National Academy for Integration of Research & Teaching & Learning
Abstract
This chapter explores the emerging role of acad
emic librarians in the learning and teaching
process through their involvement with teaching staff in the development of student
information literacy skills. Information literacy
– that is, the ability to find, evaluate and use
information effectively – is a key component of
university students’ learning experience. It
also equips students with skills for the workplace and lifelong learning:
It could be argued that the skill of th
e twenty first century graduate will be to
articulate the right questions and to und
erstand where and how they can search
for knowledge, not remember the answers (Donnelly and Fitzmaurice, 2005, p.
96).
The chapter provides a brief overview of the
institutional and learning background against
which contemporary information literacy deve
lopment takes place. This background is
characterised by a changing context for the operation of academic libraries; a changing
higher education environment; a changing information environment; and a changing user.
The chapter goes on to provide some formal de
finitions of information literacy, developed by
library-related bodies. These are followed by some working understandings of the term,
derived from responses given by several academic developers and lecturers to the question,
“What does information literacy mean to you?
” Finally, the chapter discusses the role of
information literacy in higher education and
the key role librarians play in information
literacy development