Cope, Jonathan

English

Georgia Southern University: Digital Commons@Georgia Southern

Georgia Southern UniversityDigital Commons@Georgia SouthernGeorgia International Conference on InformationLiteracyAug 23rd, 8:30 AM - 9:45 AMLost in Translation: How Non-library FacultyMembers' Perceptions of Information LiteracyShapes Information Literacy Collaboration &PracticeJonathan CopeCollege of Staten Island City UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlitPart of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, and the Information Literacy CommonsThis presentation (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Conferences & Events at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@georgiasouthern.edu.Recommended CitationCope, Jonathan, "Lost in Translation: How Non-library Faculty Members' Perceptions of Information Literacy Shapes InformationLiteracy Collaboration & Practice" (2013). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 6.https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2013/2013/6Jesύs E. Sanabria - Bronx Community College, City University Of New York. (CUNY) Jonathan Cope - College of Staten Island, City University of New York. (CUNY)  Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy August 23, 2013   Lost in Translation:  How Non-library  Faculty Members’ Perceptions of Information Literacy Shapes  Information Literacy Collaboration &  Practice  We know how we define  Information Literacy…    Image from Los Angeles Public Library photo collection www.lapl.org  Questions driving  our study  How do non-library faculty members' perceptions of Information Literacy differ from Library and Information Science’s?  In what ways does disciplinary specialization influence how non-library faculty conceptualize  Information Literacy? Intellectual influences  Simmons, M. H. (2005). Librarians as disciplinary discourse mediators: Using genre theory to move  toward critical information literacy. Portal: Libraries  & the Academy, 5(3), 297-311.   Elmborg, J. (2006). Critical information literacy: Implications for instructional practice. The Journal  of Academic Librarianship, 32(2), 192-199.  Previous studies      Bury, S. (2011). Faculty attitudes, perceptions and  experiences of information literacy: A study  across multiple disciplines at York University,  Canada. Journal of  Information  Literacy,  5(1), 45-64 Weetman-DaCosta, J. (2010). Is there an information literacy skills gap to be bridged?  An examination of faculty perceptions and  activities relating to information literacy in the  United States and England. College &  Research Libraries, 71(3), 203-222. Previous phenomenological studies Bruce, C. S. (1997). The seven faces of information  literacy. Adelaide: Auslib Press.   Boon, S., Johnston, B., & Webber, S. (2007). A  phenomenographic study of English faculty's  conceptions of information literacy. Journal of  Documentation,63(2), 204-228. Previous phenomenological studies Boon, S., Johnston, B., & Webber, S. (2007). A phenomenographic study of English faculty's  conceptions of information literacy. Journal of  Documentation,63(2), 204-228.  ● 20 Interviews with English faculty. ● Interviews conducted in the United Kingdom. ● Interviews limited to one discipline. Previous phenomenological studies Bruce, C. S. (1997). The seven faces of information literacy. Adelaide: Auslib Press.  ● Australian study.   ● Large multidisciplinary sample size.  ● Dated due to changes in Information Literacy.  Open-ended questions to allow for free-flowing conversation.    Phenomenology - A close examination of how subjects relate to and discuss a particular object. Common in anthropology.   Methodology  Phenomenological analysis of interview transcripts about non-library faculty members’ conceptions of Information Literacy. Features of our study     20 interviews (of 25 to 45 minutes each) of non-library faculty members at two City University of New York colleges.      College of Staten Island - (Comprehensive college with associate, bachelor’s, and master’s programs). The Bronx Community College - (Two-year institution with associate and trade programs.) Features of our study     Disciplinary sample from: Humanities, English and Literature, Nursing, Biology, Math, Media-Studies, Health Education, and vocational related disciplines.      Number of interviews  Biology - 2  Communications - 2 Communication Arts and Sciences - 2  Education - 1  English - 3 Finance – 1 Linguistics - 1   Comprehensive College - 9  Community College - 11   Health, Physical Education,  and Wellness -1 History - 2 Mathematics and Computer  Science -1 Nursing - 3 Psychology -1 Student Affairs -1 Non-random sample.   All interviews at two institutions.  Limited sample size.  Limitations Addressing fundamental literacies and introducing students to academic inquiry was more important than teaching discipline-specific forms of Information Literacy.   Non-library faculty members’ conception of Information Literacy differs primarily in how it is applied (i.e. contextually, textually, empirically).  The non-library faculty interviewed are more influenced by institutional, curricular, and student-specific issues than by disciplinary background or academic training. Main Findings  Non-library faculty members’  conceptions of applied Info. Lit.   Textual Theme Empirical Theme Contextual Theme The Contextual Theme “It’s not about the volume of information that you have, it’s about the ability to use the resources, and to use the resources you have to have context.  If you don’t have any context of what this (information) is, how to read it, what it says, what it tells you... giving them more, which is what the Internet does, is absolutely useless because they have no ability to classify it, organize it, turn it into some sort of structure.”  “It’s not that there’s too much information; it’s that the silos between different kinds of information have merged…  (Students) need to know what the different informational silos in the world are. But they need to be able to break those down and mix those up when needed. They need to know the hierarchy of information so well that they can go beyond it.”  The Textual Theme . “I think that some of the obstacles have nothing to do with information literacy… but just have to do with literacy frankly. Some... students are still having a lot of trouble just reading in general. So then when you move them from the primary text that you are looking at in class to looking at outside sources... (students will need) literacy skills and close reading skills to be able to understand this outside source. So I would say information literacy has to do with a greater kind of literacy issue by the time they (students) hit my classes”  “I would give a journal article of a particular science field... and I ask them (students) to comprehend it; so they would have to understand the research, understand what the figures are trying to say, and then understand what the conclusions are of that research.” The Empirical Theme “This automatically takes me to scientific research... we go and follow the scientific method, which is pretty much before you do anything, you have to have a reason to do research... We didn’t do it because we are out of our minds and have nothing else to do, because it’s expensive, it takes time, money and all kinds of resources... you have to be very clear on your goal, objective, why you’re doing it and why is it important.” “For nursing, thinking on their feet (is a major obstacle). They go into a bedside: they notice this, they notice that. How significant is that? Does that need to be reported now? Can it be reported later? Or not noticing something at all that should’ve been noticed: like the patient’s breathing tube was migrating out of their throat...” 02468101214161820Contextual Theme Textual Theme Empirical ThemeNumber of interviews in  which each theme was mentioned   00.511.522.533.5ContextualTextualEmpiricalQuestions driving  our study  How do non-library faculty members' perceptions of Information Literacy differ from Library and Information Science’s?  How does academic disciplinary specialization influence how non-library faculty conceptualize  Information Literacy? Addressing fundamental literacies and introducing students to academic inquiry was more important than teaching discipline-specific forms of Information Literacy.   Non-library faculty members’ conception of Information Literacy differs primarily in how it is applied (i.e. contextually, textually, empirically).  The non-library faculty interviewed are more influenced by institutional, curricular, and student specific issues than by disciplinary background or academic training. Main findings  How can our Study improve faculty communication and Information Literacy Instruction? Which elements of Information Literacy may be lost in translation? Librarians   ACRL standards Discipline-specific literacies Discipline- specific skills & behaviors  Non-library faculty  Institutional Mandates Institutional mandates Information Literacy   Questions? Comments?   Jonathan Cope  Jonathan.cope@csi.cuny.edu Jesus Sanabria  Jesus.sanabria@bcc.cuny.edu  Background photo from Flickr user Stephan Morais  

Lost in Translation: How Non-library Faculty Members\u27 Perceptions of Information Literacy Shapes Information Literacy Collaboration & Practice

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Lost in Translation: How Non-library Faculty Members\u27 Perceptions of Information Literacy Shapes Information Literacy Collaboration & Practice

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