Image
Abstract: PANEL: Information Literacy: A New Discipline
Half a century ago a story began; the tale continues today, and it may never have an end. In 1974 Paul G. Zurkowski coined the term “information literacy” and, eventually, that means of referring to the action that takes place primarily in libraries caught on. To demonstrate Zurkowski’s prescience, he wrote that the overabundance of information is problematic because:
(1) The information seeking procedures of individuals are different at different times for different purposes.
(2) A multiplicity of access routes and sources have arisen in response to this kaleidoscopic approach people take to fulfilling their information needs. These are poorly understood and vastly underutilized.
(3) More and more of the events and artifacts of human existence are being dealt with in information equivalents, requiring retraining of the entire population (Zurkowski, 1974, p. 1).
The challenges just noted actually constitute the basis for the beginnings of a new discipline—information literacy. In a very real sense, the three dynamics form the foundation for a research agenda for that new discipline. They are phenomena that can be inquired into and present opportunities for a re-visioning of the research into information literacy. For example, number three suggests that researchers can, and should, delve into the mode of information equivalents and into what it will take to achieve the retraining of which Zurkowski speaks. What specific educational initiatives could be created so that individuals will be fully able to avail themselves of information in the broadest and deepest means possible?
Zurkowski further urged that a national program be established which would achieve information literacy goals by the year 1984. That proved to be too optimistic, but a genuine discipline, along with a discreet body of knowledge, educational and curricular efforts, epistemological, ontological, and axiological fundamentals, and a dynamic understanding of the complexities of information literacy can be realized. Building upon the paradigmatic essays in Hicks, Lloyd, and Pilerot (2023) on theory and information literacy, the presentation will provide a grounding in the thought and inquiry that can guide work in the discipline into the future. The presenters will offer a thorough-going outline of thinking and research which details the disciplinary features of information literacy. This outline will present ways of thinking about and inquiring into specific elements of this discipline. These include the elements of the discipline explicated by
Webber and Johnston (2017).
• Information Literacy Community
• Tradition and History of Inquiry
• Specific Modes of Inquiry
• Ethical Values
• Information Literacy Knowledge and Curricula
• Communication Networks
By the conclusion of the presentation, audience members will have a clear understanding of what comprises the discipline of information literacy. The story goes on.
(1) The information seeking procedures of individuals are different at different times for different purposes.
(2) A multiplicity of access routes and sources have arisen in response to this kaleidoscopic approach people take to fulfilling their information needs. These are poorly understood and vastly underutilized.
(3) More and more of the events and artifacts of human existence are being dealt with in information equivalents, requiring retraining of the entire population (Zurkowski, 1974, p. 1).
The challenges just noted actually constitute the basis for the beginnings of a new discipline—information literacy. In a very real sense, the three dynamics form the foundation for a research agenda for that new discipline. They are phenomena that can be inquired into and present opportunities for a re-visioning of the research into information literacy. For example, number three suggests that researchers can, and should, delve into the mode of information equivalents and into what it will take to achieve the retraining of which Zurkowski speaks. What specific educational initiatives could be created so that individuals will be fully able to avail themselves of information in the broadest and deepest means possible?
Zurkowski further urged that a national program be established which would achieve information literacy goals by the year 1984. That proved to be too optimistic, but a genuine discipline, along with a discreet body of knowledge, educational and curricular efforts, epistemological, ontological, and axiological fundamentals, and a dynamic understanding of the complexities of information literacy can be realized. Building upon the paradigmatic essays in Hicks, Lloyd, and Pilerot (2023) on theory and information literacy, the presentation will provide a grounding in the thought and inquiry that can guide work in the discipline into the future. The presenters will offer a thorough-going outline of thinking and research which details the disciplinary features of information literacy. This outline will present ways of thinking about and inquiring into specific elements of this discipline. These include the elements of the discipline explicated by
Webber and Johnston (2017).
• Information Literacy Community
• Tradition and History of Inquiry
• Specific Modes of Inquiry
• Ethical Values
• Information Literacy Knowledge and Curricula
• Communication Networks
By the conclusion of the presentation, audience members will have a clear understanding of what comprises the discipline of information literacy. The story goes on.