Metaliteracy: Reinventing Information Literacy to Empower Learners

Citation

Madely Du Preez (2015), "Metaliteracy: Reinventing Information Literacy to Empower Learners", The Electronic Library, Vol. 33 No. 2, pp. 324-325. https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-08-2014-0144

Much research has been conducted on information literacy and skills, such as the ability to determine, access, locate, understand, produce and use information. Now, the existing scope for the information literacy definition also needs to transform to include the use of a range of new technologies, such as social networks, blogs, wikis, mobile devices and apps, online communities, cloud computing and massive open online courses (MOOCs) to communicate, create and share information.

The transformation of the scope of the information literacy definition resulted in the coining of the term “metaliteracy” to describe the different literacies that are required for people to remain lifelong learners. The definition for “metaliteracy” includes all traditional information literacy skills, as well as the collaboration skills required, to produce and share information in a participatory digital environment.

This book presents a comprehensive framework for information literacy that unifies related literacies to advance critical thinking and metacognitive learning. Through seven interrelated chapters, this book builds on decades of information literacy theory and practice and recognises the knowledge that is required for an expansive and interactive information environment. The book contributes much to the intellectual debate on the concept of information literacy. It unfolds the authors’ thinking behind a metaliteracy model for information literacy, and it provides a useful review of trends and theories that have contributed to the development of their model. Mackey and Jacobsen note that the majority of people do not unlock social media’s full-potential despite the fact that social media could empower everyone to create and interact digitally.

The book is organised in seven interrelated chapters which, in turn, can be subdivided into two parts. The first part of the book is focussed on the theory of metaliteracy and the context in which it was developed. In this part, the authors examine how the concept of metaliteracy is used in other contexts. They describe the effect of Web 2.0 on information literacy. Thereafter, they examine the challenges the social media environment poses to established assumptions of information literacy, and the role of metaliteracy and information literacy in the context of technology focussed literacies.

In the second part, the focus shifts to practice. It provides and discusses findings from a survey conducted by instructional librarians who incorporate emerging technology in their teaching. The results from two case studies demonstrate that metaliteracy is more than a theoretical construct, and it has practical implications for current information literacy instruction.

The primary purpose of this book is to provide a meta perspective for the work and a way to think about information literacy by building connections among related literacy types that support learner success. This aim is achieved; this book is a must-have for all librarians and teachers involved in equipping learners with information literacy skills intended for lifelong learning.