Friday, August 27, 2010

Academic searching for Literature Review on Information Literacy



The term "information literacy" has engineered a proliferation of models and approaches. The creation and use of models are the approach of choice in contemporary efforts to frame the teaching of information literacy skills. We have a number of models to choose from, and I have chosen Kuhlthau's (2007, pp 16-25) "Information Search Process" (ISP) when conducting my own academic search for information.

Kuhlthau C, Maniotes, L & Caspari (2007) Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century Westport, CT, USA. Libraries Unlimited Inc.

INFORMATION LITERACY CONCEPTS

1st stage: LOCATE information and do a preliminary search

EMOTIONS: excited and apprehensive

PROCESS:
I went to the QUT Library Database - Chose "Education" database because I want to see what is on offer in this area. I choose the "Science & Technology" option because I believe that library sciences might be in this category. I find "Library Science & Information Management."

EMOTIONS: YAY! I am on the right track! I want Australian and recent.

I scan the options and choose "ALISA-Australian Library & Information Abstract (via Infomit Search) because it indexes current Australian library practices. In the ALISA Search Querybox
I choose "information literacy" AND libraries in the "All subfields" box which means subject.
84 records are found on the first page containing 7 records that are immediately pertinent to what I want to know and write about in Assignment 1.

EMOTIONS: "Yes! I am on the right track!"

2nd stage: EVALUATE and look for expertise, accuracy, currency, perspective and currency

ALISA is a credible database because it is peer reviewed, current and the authors are academics with Australian and New Zealand universities.

PROCESS: The article that piqued my interest was Langford, L (2010). "Information Literacy: A Clarification. The Educational Technology Journal, 4 (1), 59-72 because the author says that there "appears to be a gap in the literature between the theory of information literacy and the everyday classroom practice."

EMOTIONS: "What? I don't think so!"

PROCESS: I decide that I will use this to argue against in my literature review for Assignment 1

Other articles that are relevant include:

  • Number 7" Mc Millan, D. "Taking up the challenge: can public libraries help to develop information literate children?"
  • Number 25 Henri, J. & Bonnano, K ed "The information school community: best practice" with 20 indexed papers with various academic authors. I recognise Karen Bonnano's name as a Queensland librarian and recipient of the Australian School Library Association (ASLA) Citation Award of 2001. I had come across her blog in first semester when doing CLN 646 and upon "googling" her name that she has a school library management business at http://www.schoollibrarymanagement.com/about/html.

3rd stage USE: Deciding what is enough and forming a focus on the ISP

EMOTIONS: "YAY! Lots of great hits!"

PROCESS:
I decide not to try any other combinations of Boolean logic such as "OR" or "NEAR" because my initial choice of terms "information literacy" AND libraries along with my selection of the categories of "Science & Technology" and "Library Science and Information Technology" lead me to ALISA which proved to have plentiful results in the topic that I sought.

EMOTIONS: "Good stuff! Now I have a greater understanding of ISP and this will make me a better teacher who can coach students who have trouble with searching!"












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