Annemaree Lloyd

Information literacy landscapes : an emerging picture

Purpose – To describe the various landscapes in which information literacy has been explored and to propose new ways of thinking about information literacy.Design/methodology/approach – Draws on constructivist‐influenced grounded theory method employed during doctoral research into information literacy practices of firefighters.Findings – Information‐literate people are more usefully described as being engaged, enabled, enriched and embodied. Information literacy is conceptualized through this research as a way of knowing. The revised and extended definition is a more appropriate one to underpin an emerging ontological perspective on information literacy and to foster an understanding of information literacy as a meta‐competency.Research limitations/implications – The research was limited to an in‐depth exploration of one professional group in one geographic location over 18 months.Practical implications – The provision of a broader definition of the information literacy and the illustration of how inform...

Information literacy: Different contexts, different concepts, different truths?

This article reports on doctoral research which explored the meaning and role of information literacy among a specific group of workers - firefighters. An alternative concept of information literacy and a broader definition of information literate people are introduced. The article suggests that librarians are currently bound by an educational concept of what information literacy is and how it manifests itself. They must begin to engage with and explore other contexts and practices that facilitate becoming information literate, in order to understand the role of information literacy in learning outside educational settings. By engaging with different contexts, concepts and truths, our provision of information literacy education will be enhanced and contribute towards learning practices which are transformative, generic and transferable.

Towards an Understanding of Information Literacy in Context: Implications for Research.

Information literacy (IL) has been described as a core literacy. However emerging empirical research indicates that the phenomenon will have different characteristics in different contexts and will be played out in culturally different ways. This paper reviews the nature and growth of IL to ascertain how researchers understand the phenomenon in various contexts. It then considers the contradictions across contexts and the importance of context to understanding the complexity of IL. The conclusion is that a focus on various contexts, not yet explored, will result in the need for a new agenda for IL research.

Framing information literacy as information practice: site ontology and practice theory

Purpose – Information literacy is a rich and complex social information practice that is constructed according to specific practical understandings, rules and teleoaffective features which characterise a social site or setting. This paper aims to explore the philosophical and theoretical perspective of practice theory, in particular, the ontological work of Schatzki. These perspectives are to be used to frame an understanding of the features of information literacy as sociocultural practice.Design/methodology/approach – A theoretical perspective is introduced to examine the concept of information literacy practice by framing this analysis through a site ontology developed by Schatzki. Sociocultural and practice theory are employed in this exploration of information literacy as sociocultural practice and provide a framework for architecture of information literacy practice.Findings – Information literacy can be understood as a critical information practice which is organised and arranged through the site o...

Informing practice: information experiences of ambulance officers in training and on‐road practice

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present findings of an enquiry into the use and experience of information, in learning to become an ambulance officer. The paper aims to explore how the information environment is constituted for novice and experience practitioners. The paper also aims to consider what type of information is considered important by novice and experienced practitioners in learning about practice and profession.Design/methodology/approach – The study is approached from an information literacy (IL) perspective, where IL is viewed as the catalyst for learning about work and professional practice. It draws on constructivist‐influenced grounded theory method to explore how an IL experience is constituted for the worker.Findings – Three modalities of information which inform practice are described. IL is illustrated as more than just an experience with text or skills‐based literacy. It is viewed as socio‐cultural practice which is shaped by discourse.Research limitations/implications – T...

Information Literacy The Meta-Competency of the Knowledge Economy? An Exploratory Paper

Information literacy is a meta-competency that encapsulates the generic skills of defining, locating and accessing information. It is an essential and integral competency for both the knowledge worker and effective knowledge management. Librarians need to realign their roles from providers and organizers of information, to facilitators and educators of clients’ information access and process. This requires librarians to develop partnerships with workplace communities so as to understand the role that information plays in the knowledge economy; and to develop a new language that is relevant to workplace communities and ties information literacy instruction to the authentic situations of the workplace. Information literacy is a meta-competency: it is the currency of the knowledge economy. The themes introduced in this paper are drawn from the current doctoral research of the author. The research examines what it means to individuals to be information literate in a workplace context, and how information literacy manifests and transfers in to workplace practice.

Connecting with new information landscapes: information literacy practices of refugees

Purpose – The purpose of the research reported in this article is to understand how refugees learn to engage with a complex, multimodal information landscape and how their information literacy practice may be constructed to enable them to connect and be included in their new information landscape. Design/methodology/approach – The study is framed through practice and socio‐cultural theories. A qualitative research design is employed including semi‐structured face‐to‐face interviews and focus groups which are thematically analysed through an information practice lens. Findings – Refugees encounter complex and challenging information landscapes that present barriers to their full participation in their new communities. Social inclusion becomes possible where information is provided via sharing through trusted mediators who assist with navigating the information landscape and information mapping, and through visual and social sources. Research limitations/implications – The study is local and situated and therefore not empirically generalizable. It does however provide rich, deep description and explanation that is instructive beyond the specific research site and contributes to theory building. Practical implications – The study highlights the role, and importance, of social and visual information sources and the key role of service providers as mediators and navigators. Governments, funders and service providers can use these findings to inform their service provision. Originality/value – This is an original research paper in which the results provide practical advice for those working with refugees and which also extends theories of information literacy practice as an information practice.

Information literacy as a socially enacted practice: Sensitising themes for an emerging perspective of people‐in‐practice

Purpose – This paper aims to introduce a “people‐in‐practice” perspective which brings together previous theorisations of information literacy landscapes and practice. This perspective provides the framework to analyse the complex practice of information literacy from a sociocultural perspective. This perspective represents a shift in focus towards information literacy as a socially enacted practice, and away from the information skills approach that has dominated information literacy research and education.Design/methodology/approach – The empirical data that informs this work is drawn from a series of studies that have been conducted by the author in the workplace and in everyday settings since 2004. Findings from these studies have contributed to the development of the people‐in‐practice perspective that is presented in this article.Findings – Drawing from the authors empirical studies and from literature reporting socio‐cultural research into information literacy, a people‐in‐practice perspective is ...

What information counts at the moment of practice? Information practices of renal nurses

AIMS This article is a report of a study done to identify how renal nurses experience information about renal care and the information practices that they used to support everyday practice. BACKGROUND What counts as nursing knowledge remains a contested area in the discipline yet little research has been undertaken. Information practice encompasses a range of activities such as seeking, evaluation and sharing of information. The ability to make informed judgement is dependent on nurses being able to identify relevant sources of information that inform their practice and those sources of information may enable the identification of what knowledge is important to nursing practice. METHOD Habermas and Schatzki; it employed qualitative research techniques. Using purposive sampling six registered nurses working in two regional renal units were interviewed during 2009 and data was thematically analysed. FINDINGS The information practices of renal nurses involved mapping an information landscape in which they drew on information obtained from epistemic, social and corporeal sources. They also used coupling, a process of drawing together information from a range of sources, to enable them to practice. CONCLUSION Exploring how nurses engage with information, and the role the information plays in situating and enacting epistemic, social and corporeal knowledge into everyday nursing practice is instructive because it indicates that nurses must engage with all three modalities in order to perform effectively, efficiently and holistically in the context of patient care.

Settling in: The relationship between information and social inclusion

Social exclusion is a process that directly reduces people’s capacity to participate in society. An important factor that contributes to social exclusion is the inability to recognise or understand important sources of information that facilitate social inclusion and participation. Social inclusion requires an ability to develop effective information practices that enable connection to compliance, making available everyday and nuanced information that constitute elements of the information landscape which need to be accessed and understood in order to participate in their adopted community. For refugees who are establishing themselves in Australia, the information landscape appears unfamiliar, complex, and difficult to navigate. To enable them to settle in Australia, new information practices may be required to enable them to find and interpret information, resolve problems, and deal with everyday situations which enable social inclusion and prevent social exclusion. This paper reports the findings of a p...