Library Services information literacy policy

The critically information literate person can find, evaluate and make balanced judgements about information and use it with an awareness of the significance of its social, political and economic origins, to increase their understanding, competency, expertise, autonomy and creativity.  

Learning: Critically information literate learners have the skills and tools to engage with information landscapes through an awareness of origins, significance and value. Gaining in confidence and understanding, they begin to develop a self-directed approach to their studies and become more aware of current patterns of inequality.

Teaching: Critically information literate teachers are highly aware of contemporary issues, societal power structures and knowledge in their area of expertise and therefore are better able to develop challenging, inclusive and creative teaching which recognises the need for, and supports, the development of information literacy in their students’ learning.

Research: Critically information literate researchers can evaluate and select from the research evidence landscape with an understanding of the nature, value, origins of and absences in that evidence. They are more fully engaged with current knowledge and so can effectively recognise the direction of future research and how, and in what context, they might make an impactful contribution.

In the workplace: The critically information literate person has a greater ability to grasp the origins, contexts and meaning of the relevant information landscapes whose critical evaluation and application is necessary to fulfil a range of roles in the workplace, including informing and supporting others, fulfilling key aims and developing strategy (Cheuk, 2017; Forster, 2017).

As a citizen: Critically information literate citizens can critically judge information and its sources to make ethically and socially aware decisions that enable them to engage fully in democratic life and society (Coonan et al, 2018). 

Library Services works closely with the schools/colleges, IT Services, CELT and the Study Support team to ensure that there is a coordinated approach to academic skills.  Information literacy should not be seen in isolation but instead integrated within the curriculum requiring close working with the module/course team. The skills learnt should help fulfil the learning objectives of the module and be as closely aligned to the subject content of the module as possible.

The method of delivery of the skills will vary across courses and be dependent on the best way to embed the skills for the subject area and engage students within the discipline. This could be a lecture/tutorial method, tutorial only, embedded video followed by Q&A session or a series of lectures and/or tutorials/labs. Information literacy should also not be seen as only relevant to students; Library Services is committed to 'teaching the teacher' and researcher to make sure that they are up to date on the relevant skills to support them in their teaching as well as in their research.

It is pivotal that all students and staff have the same opportunities to develop information literacy skills. The methods used to do this will be tailored to each subject area and level, but the policy aims to ensure equality for all.

Information literacy is a collaboration between librarians and academic staff who each bring unique knowledge and experience. Members of the library team research and publish on the role of information literacy in professional and educational settings and provide practical pedagogical knowledge about the importance of evaluating information, accessing, and synthesising content and critical reading of diverse information sources.  Academic staff can provide that deep subject knowledge and the context needed to make sure that the information literacy skills are tailored correctly for students' academic and future professional needs.  

Objectives

• Campus based students will be provided with information literacy embedded into their curriculum at all levels.

• Research students will be offered an induction at the beginning of their research studies and follow up guidance.

• Academic staff will be offered 1-2-1 meetings and workshops to enhance their information literacy skills which will be supplemented with regular communication about other opportunities to keep abreast in this area.

• All support/professional staff in the University will have the opportunity to develop their information literacy skills and be able to book 1-2-1 meetings with assistant librarians.

How information literacy development can be identified

The success of this policy will be demonstrated by students exhibiting a deeper understanding of their information landscape (Lloyd, 2010) and ability to engage with it effectively. This will be demonstrated in an increase in the range and appropriate use of information sources used in their academic work demonstrating their skills in searching, sourcing and critically evaluating sources. Potential indicators include richer and more focused reference lists and oral reference to richer and more focussed references in Q&A discussions with academic staff and fellow students. In addition, the success will be shown in a growth in student’s confidence in their knowledge of information skills, evaluation and critical thinking.

How we will monitor this

We will monitor this by examining a snapshot of students’ work (anonymously) at the beginning of their course and their final year to measure the growth in their use of information. In addition, we will measure the confidence level of students as they progress through their course.  

The success will also be shown by an increase in the quantity of students and staff being taught in information literacy skills.

Report on progress to the wider University

Library Services Information Literacy group will report to the Library Management team each semester to record progress in the implementation of the policy. The group will also update the team on best practice around information literacy and recommendations for future developments.

Annually, the Library will report to the University on progress against our KPIs which includes a KPI on information literacy (Objective 1 of this policy).

Responding to Evidence and Feedback

As teaching and learning approaches change, librarians will amend their teaching of information literacy to ensure they are following best practice. These changes will be in consultation with their academic and librarian colleagues, both at UWL and in the wider profession.