Information culture - different views on information literacy

Information culture – Culture de l‘information Thomas Hapke, June 2012 www.tub.tu-harburg.de

TUHH Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg

Information culture

- different views on information literacy

Thomas Hapke University Library, Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH)



The problem of defining information literacy!


TUHH Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg Until experienced in practice,

concepts are often not easy to define!

Think especially of concepts like Twitter or Facebook!


TUHH Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg Put the three spheres of

information literacy in order of importance!

1) Find / access/ locate 2) Evaluate / discern / judge 3) Use / communicate / produce

123 231 312 132 213 321 ?

Idea: Geoff Walton, Mailing list [email protected], April 20, 2012, see also his LILAC 2012 presentation at http://www.slideshare.net/infolit_group/walton-12685154


TUHH Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg On the future of competences!?

„In diesen Tagen darf sich niemand auf das versteifen, was er ‚kann‘. In der Improvisation liegt die Stärke. Alle entscheidenden Schläge werden mit der linken Hand geführt werden.“ „These are the days when no one should rely on his ‚competence‘. Strength lies in inspiration. All the decisive blows are struck left-handed.“

Walter Benjamin, Einbahnstraße, 1928.



Classical view Critical view

Emphasis on competences, standards for

information use understanding process or system

of information

Concept of education, Bildung transfer of knowledge from the

knower to the learner creating ability for reflection and

critical awareness

Concept of knowledge independent of knower result of a social process

Concept of inf. process linear not linear, complex

Emphasis on information

literacy how to find how to produce and share

View of the user customer, needy person patron, co-producer

View of the library storehouse room for experiences

View of the librarian teacher consultant for learning

Critical view on information literacy


TUHH Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg Information literacy is one of many

key competencies and literacies!

Media literacy

Writing competencies

Intercultural competencies

Didactical competencies

Decision-making and responsibility

Soft skills

Academic literacy

Computer literacy

E-literacy

Visual literacy



Information literacy is a … !?

critical view

new literacy

transliteracy

multimodal literacy

meta competence

second-order literacy

multi-literacy



Cultural view on information literacy!

La culture de l'information

Culture informationnelle

(Olivier Le Deuff)

In French „culture“ also means education or „Bildung“!

Thinking about the other, the difference!



• to create and develop oneself • diversity (in contrast to Google‘s monoculture) • being different and viewing oneself different • importance of context and relations, e.g. with a disciplinary culture • a more phenomenological or ethnological view on information behaviour and information literacy • a not library-related view on information literacy

Information culture implies ...


TUHH Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg Key aspects of

information culture include …

Textuality Authenticity

Knowledge Power

Identity Memory


TUHH Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg Distinctions

Object

Material

Subject

Form

Stability Variability

Data

Interpretation Representation

Knowledge

Culture Technology

Presence Absence

INFORMATION

COMMUNICATION



„Wir sind doch nicht blöd“

(We are not stupid, however)

From http://log.netbib.de/archives/2010/08/25/wir-sind-doch-nicht-blod/

Searching for a book by Clemens Knobloch in library catalogs!


TUHH Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg Information literacy and

discovery systems

• Does the existence and use of discovery systems change information literacy?

• Is the need for information literacy a function of the user interface?

• How do indexing, data structure and links, cataloguing rules behind the user interface prevent optimal results when searching for information?

• Which components of information literacy are actually not necessary to get the best search result?

(See also the discussion at http://plan3t.info/2012/04/05/verbessern-discovery-systeme-die-informationskompetenz/)



The searchability of information depends on choices made by authors, publishers, database providers, users

and others

(Adapted from Falciola, 2009)


TUHH Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg The social construction

of search results

Results in a specific search system

Contents or documents in the system

• indexed content: bibliogr. description, abstracts, full text

• „enriched“ data

• controlled vocabulary included

Specific user and users

• information behaviour e.g. used search terms

• information literacy

• former searches of specific user and of other users

System‘s „properties“

• user interface

• indexing (Boole, best match)

• structure of data

• transfer of data to search system

• used cataloguing guidelines and its institutional or personal interpretation

Other impacts

• advertising economics of provider

• ...!?


TUHH Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg Prerequisites to develop

information literacy!?

• Curiosity • Skill to play and to explore • Having the time for it • Critical attitude • ...?


TUHH Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg What is the core of

information literacy?

What is the real, the characteristic, the „Eigentliche“ of information literacy?



Proposals for the core of information literacy/culture

• Don‘t trust only one information source.

• Be prepared for constant change.

• Know your skills and limits!

• When searching: „Bullshit in, bullshit out“.

• Tolerate ambiguity and differences.

• Don‘t give up too early.

• Be aware that every fact is the result of an act, that information has been created by somebody with a certain purpose.



An example for information literacy content written for a special

„disciplinary culture“

Hapke, T.: Appendix I. The world of biotechnology information: seven points for reflecting on your information behavior. In: Buchholz, K., Kasche, V., Bornscheuer, U.T.: Biocatalysts and Enzyme Technology. 2. ed. Wiley-VCH, October 2012. Preprint available at: http://www.chemie.uni-greifswald.de/~biotech/assets/downloads/Information_BuchholzKascheBornscheuer.pdf


TUHH Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg Information literacy/culture

and creativity

How can information systems increase individual creativity?



Further reading

Hapke, T.: Informationskompetenz in einer neuen Informationskultur. In: Handbuch Informationskompetenz, pp. 36-48. Ed. W. Sühl-Strohmenger. Berlin: de Gruyter Saur, 2012. http://www.degruyter.com/view/product/129277 Falciola, L, Searching biotechnology information: A case study. World patent information 2009, 31, 1, 36-47 Le Deuff, O.: Culture de l’Information. Espace d’Olivier Le Deuff. http://www.culturedel.info/ Lloyd, A.: Information literacy landscapes : information literacy in education, workplace and everyday contexts. Oxford: Chandos, 2010. Tredinnick, L.: Digital information contexts : theoretical approaches to understanding digital information. Oxford: Chandos Publ., 2006. Tredinnick, L.: Digital information culture : the individual and society in the digital age. Oxford: Chandos Publ., 2008.


TUHH Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg Thanks!

Thomas Hapke

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Information culture - different views on information literacy