TIME for Information Literacy

Getting mentioned in Time magazine counts for something. Time garnered lots of attention with its "Person of the Year" issue that celebrated the year of Web 2.0. But for those who follow developments in education, the more significant issue could be the one that appeared on December 10, 2006. Its cover story focused on the need for revolutionary change in education. As academic librarians we were please to see this article because it acknowledges that for 21st century learners it’s not about finding information, but evaluating information to determine its value:

Becoming smarter about new sources of information. In an age of overflowing information and proliferating media, kids need to rapidly process what's coming at them and distinguish between what's reliable and what isn't.

As educators, we can't anticipate or expect that tech-savvy students will be able to critically evaluate the content they find as a result of their search engine research. It may only be that by integrating the teaching of research skills into the curriculum that improvements will be made.

Even Time noted the value of information literacy classes in the article:

Classes like this, which teach key aspects of information literacy, remain rare in public education, but more and more universities and employers say they are needed as the world grows ever more deluged with information of variable quality. Last year, in response to demand from colleges, the Educational Testing Service unveiled a new, computer-based exam designed to measure information-and-communication-technology literacy. A pilot study of the test with 6,200 high school seniors and college freshmen found that only half could correctly judge the objectivity of a website.

One mention in a mainstream media publication is nice, but information literacy is still far from being a mainstream educational practice. For educators and students, information literacy is far from a common phrase. At Temple University, we're working to change that.

Steven J. Bell, Associate University Librarian for Research and Instructional Services