The work of all staff at service points in education libraries should be
valued as contributing to IL. Here we make a point of integrating it as
in at the help desk saying

" Do you remember the session that you had with the librarian where you
learnt about search terms, what do you think the search terms might be
for your enquiry now?"  

And the same would apply for induction information, or "spotting"
someone having problems finding information when on a pc in the IT open
access area.

It is only at the point of need that any learning becomes live.

Nicola


Nicola Scott
Learning Resources Manager
Hackney Community College
Falkirk St
London N1 6HQ

0207 613 9280

-----Original Message-----
From: A general Library and Information Science list for news and
discussion. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Hannah
Hauxwell
Sent: 23 May 2008 11:12
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: information literacy as you've never seen it before

Further to my postings back in March, I would like to expand my comments
about the paraprofessional contribution to the promotion of information
literacy.  This comes from a short paper I gave at LILAC this year.

 

The term "information literacy" tends to imply the formal end of the
spectrum.  As mentioned in my previous posting, areas such as defining
information literacy, working in collaboration with academics to
embed/integrate IL into the curriculum and the fine detail of
planning/running library induction programmes are covered in depth,
whilst the day-to-day element of information literacy remains largely
ignored in the literature.  I would argue, however, that information
literacy promotion includes any activity which helps our "customers" to
make effective use of library resources, so the support and development
of students' information literacy skills can happen at a number of
levels: hence the "three tier" model of my previous posting.

 

I work as a paraprofessional in a library serving both further and
higher education students.  We operate two service points - a Service
Desk, mainly dealing with circulations (borrowing), and an Enquiry Desk
offering more in-depth support.  I work on both service points, so I
have experience of giving the two different kinds of support.  I have
been busy promoting information literacy in this role for years,
although it was a long time before I knew that's what it's called!
This happens as a natural part of my interactions with students.  For
example, the Service Desk is the hand-in point for inter-library loan
requests.  A few years ago, we found that we were receiving many
requests for "in stock" items.  Request forms were returned to the
student with info about the resource and how to access it.  We also
began to filter requests when they were handed in at Service Desk: for
example, showing the student how to check the library catalogue.  I
found that I was also able to give other advice in context, such as
referencing and assessing sources, drawing on information I had
accumulated in the course of doing my job.

 

In my experience, many students do not assimilate the content of library
induction sessions (for whatever reasons), so paraprofessionals step
into the gap and help students to find information as and when they need
it.  We do this as a natural part of our job.  Taking this a step
further, it can also be an opportunity to challenge students to think
more about their information use.  For example, as student may ask to be
shown how to place a hold on a popular title when all the copies are out
on loan.  The technical skill of placing the hold is one element of the
interaction, but it is also a prime opportunity to get them thinking
about how to assess and choose texts to use by offering them available
alternatives.

 

Students cannot learn to evaluate, organise and synthesise information
until they have accessed it in the first place, so really the work of
paraprofessionals is the foundation which underpins all other
information literacy activity.

 

 

Hannah Hauxwell

 

University of the West of England

 



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