and training functions for library and information settings. • Issues and strategies for learning and teaching. • Design, development, and evaluation of information and technology literacy programs. • Addresses the needs of users when designing and delivering instruction.

10. Information Problem #1:Overload • Information overload, information anxiety • Just too much “stuff”; people can’t keep up.

11. Information Overload “More new information has been produced in the last 30 years than in the previous 5,000.” (Source: Large, P., The Micro Revolution, Revisited, 1984)

12. Information Overload Today, a daily newspaper has more print information in it than a person would come across in an entire lifetimein the 17th Century. David Lewis “Introduction to Dying for Information,” www.reuters.com/rbb/research/dfiforframe.htm, 1996

13. Solutions to Information Overload? • Speed things up? • Pack in more and more content? • Add more technology?

14. Speeding Up – The Solution?

15. Speeding Up – The Solution?

16. Solutions to Information Overload? • Speed things up? • Pack in more and more content? • Add more technology?

17. The Solution – Technology?

18. The Solution – Technology?

19. OVERLOAD www.edc.org/hec/ The World Wide Web www.lll.hawaii.edu/nflrc/ www.ncddr.org The World Wide Web www.edc.org/FSC/NCIP/ www.ukans.edu www.csn.net/RMC/star/ www.ucpa.org/atfsc.html www.cohums.ohio-state.edu/flc/ home.gvi.net/~edoig/western/ carla.acad.umn.edu/ www.cec.sped.org/cl-menu.htm sccac.lacoe.edu www.netaxs.com/~edoig/home.html www.osc.edu/CSNP/GLARRC.HTML polyglot.cal.msu.edu/clear/home.html www.ihdi.uky.edu/projects/MSRRC/index.html www.askeric.org www.enc.org www.naric.com/naric/ www.edc.org/FSC/MIH/ www.aed.org/special.ed/frc.html www.vais.net/~edoig/ www.ed.gov larcnet.sdsu.edu// www.educ.drake.edu/rc/RRC/mprrc.html www.prel.hawaii.edu sfa.ed.gov home.gvi.net/~edoig/ geminfo.org www.educ.iastate.edu/currinst/nflrc/nflrc.html www.ticllc.net/~gpiacesi/ trio.ume.maine.edu/~nceoa/nceoa.html www.resna.org/resna/hometa1.htm www.cal.org/cal/html/nflrc.htm

20. OVERLOAD www.edc.org/hec/ www.lll.hawaii.edu/nflrc/ www.ncddr.org www.edc.org/FSC/NCIP/ www.ukans.edu www.csn.net/RMC/star/ www.ucpa.org/atfsc.html www.cohums.ohio-state.edu/flc/ home.gvi.net/~edoig/western/ carla.acad.umn.edu/ www.cec.sped.org/cl-menu.htm sccac.lacoe.edu www.netaxs.com/~edoig/home.html www.osc.edu/CSNP/GLARRC.HTML polyglot.cal.msu.edu/clear/home.html www.ihdi.uky.edu/projects/MSRRC/index.html www.askeric.org www.enc.org www.naric.com/naric/ www.edc.org/FSC/MIH/ www.aed.org/special.ed/frc.html www.vais.net/~edoig/ www.ed.gov larcnet.sdsu.edu// www.educ.drake.edu/rc/RRC/mprrc.html www.prel.hawaii.edu sfa.ed.gov home.gvi.net/~edoig/ geminfo.org www.educ.iastate.edu/currinst/nflrc/nflrc.html www.ticllc.net/~gpiacesi/ trio.ume.maine.edu/~nceoa/nceoa.html www.resna.org/resna/hometa1.htm www.cal.org/cal/html/nflrc.htm

21. Overload: Example “Should my child be immunized? Are immunizations safe?” • Found 454,150 possible sites through Altavista. • If spent 5 minutes on each, would take over 37,000 hours to review. • Assuming at least 100-200 that appear to be right on target. Using these meaningfully could easily take an additional 50 - 100 hours. • Total Potential time to spend: 635 days or almost 2 years!!!!!

22. It’s not print vs. digital Books Technology Library

23. It’s not air vs. water Air Water Life

24. However… • The amount of information available digitally will continue to increase dramatically. • The percent of digital information and services used by people will continue to increase dramatically.

25. ABSOLUTELY!! Our Time Is Now!!! Will we need libraries? • When almost everything is digital? • When services, resources, & info are increasingly provided virtually?

26. Information Overload • A Major Problem for Most People • A Major Opportunity for Libraries!

27. Problems = Opportunitiesfor Libraries RE Information overload; libraries can: • help people make sense of the glut of information through services (e.g., the 24/7 digital reference desk). • put new technologies to work. • fill the digital divide. • Teach essential information literacy skills!

28. Problems = Opportunitiesfor Libraries TECHNOLOGY

29. Computers today are one million times more powerful than those 20 years ago.

30. 20 Years Ago: 1983 • Apple II • IBM PC • Compaq “portable” • Mainframe, centralized control and services dominated

31. In 20 years computers will be one million times more powerful than today!

32. Today: Developing Information Technologies • Tablet PC • Wireless • Convergence devices • Wearable computers

33. Information Problem #2: Quality

34. Quality • Researchers (Rand) checked out 6 health Web sites and 12 sites dedicated to specific diseases. • How frequently Web sites are complete and accurate: U.S. News & World Report, June 4, 2001 v130 i22 p10

35. Quality Breast cancer 63% Depression 44% Obesity 37% Childhood asthma 33% U.S. News & World Report, June 4, 2001 v130 i22 p10

36. Quality “More than 2/3 of teens said within the last year that they use the Internet as their major resource when doing a big project for school..." Lester, Will "High School Students Love Net for Research." Syracuse Post Standard, 8/21/01 (from AP )

37. In a study of 500 sites used by Colorado high school students to do research, only 27% of the sites were judged to be reliable for academic research! Information OverloadProblem: Quality Ebersol, Samuel, “Uses and Gratifications of the Web among Students,” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 6(1): September 2000, www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol6/issue1/ebersole.html Colhoun, Alexander. "But - - I Found It on the Internet!" Christian Science Monitor. 25 April 2000: 16.

38. Quality Advice on the Net: • The top legal advice person on Askme.com turned out to be a 14 year old whose only legal training was from Court TV and cop shows. • But – just as interesting, when he was finally “uncovered,” • Michael Lewis, New York Times Magazine, July 2001; also Next (Norton, 2001)

39. Quality Advice on the Net: • The top legal advice person on Askme.com turned out to be a 14 year old whose only legal training was from Court TV and cop shows. • But – just as interesting, when he was finally “uncovered,” the demand for his advice still continued! • Michael Lewis, New York Times Magazine, July 2001; also Next (Norton, 2001)

40. The Solution? • Discourage Web Use? • Filtering?

41. Alternative Solution • Helping people to be discriminating users of information! • Helping people learn essential information & technology skills! INFORMATION LITERACY

42. Information Literacy “To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.” American Library Association, 1989

43. Information Literacy • Beyond location & access • Beyond keyboarding or any particular software product • The full range of information skills & technology skills within the information process.

44. A Widely Recognized Need

45. Survey of Valued SkillsFall 2001 • Problem Solving • Information Use • Speaking • Independent Work • Technology • Group Work • Writing • Reading www.washington.edu/oea/9811.htm

46. Survey of UW Students Rated their own competence as “very good” or “excellent”:

47. Information Literacy • Why is information literacy important – for society? – for libraries? • What do we mean by information literacy? • How is information literacy best learned?

48. Information Literacy Models • AASL Information Literacy Standards • www.ala.org/aasl/ip_nine.html • ACRL Information Literacy Standards • www.ala.org/acrl/ilintro.html

49. K – 12

50. AASL – Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning • Information Literacy • Independent Learning • Social Responsibility http://www.ala.org/acrl/ilintro.html