To information literacy and beyond: libraries in the research lifecycle

“To information literacy and beyond”: libraries in the research lifecycle

Moira BentJuly 2010

“To information literacy and beyond”

• What is the role of libraries in the research lifecycle?

• Do we still have a role?• Has it changed?• Is information literacy relevant to researchers?• What do I mean by beyond?

BLA Conference July 2010

“Here’s one I prepared earlier”

The I’s have it

• I is for…. • Information• About research and researchers• For the research community and research process• Produced by research – publications/ data / OA & SC• Integration• Engagement• Outreach• Empathy• Innovation• Doing things differently• Making a difference• Impact• Profile/ presence/ brand• Sustainability• Flexibility• Information Literacy• and the Researcher Development Framework•

BLA Conference July 2010

“I don’t belieeeve it!”

I is for Information…. About the Research Community

• The 7 Ages of Research

– Masters students– Doctoral students– Contract researchers– Early career researchers – Established academic staff– Senior researchers– Experts

• Diversity• Disciplinary differences• Personal preferences• Location

BLA Conference July 2010

“What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate”

I is for Information…. For the Research Community

“The more you know, the more you realise that you don’t know, whereas if you don’t know you don’t know, you can be quite confident that you know”

• What are researcher’s information needs?• When do they have a need?• What do they need?• What can we afford?

BLA Conference July 2010

“Emma has gone to the diary room…”

I is for Information…. From the Research Community

Creating information– Writing styles. skills

– Analysing/interpreting data

– Ethical/legal implications

Disseminating information– Publishing – where and how

– E theses

– Open Access – RCUK mandates

– Making an impact/ making my name

– Measuring my impact/ REF

– Keeping track of my publications accurately

Data curation and management– Technical skills

– Databanks

BLA Conference July 2010

“It’s good to talk”

• I is for ….. Integration

• Engagement– Knowing what they do

• Outreach– Being where they are

• Empathy– Being a researcher

BLA Conference July 2010

“How very dare you?”

• I is for……Innovation

• Why don’t we innovate?

“How very dare you?”

• I is for……Innovation

• Why don’t we innovate?

• Fear/ Confidence• Skills• Time • Money• Opportunity• Strategy

BLA Conference July 2010

• I is for……Innovation

• Why don’t we innovate?• Fear/ Confidence• Skills• Time • Money• Opportunity• Strategy

• How can we innovate?• What can we stop doing?• What can we do

differently?• How can new technologies

help?• Who can help?

“May the force be with you”

• I is for…..Impact

• Being visible• Library brand – values/ profile• Virtual/ physical

• Sustainability– Of services and resources– Environmental impact / library spaces

BLA Conference July 2010

“Computer says No!”

• I is for…… Information Literacy

• “Individuals building an awareness of how they “find, use, manage, synthesise and create information, in a wise and ethical manner, to the benefit of society”, as part of their learning [and research] life. Information literacy is central to learning [and research] and essentially involves changing attitudes and habits so that people understand how information fits into their learning [and research] life”.

• Bent et al 2007

BLA Conference July 2010

“Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s…”

• Influences on Information Literacy

• Personal background and experience• Attitude - learning attitude or learning habit• Prior educational experiences• Changes in HE - Learning, teaching and assessment • Peer pressure• Environment - access• Academic expectation• Information explosion• The Millennial generation/Generation Y/Digital natives/ Screenagers• Developments in technology• Internet, e-learning etc• Government policies & laws

BLA Conference July 2010

An Information Literacy Landscape

BLA Conference July 2010

“Am I bovvered?”

• Quality versus quantity

• Digital Darwinism– The survival of the loudest and most opinionated– An endless digital forest of mediocrity

• Google = the wisdom of the crowd

• “Wikipedia is a celebration of the amateur”

• Keen, A : The cult of the amateur (2007)

BLA Conference July 2010

“Every little helps”

“Librarians and other information specialists, academic staff, and central training units should join in developing and delivering training programmes which recognise the strengths of different training approaches and techniques, and seek both to enhance understanding of the information landscape and to develop skills in the use of specific tools”

Mind the Skills Gap: information-handling training for researchers (RIN: July 08)

http://www.rin.ac.uk/training-research-info

BLA Conference July 2010

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat”

How is research changing? Researchers said…

• More accountability / Fewer blue sky opportunities• More targeted outcomes• More collaboration (UK, overseas, across different

types of organisation)• Multidisciplinary research areas• Data archives – data mining, data storage• E science / grid• Repositories / Open access mandates• Harder to know all that is happening, especially in

China, India etc

BLA Conference July 2010

“Houston, we have a problem”

Researchers said: I have concerns about

• Resources: No full text access /Missing / unavailable material

• Space: Access/ Noisy study spaces• English as language of scholarship• Management of data• REF/ measuring my impact• Publishing – where and how• Repositories, keeping track of my publications

accurately, organising information• Time wasting, quantity/ quality of information• “E” limits research to what is easy

BLA Conference July 2010

Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

“I’m gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse”

• Information Literacy and the Researcher Development Framework

• Vitae and the RDF• RIN Information Handling Working Group• Attitudes and behaviours as well as skills and competencies• A clear thread of IL

• The SCONUL & Pillars model expanded

BLA Conference July 2010

“You’re fired!”

• Libraries and the research lifecycle:• Information• Integration• Innovation• Impact• Information Literacy

“So it’s goodbye from me….”

• Thank you

• Questions?

• Moira.Bent@ncl.ac.uk

BLA Conference July 2010