Sonja Špiranec

Information Literacy 2.0: hype or discourse refinement?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the term Information Literacy 2.0 as a subset of information literacy, to describe its development and significance and give an outline of its underlying theoretical assumptions.Design/methodology/approach – The paper first examines the grounds for the possible re‐conceptualizations in the field of information literacy and identifies the current developments in the information universe as the principal drive for perception shifts. Based on a literature review and a descriptive analysis of contrasting features of library user education, information literacy and Information literacy 2.0, the paper highlights the main foci of paradigm shifts.Findings – The paper found that the new meaning and understanding of the central conceptions in information literacy are shifting the focus of classical information literacy towards Information literacy 2.0. Many of the aspects of current information literacy practices originate from a print‐based culture, which is inco...

Worldwide Commonalities and Challenges in Information Literacy Research and Practice

Overview and research.- Policies and strategies.- Theoretical framework.- Related concepts.- Citizenship and digital divide.- disadvantaged groups.- Information literacy for the workplace and daily life.- Information literacy in Europe.- Different approaches to information literacy.- Teaching and learning information literacy.- Information literacy instruction.- Assessment of information literacy.- Information literacy and K-12.- Information literacy and higher education.- Information literacy skills of LIS students.- Librarians, libraries and ethics.

Libraries and Financial Literacy: Perspectives From Emerging Markets

The article uses conceptual correlations between information literacy and financial literacy as a basis for arguing that financial literacy services have a place in library settings. The article discusses the general requirements, profile of services, and various challenges related to the introduction of financial literacy programmes in public libraries. An intensified interest in financial literacy matters may be assigned to the global financial crisis of 2007 to 2009. The interdependencies between financial crisis, financial literacy, and the potential of public libraries is illustrated by the example of one South-Eastern European country whose economic transformations and developments reflect the importance of financial literacy.

Information Literacy of LIS Students at the University of Zagreb: Pros or Just Average Millennials

The rationale underlying information literacy in higher education refers to lifelong learning, critical thinking and problem solving. In addition to these common goals, LIS students have to be fully aware of the importance of IL as a concept, understand its relevance in contemporary societies and have to learn about main aspects of teaching IL. Regardless of whether LIS students have attained information skills and practices by studying library and information science, or whether they have been attending IL courses, the question of transferability of IL to learning situations remains open. This paper presents a sub-study that explores the transferability of IL competencies to the overall research experience of LIS students and the application of IL competencies in fulfilling course assignments. The survey of LIS students was conducted at the Department of Information and Communication Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb and is a part of a wider, international survey.

Information Literacy Meets “Research 2.0”: Exploring Developments in Croatian Academic Libraries

Information literacy training for researchers should be determined by information needs of scholars and by reconfiguration of information environments. New research environments, which are a result of technological innovations initiated by Web 2.0, have the potential to change the very principles of science and research. In the paper the authors analyze the main features of research practices that rely on Web 2.0 tools and comment on re-conceptualizations of IL training for researchers that are a consequence of such “Research 2.0” transitions. The main idea behind IL re-conceptualizations is that libraries have to concentrate less on the traditional IL paradigm which focused heavily on resource discovery and especially on traditional library tools, while dealing more with evaluation, information management, authority issues and a range of new concerns brought about by Web 2.0. The paper presents a survey of the deployment of conceptual adaptations in IL in the context of Croatian academic libraries. The study showed that libraries concentrate on a relatively narrow subset of IL in the form of traditional library topics such as searching and finding sources in libraries and academic databases. The authors suggest that new approaches are needed to make IL sessions for researchers more relevant and truly meaningful.

Information Literacy in participatory environments: The turn towards a critical literacy perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to make a contribution to the theoretical and pragmatic positioning of critical information literacy by interpreting it in the light of epistemological shifts brought about by Web 2.0. Epistemological shifts are elaborated from educational and institutional perspectives as well as from that of scientific research. Design/methodology/approach – This paper brings a theoretical analysis drawing on relevant literature for the purpose of identifying the grounds for the mapping of concepts associated with critical information literacy and participatory information environments. Based on descriptive analysis, the paper clarifies distinctions between/participatory/and /information bank/environments and identifies correlations existing between CIL and participatory information environments. Findings – There are conceptual disagreements between IL as it was defined and perceived by Zurkowski and how it has to be perceived in the context of contemporary participatory informatio...

What is the Employers Stand on Information Literacy – Researching Employers on Expected Generic Outcomes of Their Future Employees

The concept of generic information competences is based on the fact that there is a heavy overlapping of the generic competences and information literacy competences identified in the body of literature and research. The individual researches, learns, solves problems, collaborates and makes decisions based on the information gathered from various sources. The key skills of 21 century workers include knowledge of different resources as well as the various ways to access them, setting up and applying efficient research strategies, interpreting found results, synthesizing new knowledge and present knowledge in an ethically correct way taking in the all aspects of the ease of use of digital information (in the sense of copy, transfer, ignoring copyright. Employment sector and workplace research show that there are different generic competences expected from the employees. By interviewing Croatian employers about the generic competences authors have identified generic competences required for the workplace environment which are than mapped with the information literacy competence in order to build a foundation for the development of the taxonomy of generic information competences.

Are We Speaking the Same Language? Croatian Employers’ IL Competency Requirements for Prospective Employees

Employability is one of the main concerns of the European Union and the transition of graduates from higher education to the workplace is pushing agendas in front of higher education institutions. Research has shown that the educational sector and the employment sector usually lack common ground in understanding what other side can offer or expects. On the other hand, both sides often neglect the fact that the concept of information literacy competence is a fundamental generic competence which can fulfill the full potential of employability. Only after defining generic competences from the employers’ viewpoint can we start defining the impact of information literacy on the development of these competences. The results of the study on Croatian employers defining five core generic competences have proved our initial concerns that both educators and employers are identifying the same type of competences but use different terminology. What is specifically missing is an understanding of the concept of information literacy and its influence on employability, and therefore, building national information literacy employability models is of great importance.

Understanding the Field of Critical Information Literacy: A Descriptive Analysis of Scientific Articles

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of critical perspectives in information literacy whose importance has been recognized by a number of authors in the field. This paper is a preliminary report on a research project that aims to describe the field of critical information literacy (CIL) based on a comprehensive descriptive statistical analysis of the qualities of CIL literature. The analysis was undertaken on a sample of 102 full-text scientific and professional articles. The sample was created based on a preliminary analysis of Google Scholar, SCOPUS and WOS databases. The authors present findings on the established authorship, publication and research patterns in the field.

Information Literacy. Lifelong Learning and Digital Citizenship in the 21st Century

This paper is the full keynote address written for the 2014 ECIL Conference by Michael Eisenberg. Key information literacy milestones in his career that are representative of significant developments in information literacy, as well as education, information and library science, and information technology are presented in the paper.