Information Literacy Beyond 2.0

Citation

Parry, F. (2013), "Information Literacy Beyond 2.0", The Electronic Library, Vol. 31 No. 1, pp. 134-135. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640471311299218

This is an update to the editors' 2008 work Information Literacy meets Library 2.0 and draws from a wide range of internationally renowned authors and practitioners in the field. It is divided into three sections: recent developments in Library 2.0 and Web 2.0; case studies; and what it all means for information professionals.

Godwin covers the first three chapters of the first section and has what may be the most difficult job – to convince us that the terms Library 2.0 and Web 2.0 and the practical advances stemming from these are still valid four short years after the first edition. He admits that there is much scepticism about these terms. Was it all over‐hyped, suffering from an excess of enthusiasm over long‐term strategic thinking? Godwin thinks not and lists some of the positive developments which have lasted the course. Godwin also charts the rise of social and mobile media and the implications for those involved in information literacy, more of which is discussed in detail in the second section.

Phil Bradley and Karen Blakeman describe the change in the way Internet search engines are operating with the emphasis on a heavily personalised service drawing from websites and social media such as Twitter and Facebook. The authors argue that this can sometimes work against the searcher and emphasise the need for information professionals to keep ahead of all the changes to ensure that information and searching strategies are up to the task.

The final chapters in this first section deal with the changing information literacy landscape and how this mirrors the change in society as a whole where change is the norm. Information literacy programmes need to adapt to this change and find out how people learn and use new technologies. It does rather beg the question, however, of whether information professionals are forever playing catch‐up and are sometimes behind the communities they are hoping to engage with.

The case studies section interested me most, particularly the fine study by Jemima McDonald and Sophie McDonald of Sydney's UTS Library who have created InfoSkills Bank, a system which utilises a wide range of technologies designed to be easily accessible on a variety of devices and fun to use! Other chapters include studies on the use of Tweets, QR codes, smartphones and one on the pioneering use of referencing tools such as EasyBib and Zotero in teaching citation principles in a school in Australia. There is also a hugely impressive chapter on the use of games to trigger creative and innovative thinking, although the authors did point out that to be effective these programmes need a very considerable amount of time and expertise. As with all new technology, information professionals need to be creative, forward thinking, technologically savvy and willing to put in the hours.

Jane Secker and Emma Coonan describe a new curriculum for information literacy for undergraduate students. It is comprehensive, clearly thought out and contains the kind of material most information literacy professionals aim to deliver. It also contains the important caveat that for it to have any chance of success it needs active and continuing support from educational management. Trying to get information literacy embedded in curriculum and the support it deserves is a continuing battle.

The final section is addressed to public and school libraries, with some very useful summaries of the ways these two sectors are using the new tools in a very challenging environment. There are some who say that information literacy principles, like learning a language, should begin from an early age so it is ironic that school and public libraries are precisely the places most under threat in this modern, information changing landscape.

As with most books on information literacy, there is a substantial theoretical component, some new terms such as transliteracy to get your head around and some jargon to make the eyes water, but for the most part this is a refreshingly practical book which should interest most information professionals who are grappling with, and need to adapt to, technological change.