Australian School Library Association > Publications > Feature Vol 18 Issue 1 2004

Developing an information literacy policy and program  

(Volume 18  Issue 1, 2004)

Julie Cass

Julie Cass has worked in university and TAFE libraries for more than 10 years.  In her current position as teacher librarian at Victoria Point State High School, she is committed to changing the culture of the resource centre to improve the learning environment for both staff and students.  Julie will complete her Masters Degree in Applied Science (Teacher Librarianship) through Charles Sturt University in 2004 and is a concurrent presenter for the ASLA Online I: Constructing communities of learning and literacy online conference in May 2004.  Julie is also a professional calligrapher and likes to dabble in Chinese brush painting.

(The views expressed in articles are those of the author(s) concerned and do not necessarily represent the views of ASLA.) 

Abstract

An information policy and plan are developed in a Queensland high school. Data on staff and student information literacy awareness and skills is gathered, and strategies and outcomes are specified to support the school’s curriculum plan.

School background and philosophy

Victoria Point State High School (VPSHS) is located in the Redland Shire at the southern end of Moreton Bay, 40 kilometres from Brisbane. In 2004, the school comprises 1140 students from years 8 to 12 and 82 teaching staff, including 11 heads of department. Only seven years old, the school is committed to encouraging personal growth by empowering all students to achieve their best educational outcomes. To this end, the school’s curriculum plan (Victoria Point State High School 2003) provides a framework that is designed to improve learning outcomes for every student in the school and to achieve the broader curriculum objectives of Queensland State Education–2010 (Education Queensland 2000).

In order for students to sustain lifelong learning in the 21st Century, they will need to be able to find, understand and use information from the many sources available.  Information literacy is an essential life skill. It should be integrated into the curriculum and facilitated by access to a wide range of resources mediated by the teacher librarian. For this to occur, an information literacy policy and program must be implemented throughout the school. This report looks at our school’s approach to the development and delivery of an information literacy policy and program for the whole school.

Defining information literacy

While there is no consensus of opinion on how to define information literacy, experts would almost certainly agree with the following. Information literacy, the ability to recognize when information is needed and to locate, evaluate and use this information effectively,

 ‘encompasses the effective use of multiple information technologies and formats, enables individuals to develop skills for learning throughout life, and supports skills for workplace enterprise and community participation.’ (ALIA statement on information literacy for all Australians 2003).

Langford (1998, p. 53) asserts that information literacy, ‘a process-oriented continuum of skills’, should become ‘part of the natural discourse of teachers as they design and develop curriculum units or discuss pedagogical issues’.

Context

Globally, there is increasing acknowledgement of the importance of information literacy skills in an environment of constant change and innovation, and of information overload. At a national level, the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA 2003) endorses the following principle in citing the ‘Statement on information literacy for all Australians’:

‘A thriving national and global culture, economy and democracy will be best advanced by people able to recognize the need for information, and identify, locate, access, evaluate and apply the needed information.’

Also, at national level, the Council of Australian Universities (2001) has released the Information literacy standards. At a state level, in Queensland, the New Basics Project recognises schools as:

‘the place where children will learn how to sift through, weigh, judge, filter, critique a virtually informative and continuous 24-hour flow of information that they are going to be exposed to for the rest of their lives’ (Luke 2000, p. 15, cited in Bundy 2000).

Why now?

As a newish teacher librarian at VPSHS (commencing work there in July 2002), I was prompted to undertake the development of an information literacy policy and program for the school midway through 2003 due to several factors:

A reading of Lonsdale’s (2003) research findings highlighting the need for evidence-based practice in Australia, particularly in the secondary school sector.

  • The school’s changing focus for information skills, moving gradually away from a reliance on text books to collaborative, resource-based, student-centred learning.
  • A commitment to building solid relationships with the teaching staff to integrate information literacy into the curriculum.
  • An awareness of teachers’ concerns about students’ lack of adequate research skills and lack of understanding about ethical issues and plagiarism.
  • My own observations of students’ use of the Internet, revealing that many were confused and overwhelmed by the mass of information confronting them.
  • A commitment to integrate information literacy skills into VPSHS’s proposed notebook (laptop) program for 2004.
  • A commitment to raise the profile of the resource centre, an overlooked part of the school.
  • My liaison with university staff in our region, revealing that many new students at universities lacked the necessary information skills.

Principal, teachers targeted

I realised that the support of the principal would be vital to the success of my plan (see Hay et. al. 1999). I needed to build visibility by convincing the principal that I was able to function as a partner in curriculum development, providing new approaches to teaching and learning. I also needed to shape the perceptions of teachers.  For teachers to be effective change agents, facilitating the development of information literacy skills in their students, they must themselves be information-literate role models. Research shows that this is not often the reality (see Juchau 1984; Turner 1996; and Henri 1997).

Successful studies

Before approaching the principal, I conducted some research with the aim of including evidence in my portfolio to principal and staff, showing that information literacy skills do make a difference to student learning outcomes. As most research examining the impact of school libraries on student achievement has come from overseas, I was able to locate only a handful of studies that documented the kind of outcomes that I was seeking (Lamb 2003; Sivanesarajah, McNicholas and Todd 1993; Todd, Lamb and McNicholas 1993; and Lamb and Todd 1993).

Some of the outcomes from these studies included:

  • Improved self-esteem.
  • Appreciation that ease, speed and usefulness were rewards for information literacy.
  • More control of learning tasks.
  • Acceptance of the need for active participation in learning.
  • Higher levels of ability to construct personal understanding.
  • Increased competency at information analysis and synthesis.

In embarking on my own evidence-based practice at VPSHS, my aim was to identify elements that were associated with effective research tasks so that students saw value in their learning. If we are to teach for understanding, we need to focus on how students construct meaning from a variety of sources.

Expected outcomes

  • The principal will support the teacher librarian 100 percent in taking a leading role in the development of an information literacy policy and program.
  • All teachers will be aware of information literacy and its importance in the curriculum in six months.
  • Eighty-five percent of teachers will become proficient users of a range of information sources and services in five years.
  • Thirty-five percent of teachers will work co-operatively with the teacher librarian to facilitate information literacy skills in their students in one year.
  • Eight-five percent of students in years 8 to 10 will show knowledge of the range of information resources available in the Resource Centre and other community venues in five years.

Strategies adopted

I commenced midway through 2003 with the following plan of attack, which was accomplished by the end of last year.

  • Give the principal a portfolio on information literacy.
  • Make a presentation to HOD meeting in June 2003.
  • Lobby staff to become involved in a whole-of-school audit of existing information literacy skills. This action research would identify gaps and good practice (Doll 1999 and Farmer 2001, cited in O’Hare 2002).
  • Survey staff about information literacy skills (see Garland 1999, pp. 41-53; and Bennetto and Manning 1995)
  • Organise research projects with two or three teachers.
  • Invite Jenny Ryan, co-author of Information literacy planning overview (ILPO), to visit the school.
  • Adapt Ryan/Capra’s (2000) Information literacy planning overview (ILPO) to fit the teaching of information skills into the curriculum.
  • Collaborate with HODs and some teachers to identify and acquire or create relevant resources.
  • Evaluate the program using the information and ICT matrix of student learning (ASLA/ALIA 2001, Learning for the future: Developing information services in Australian schools) and McKenzie’s (1998) five-star matrix.

I count my major successes in this early phase as the assured support of the principal, which enabled the formation of an information literacy working party and the inclusion of an information literacy policy in the 2004 curriculum plan. It was decided to start small and then expand by gradually integrating information literacy skills into the curriculum.

A timeline was established for 2003 to 2005 to ensure that a number of teachers in different faculties would have a chance to work with the teacher librarian as guide and mentor in the implementation of information literacy into the various classes.  Formal and informal awareness raising sessions were set in place for teachers and students in Semester 2, 2003. Staff in-service in the use of various information sources was arranged for 2004 through the University of Queensland Cybrary.

School audit

Data collection instruments included student and teacher questionnaires and interviews. There were a total of 38 respondents to each of the staff surveys.

Rather than attempt to reinvent the wheel for the school audit, I worked with the HODs and classroom teachers to adapt Bennetto and Manning’s survey (1995), Garland’s (1999) survey and the audit document of O’Hare (2002):

  • Are students able to use key words and other search strategies?
  • Do students know how to use reference books?
  • Can students use technology to access information?
  • Can students evaluate the information they find on the web or in print?
  • What use do students make of search engines and answer services?
  • Can students work independently or in groups as required?

 Staff survey 1 – Teachers’ perceptions of students’ skills

The first survey (covering ‘Category 1: The identification of research needs’) revealed that 34 percent of teachers believed that students had difficulty in defining their research needs and associated courses of action (see graphs 1 and 2). In ‘Category 2: The use of technology skills in research’, 49 percent of teachers responded negatively. This suggests a greater need to develop technology skills in student research tasks. A significant finding in ‘Category 3: The ability to process information’ was that 60 percent of teachers identified a deficiency in students’ ability to process information. This suggests that information processing is an area of concern. The findings of this survey highlight the need for strategies to improve students’ information literacy skills, particularly in the area of information processing.

Staff survey 2 – Teacher survey of information sources

The results of this survey indicate that teachers believe that it is important for students to be proficient users of information sources in both the new technologies and the traditional prints resources (see graphs 3 and 4). Yet there appears to be an anomaly between teachers’ confidence levels in their own use of information sources and their familiarity with, and use of, such sources. The results show mainly low awareness levels and usage levels of the majority of information sources, but contradictory high confidence levels in their usage. This contradiction needs further investigation, as confidence and awareness/experience are usually sequential and compatible. 

 These findings support those of Henri (1997), Beswick (1987) and O’Connell (1987).  Henri (1997, p. 34) asserts ‘teachers find solutions to information problems by following an established pattern and employing a small number of favourite sources’. O’Connell (1987, cited in Henri 1997, p. 34) suggests that ‘teachers see students as cognitive apprentices, but themselves as mature information users’.

 The mismatch between teacher practices and their belief in what is important for their students can be a major impediment to the development of an information literacy program in the school. Teachers will need to act as role models in using the full range of information sources if they want their students to succeed. There is a challenge here for the teacher librarian and other members of the information literacy field to work together to encourage teachers to make better use of both IT and traditional information sources.

Conclusion

As a school community, VPSHS aims to fulfil its vision of empowering students to achieve their best educational outcomes. To achieve this and to sustain lifelong learning in the 21st Century, it is crucial that we take up the challenge of information literacy.

As the teacher librarian at Victoria Point, having initiated the development of an information literacy program at the school, I will continue to implement and evaluate information literacy during the next two years. If other teacher librarians around the country take up the challenge of evidence-based practice, the gap that Lonsdale (2003) has identified will be gradually addressed and the case for school libraries in Australia will continue to grow.

Key to graphs 3 and 4

Teachers were asked to consider a range of information sources and to tick the following:

A – I am aware of …

B – I have used …

C – I can confidently use…

D – I think it is important for students to use …

 Types of information sources 

Resources: 1. Internet/other computer networks; 2. Online databases; 3. Interactive television programs; 4.Virtual reality computer programs; 5. CD-ROM resources; 6. Databases on disk; 7. Library automated catalogue (OPACs); 8. Periodical indexes; 9. Video programs and equipment; 10. Newspapers; 11. Current information files; 12. Periodicals; 13. Local trade, industry and organisations; 14. State, national international organizations and industries

Reference books: 15. Dictionaries; 16. Encyclopaedias; 17. Yearbooks; 18. Atlases; 19. Directories.

Non-fiction books: 20. Table of contents; 21. Index; 22. Appendices; 23. Statistics (tables, graphs, etc.); 24. Bibliographies.

[Bennetto, E. & Manning, M., 1995. Learning for the future: Developing information services in Australian schools. [Teacher resource kit]. Canberra: Australian School Library Association]

Questions used in staff surveys

Category 1

1. Does your department teach students how to research or how to study?

2. Are students able to formulate research questions?

3. Can students identify the various sources of information?

4. Are students able to use key words and other strategies?

5. Do students know how to use reference books?

6. Can students work independently or in groups as required?

Category 2 

7. Do students know how to select the best sources for their purposes: print or electronic?

8. Can students use technology to access information?

9. Can students evaluate the information they find on the web (or in print)?

10. Do students make use of search engines and/or answer services?

Category 3

11. Can students successfully build on gathered information?

12. Do students have the ability to skim, scan and analyse?

13. Are students able to summarise, take notes and avoid plagiarism?

14. Do students know how to acknowledge their sources?

15. Are assignments drafted and revised before being presented in an acceptable format?

 [Based on O’Hare, J. (2002). Developing an advocacy plan for introducing an information literacy policy in an international school. Unpublished paper. Charles Sturt University: Wagga Wagga, NSW]

References

Australian Library and Information Association (2003). ALIA statement on information literacy for all Australians (online). http://www.alia.org.au/policies/information.literacy.html, accessed 18 May 2003.

Australian School Library Association/Australian Library and Information Association (2001). Learning for the future: Developing information services in Australian schools. 2nd edn. Carlton, Vic: Curriculum Corporation.

Bennetto, E. & Manning, M. (1995). Learning for the future: Developing information services in Australian schools. [Teacher resource kit]. Canberra: Australian School Library Association.

Beswick, N. (1987). Rethinking active learning 8-16. London: Falmer.

Bruce, C. (1995). Information literacy: A framework for higher education.  The Australian Library Journal, 44(3), pp. 158-170, quoted in Langford (1998) (see below).

Bundy, A. (2000). Information literacy: The foundation of lifelong learning. Paper presented at the Lifelong Learning Annual Conference of the South Australian Association of Schools Parents Clubs (SAASPC), 15-16 August 2000. (online). http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/papers/found.htm, accessed 10 May, 2003.

Council of Australian University Librarians. (2001). Information literacy standards (online). http://www.caul.edu.au/caul-doc/InfoLitStandards2001.doc, accessed 10 May 2003.

Doll, C.A. (1999). Promoting information literacy in schools: the role of collaboration. In Hay and Henri (eds.) (2000) (see below).

Doyle, C. (1994). Information literacy in an information society: A concept for the Information Age. Clearinghouse on Information and Technology: Syracuse, N.J., quoted in Langford, L. (1998) (see below).

Education Queensland (2000). Queensland State Education – 2010. Brisbane: Education Queensland.

Farmer, L. (2001). Building information literacy through a whole school approach. Knowledge Quest, 29(3).

Garland, K. (1999). The Information Search Process: A study of elements associated with meaningful research tasks. School Libraries Worldwide, 1(1), pp. 41-53.

Hay, L. and Henri, J. (eds.) (2000). Enter the millennium: Information services in schools: 1999 online conference proceedings. Wagga Wagga, N.S.W: Centre for Studies in Teacher Librarianship, Charles Sturt University.

Hay, L., Henri, J. and Oberg, D. (1999). The role of the principal in an information literate school community: Think global, act local. In Henri and Bonanno (1999) (see below).

Henri, J. and Bonanno, K. (eds.). (1999). The information literate school community: Best practice. Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University.

Henri, J. (1997). Information technology literacy in schools: Let’s look after the Teachers. School Libraries Worldwide, 3(1), pp. 31-38.

Juchau, M. (1984). Teachers’ information needs and the school library. Sydney: Australian Library and Information Association.

Lamb, E. (2003). Information literacy and gifted students. Scan, 22(2), pp. 29-33.

Lamb, E. and Todd, R. (1993). Philosophy, information skills and partners in learning: some research findings. Orana, 29(3), pp.150-160.

Langford, L. (1998). Information literacy. In The information literate school community: Best practice, eds. J. Henri & K. Bonanno (1999). Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga: N.S.W.

Lonsdale, M. (2003). Impact of school libraries on student achievement: A review of research: Report for the Australian School Library Association. Melbourne: ACER.

Luke, A. (2000). Changing nature of learning. The Australian, 3 April, p.15. In Bundy, A. (2000) (see above).

McKenzie, J. (1998). The information literate school community (online).

http://www.fno.org/sept98/infolit.html, accessed 11 May, 2003.

O’Connell, J. (1987). Seeking meaning: A study of teachers’ perspectives of the Information Search Process. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Charles Sturt University: Wagga Wagga, NSW, quoted in Henri, J. (1997) (see above).

O’Hare, J. (2002). Developing an advocacy plan for introducing an information literacy policy in an international school. Wagga Wagga, NSW: Unpublished paper. Charles Sturt University.

Ryan, J. and Capra, S. (2000). ILPO: Information Literacy Planning Overview 8 – 12 for Secondary schools. Carlton, Vic: Curriculum Corporation.

Sivanesarajah, Y., McNicholas, C. and Todd, R. (1993). Making sense of science: An information skills approach. Science Education News, 42, pp. 25-27.

Todd, R., Lamb, E. and McNicholas, C. (1993). Information skills and learning: some research findings. Access, 7(1), pp. 14-16.

Turner, P.M. (1996). What help do teachers want, and what will they do to get it? School Library Media Quarterly, 24(4), pp. 208-12.

Victoria Point State High School (2003). School Curriculum Plan (incorporating Literacy Strategy and ICTs for Learning Agreement). Victoria Point, Qld: Victoria Point State High School.