fyi : back issues

Autumn 2005 - Blueprint for libraries - management and promotion

Challenging preconceived ideas

By Elizabeth McLaren

La Marca, S. & Manning, M. (eds) 2004, Reality Bytes: Information Literacy for Independent Learning, School Library Association of Victoria, Carlton, Vic.

Reality Bytes is a collection of articles about information literacy that is divided into two sections. The first is Theory and it begins with an article by Ross Todd setting out what is known about information seeking behaviour, and what the research is telling us about it. The second section, Reality Check, provides ideas to use in extending the information literacy of staff (including ourselves) and students, and indeed the whole school community.

So on the surface, this looks like a book which all teacher-librarians will love, thoroughly agree with, and implement – starting today. But looks can be deceiving.

When I look back at my training I realise we were taught how to run a library (catalogue a book, construct a subject heading, file a catalogue card, organise a budget etc.) and were filled with zeal about our mission in schools. I don’t think that we called it information literacy back at the Melbourne State College in the 70s, but it was the same thing and we expected to go into schools, lure students into our libraries and imbue them with information skills. Many of us, however, have never really shaken the idea that information literacy was our domain, and spreading it within our schools was our mission. Read this book and think again.

I started reading the inspiring foreword then Ross Todd’s article. So far, so good. But the second article, ‘Information literacy and school librarianship: A critical look at pedagogy and profession’ by Dr Susan Boyce shook me. This article challenged the very basis of most of our beliefs about our roles and about the importance of information literacy. I have read many articles discussing definitions of information literacy, and this article makes them all redundant. This book challenged my preconceived ideas and opened my mind to new ideas about information literacy, and to new ways in which this might be improved within our school communities so that we “truly set our young people onwards towards the goal of functioning well in society” (Capra & Ryan 2002, quoted in Green). While I don’t agree with all Boyce’s conclusions, the editors have chosen well, by putting this article after Ross Todd’s summary.

The Reality Check section is more practical, with articles on various aspects of information literacy, such as assessment, search skills, and WebQuests. These are ideas that can be implemented in school library information literacy programs. I am really looking forward to playing with the many wonderful web site addresses listed in this section.

This book is a challenge to us all, whether we have been teaching for thirty years, or three.

References

Green, G. ‘Teacher Librarians and the Culture of Thinking: Taking Up the Challenge’, in Capra & Ryan

Elizabeth McLaren is Teacher-librarian and Leading Teacher at Reservoir District Secondary College.