This article was downloaded by: [Northeastern University]On: 21 November 2014, At: 21:38Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH,UK

Community & Junior CollegeLibrariesPublication details, including instructions forauthors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wjcl20

Information Competency andCommunity College LibrariesFriedrich K. (Fred) Brose aa Library Services, Riverside Community CollegeDistrict , Moreno Valley Campus, USAPublished online: 04 Oct 2008.

To cite this article: Friedrich K. (Fred) Brose (2002) Information Competency andCommunity College Libraries, Community & Junior College Libraries, 11:1, 37-44, DOI:10.1300/J107v11n01_04

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J107v11n01_04

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all theinformation (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform.However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness,or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and viewsexpressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, andare not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of theContent should not be relied upon and should be independently verified withprimary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for anylosses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages,and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly orindirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of theContent.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes.Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan,

sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone isexpressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found athttp://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Nor

thea

ster

n U

nive

rsity

] at

21:

38 2

1 N

ovem

ber

2014

Information Competencyand Community College Libraries:

California Moves Towarda Graduation Requirement

Friedrich K. (Fred) Brose

ABSTRACT. In the same way as television did not replace movies butmerely opened up new dimensions in entertainment, the digital world isnot replacing the printed word but is giving us new and additional dimen-sions of knowledge. Information competency is the ability to exploit infor-mation in various formats. The article reviews the efforts of Californiacolleges to make information competency a true part of higher educationthrough coursework and supplemental study. [Article copies available for afee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail ad-dress: <getinfo@haworthpressinc.com> Website: <http://www.HaworthPress.com>© 2002 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]

KEYWORDS. Information literacy, information competency, informa-tion skills, research skills

Probably everyone is aware of, and we librarians certainly are, thatthe world is in the midst of an information explosion and is possiblymoving toward a knowledge-based economy. With the coming of thefirst real personal computers in the early 1980s, especially the Apple-IIeand IBM-XT, information on the Internet became available to universi-ties; and with the advent of the Netscape browser in 1994, that informa-

Friedrich K. (Fred) Brose is Associate Professor, Library Services, Riverside Com-munity College District, Moreno Valley Campus (E-mail: fbrose@rccd.cc.ca.us).

Community & Junior College Libraries, Vol. 11(1) 2002http://www.haworthpressinc.com/store/product.asp?sku=J107

2002 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved. 37

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Nor

thea

ster

n U

nive

rsity

] at

21:

38 2

1 N

ovem

ber

2014

tion became also easily accessible to everyone. The mid-nineties wereperhaps the Golden Age of the Internet, of exploring the new dimen-sions of knowledge in our global village, untainted by commercialism,still full of naïve idealism and enthusiasm. By the time Bill Gates real-ized that the world is changing and brought out his Internet Explorerbrowser in 1996, commercialism also discovered the Internet, and ven-ture capital fired up the dot-com hype which by January 2001 alreadyhad started to implode. But the new world of information thus created ishere to stay for good.

Up to the recent past, we may have talked about librarians being the“custodians” of knowledge. Well, knowledge has now expanded be-yond any one group’s ability to control it, the Internet democratizedknowledge, and it is now scattered everywhere. Knowledge nowadaysdefies confinement. Unless we librarians want to risk of becoming ob-solete, we have to change our traditional mindset and have to reinventour role to keep up with the changing world. We have to make better useof our distinctive professional expertise. In the same way as televisiondid not replace movies but merely opened up new dimensions in enter-tainment, the digital world is not replacing the printed word but is giv-ing us new and additional dimensions of knowledge that we never hadbefore. Now, we librarians probably have to become more of informa-tion specialists and knowledge professionals, and that certainly impliesmuch more than just being custodians of printed knowledge.

Digital, virtual, user-centeredness, flexible, and agility are some ofthe contemporary catch words. How can we incorporate these conceptsin “library” to give us a modern image? How can we still attract thosestudents who think that the Internet gives them all they need to know,and that libraries have become irrelevant? If we community college li-brarians define our future role as knowledge experts providing informa-tion service, printed as well as digital, the name “library” possibly oughtto be changed to “information and knowledge center.” This would moreclearly delineate our thrust in embracing every kind of information, waybeyond just printed material. If we make information and knowledge inall its variety to be our business, teaching our students to become infor-mation competent may then express the new core of our services.

Information Competency has attracted a number of definitions, someof which have been gathered on page two in http://www.topsy.org/ICChronology1.pdf. One of the best definitions might be the oneadopted by the Statewide Academic Senate for California CommunityColleges in April 1998, “Information Competency is the ability to find,evaluate, use, and communicate information in all its various formats. It

38 COMMUNITY & JUNIOR COLLEGE LIBRARIES

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Nor

thea

ster

n U

nive

rsity

] at

21:

38 2

1 N

ovem

ber

2014

combines aspects of library literacy, research methods and technologi-cal literacy. Information Competency includes consideration of the eth-ical and legal implications of information and requires the applicationof both critical thinking and communication skills.” This definition isalso expected to be written into Section 55801(b) of the California Codeof Regulations <www.calregs.com>.

Some background: In 1996, the Statewide Academic Senate for Cali-fornia Community Colleges, www.AcademicSenate.cc.ca.us, adopted aresolution that the Academic Senate be responsible for developing Infor-mation Competency components. In the same year, the ConsultationTask Force of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office,www.cccco.edu/executive/consultation/consultation.htm, issued a pol-icy statement, “The New Basic Agenda: Policy Directions for StudentSuccess,” in which Information Competency was identified as a prior-ity, and the Task Force recommended a study to establishing it as a pre-requisite for community college graduates. The study was funded, andthe modified recommendations were adopted by the Board of Gover-nors of the California Community Colleges in May 1999. Simulta-neously, the Board of Governors honored the State Academic Senate’srequest of three years earlier to be responsible for the academic contentof Information Competency.

Since 1999, the Chancellor’s Office studied the legal ramificationsof Information Competency, while the State Academic Senate con-tinued to study the academic aspects of it as, for example, holding sixstate- wide hearings in February 2001. In the same year, 2001, theChancellor’s Office Consultation Council recommended that an Infor-mation Competency Task Force be formed (www.cccco.edu/executive/consultation/task_forces.htm and then click “Information Competency”)to review the information supplied by both the Chancellor’s Office andthe State Academic Senate. The seven-year consultation process willhopefully be brought to a conclusion by the Board of Governors whenadopting the Information Competency Graduation Requirements bySeptember 2002, if there are no further delays. Although the Board ofGovernors is empowered to make changes to the California Code ofRegulations, the California State Department of Finance, for example,could still raise objections about the funding for teaching InformationCompetency.

While the Chancellor’s Office and the State Academic Senate werelaying the proper foundations, a number of California community col-leges did not wait but went ahead with implementing Information Com-petency on their own. Interestingly enough, both methods have been

Friedrich K. (Fred) Brose 39

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Nor

thea

ster

n U

nive

rsity

] at

21:

38 2

1 N

ovem

ber

2014

adopted: teaching Information Competency through stand-aloneclasses as well as across the curriculum. For Fall 2002, the State Aca-demic Senate promised a presentation of “Best Practices” that basicallywill show how some of the Curriculum Committees of the 108 Califor-nia Community Colleges already implemented Information Compe-tency on their campuses, thus setting the pattern for the rest of us.

Some Internet websites provide links to Information Competencyimplementation at California Community Colleges: (a) Although datedNovember 1999 and covering both California community colleges andthe California State University system, www.santarosa.edu/~usina/InfoComp.html is still very helpful; (b) www.topsy.org/infocomp.html ismore up-to-date, check on the left side close to the top, “Info Comp Pro-grams in California,” either for community colleges or the state univer-sities. The same website includes a paper on “Implementing theInformation Competency Graduation Requirement in California Com-munity Colleges” that has two lists, one for California communitycolleges and another one for other than California community college;(c) www.santarosa.edu/library/cclic.shtml lists California Communitycolleges that offer Internet classes, and many of those colleges are alsoworking on Information Competency. While (d) the CaliforniaState University website for teaching Information Competency,www.calstate.edu/LS/infocomp.shtml might also be of some interest tocommunity colleges, and it includes such items as “Quotations AboutInformation Competence.”

Nationwide, librarians seem to prefer “Information Literacy” whileCalifornia State University librarians introduced the term “InformationCompetency” and that is spreading in California. “Competency” seemsto infer a degree of “mastery” while “literacy” appears to imply an“ability,” but both terms are focusing on the learning outcome of stu-dents. Here is a partial list of California community colleges with Infor-mation Competency experiences:

a. Cabrillo College lists under http://libwww.cabrillo.cc.ca.us/html/about/infolit.html “2. Partnering with faculty to integrate informa-tion research into courses. This program is a bit more ambitious andrepresents a serious effort to add the use of electronic informationresources to the syllabus and course content.”

b. Cuyamaca College, www.cuyamaca.net/library/facultyservices/informationcomp.asp, provides the following information, “In-formation competency is a required component for all GE coursesand is recommended for other courses. One way of integrating in-

40 COMMUNITY & JUNIOR COLLEGE LIBRARIES

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Nor

thea

ster

n U

nive

rsity

] at

21:

38 2

1 N

ovem

ber

2014

formation competency into your curriculum is by providing a li-brary research assignment for your students–a joint effortbetween you and a librarian.”

c. Ohlone College recommends, “Using the Internet for Research . . .This tutorial may be useful in preparing for part of the Tech Tools re-quirement at Ohlone College, effective Spring 2000,” www.ohlone.cc.ca.us/org/library/tutorial/. The “Tech Tools” requirement forgraduation consist of three modules: word processing, spreadsheet,and Internet research skills.

d. Palomar College has a website, www.palomar.edu/library/infocomp/ic.htm, that includes, for example, “Palomar’s Plan toAchieve Information Competency.” It states “The acquisition ofIC should become an integral part of learning in all subjects acrossthe curriculum. Since the need for information varies among dis-ciplines, there will be a difference in the way IC is taught fromsubject to subject. However, if the integration of IC in the curricu-lum is widely adhered to, then the faculty will use all opportuni-ties to build into their courses the teaching of information skillsand will devise assignments that require students to locate, re-trieve, analyze and manage information.”

e. San Francisco City College offers a class about Information Com-petency on WebCT. Contact Bonnie Gratch, gbratch@ccsf.cc.ca.us for login and password.

f. Santa Ana College offers an online tutorial on Information Com-petency, http://ext.sacollege.org/academic_progs/library/informationcompetency/, that states, “Santa Ana College gratefully acknowl-edges the assistance and materials provided by the CSU InformationCompetence Project . . . ” i.e., www.lib.calpoly.edu/infocomp/index_calpoly.html.

g. Santa Rosa Junior College offers several classes, including “LIR10: Introduction to Information Competency,” www.santarosa.edu/library/lib.bi.shtml. Description: This introductory coursewill teach the skills needed to find, evaluate, use and communi-cate information found in print, Internet and other electronic for-mats. When taken concurrently with another course, the classcontent will support the concurrent course information compo-nents.

h. Shasta College, http://library.shastacollege.edu/infocomp/infocomp.html, advertises, “Shasta College Library Information CompetencyProject: Library-Faculty Partnerships for Integrating InformationCompetency into the Shasta College Curriculum.”

Friedrich K. (Fred) Brose 41

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Nor

thea

ster

n U

nive

rsity

] at

21:

38 2

1 N

ovem

ber

2014

i. Taft College, www.taft.cc.ca.us/INCO48/index.html, announcedan Information Competency Distance Learning Course for Fall2001. “As a college student in the new Millennium, you literallyhave the world of information at your fingertips. Between yourcomputer and your library, you can find out about almost anythingyou want to know. And usually for free! This course will help youget the most out of the information resources most commonlyfound at a community college library.”

The foregoing are examples of what all 108 California communitycolleges will have to face in 2003: how to educate 2.5 million studentsto be information competent [the figures per www.cccco.edu website].So, where do we go from here? Well, once the legal mandates are inplace, we have to start planning of how to implement Information Com-petency on each of our campuses.

How to teach Information Competency at California community col-leges has already created much controversy; that is, whether to teach itthrough stand-alone classes as generally advocated by librarians, oracross the curriculum as more likely to be favored by the teaching faculty.Therefore, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges heldsix hearings throughout the State in February 2001 to seek a consensushow Information Competency should be taught. Based on the hearingsand unable to obtain a clear message, the State Academic Senate decidedin April 2001 to leave the final say of how to teach Information Compe-tency up to the 108 local curriculum committees. That is, each collegewill have to decide on its own of how to implement it. Politics at the Statelevel were thus pushed down to the level of campus politics.

And let us not forget: Information Competency is not the prerogativeof librarians. We librarians, more than any other group, have been lead-ing and nurturing this cause; but per definition given earlier, librariesare only one aspect of Information Competency. We librarians can ad-vocate, or abdicate, the drive on our campuses to implement it. Whetherwe take the initiative and steer this issue through our curriculum com-mittees and thus contribute in determining the outcome, or leave it toour teaching colleagues to do so will influence greatly what will hap-pen. It is a forgone conclusion that at some campuses aggressive librari-ans will capture the issue and offer mandatory Information Competencyclasses; while at other campuses the librarians, understaffed and burnedout, will leave this matter to their teaching colleagues and will then havelittle further say in this matter.

42 COMMUNITY & JUNIOR COLLEGE LIBRARIES

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Nor

thea

ster

n U

nive

rsity

] at

21:

38 2

1 N

ovem

ber

2014

Once the curriculum committees of each of our 108 community col-leges have decided how Information Competency will be taught, thenwe will also have to make provisions to measure the outcome of teach-ing it. The Association of College & Research Libraries publishing theirInformation Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education inJanuary 2000, available online at www.ala.org/acrl/ilcomstan.html.These Standards provide a framework for assessing the students’ com-petency. In February 2002, Bonnie Gratch of the City College of SanFrancisco, together with Topsy Smalley of Monterey Peninsula CollegeLibrary, received a grant to develop a valid assessment tool for informa-tion competency. The California State Universities did some interestingwork at www.csupomona.edu/~kkdunn/Icassess/ictaskforce.html and sys-tem-wide at www.calstate.edu/LS/Assessment.shtml. No doubt, otherswill join in the effort to come up with proper solutions.

As the passive “library warehouse of knowledge” is slowly changingto a pro-active “information and knowledge center,” as library printedinformation is partly giving way to connecting our students to online in-formation sources and worldwide databases, the character of the tradi-tional library is bound to change. Although Technical Services areunlikely to disappear, they probably will be de-emphasized, commer-cialized, or outsourced. Library administrators will continue to seek themonetary means to provide library services. The real action, however,probably will shift to the information and knowledge specialists, a.k.a.reference librarian, whose function will include educating students tobe information competent and giving them life-long Information Com-petency skills to make them productive, lifelong learners.

We librarians certainly must become more involved with the studentlearning process as the primary focus of knowledge transfer that occursin our interaction with students. Cooperation, networking, and connect-ing may become the most important skills of reference work in the fu-ture. Rather than everyone doing his or her own thing, the future may liemore in team work, in what librarians and the teaching faculty canjointly contribute to the education of our students. Actually who andhow Information Competency will be taught may not be as important asthat students are information competent by the time they graduate fromcommunity colleges, and that they feel comfortable to return as commu-nity patrons to seek further assistance in years to come.

At this stage, Information Competency probably will galvanize us tobreak away from the custodial library concept to a more global thinking,to global networking, less dependent on “where” information is located.With the trend toward distance education, even many of our services

Friedrich K. (Fred) Brose 43

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Nor

thea

ster

n U

nive

rsity

] at

21:

38 2

1 N

ovem

ber

2014

may have to be switched over to electronic communication, like onlinereference work, which would put our physical location on campus inquestion.

It is probably too early to start speculating whether Information Com-petency is an end in itself, or whether we have to start thinking beyond it,to perhaps something like information independence for everyone. But aslong as perhaps eighty percent of our students are unprepared or un-der-prepared for college, people like us still have to be present on campusto help students in making the right connections to the information theyneed. Just a few minutes ago, I helped a student, who was at the point ofcrying, whose greatest problem was how to operate a computer mouse.With all the grandiose expectations for the future, let’s not forget that ourreal nitty-gritty daily work might actually be much more mundane for along time to come. But we can be sure of one thing: we are bound to seesoon many more changes in the way we operate.

If this society does move toward a knowledge-based economy, thensociety will develop a different ethos that is still unclear and speculativeat this time.

44 COMMUNITY & JUNIOR COLLEGE LIBRARIES

Dow

nloa

ded

by [

Nor

thea

ster

n U

nive

rsity

] at

21:

38 2

1 N

ovem

ber

2014