USING ACRL'S NEW FRAMEWORK FOR INFORMATION LITERACY TO EXPLORE TEACHING STRATEGIES FOR INTERGOVERNMENTAL INFORMATION Brett Cloyd Reference and Government Information Librarian University of Iowa Libraries

DEFINITION “Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.” Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education

FRAMEWORK BACKGROUND New in 2015 Part of ACRL’s “Constellation of Information Literacy Documents” “The frames are intended to demonstrate the contrast in thinking between novice learner and expert in a specific area.” (ACRL, Appendix 1) Flexibility is emphasized in the document.

“ Learners do not start a course in the same place, nor do they learn at the same pace.” ( “What’s the Matter with“What’s the Matter with Threshold Concepts?”, Townsend et alTownsend et al)

TEACHING EXAMPLES Consider places where librarians might introduce intergovernmental information. Here is my base, at a large university: Library Strategies for International Research – a 1 credit elective course I teach to juniors and seniors. One shot classes to International Studies, Political Science, and Geography students (undergraduate or graduate students). Visits to 1 st year Rhetoric classes. In the context of research consultations with individual students

INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS “What, after all, is the big deal about international organizations?” (Church, 2009) Information including Standards, Law, Development, Human Rights, Aid, & Children “International” and “intergovernmental organizations” are sometimes used interchangeably.

WORLD BANK GROUP & THE ELIBRARY The World Bank’s eLibrary is a useful tool to incorporate into Information Literacy learning situations (i.e. classes, consultations) because it has a certain focus and purpose that can be explained and discovered in a class session. It is also a gateway to other World Bank information products/free resources (such as the Databank, Blogs, Altmetrics, and the Open Knowledge Repository)

THE FRAMES 1.Authority Is Constructed and Contextual 2.Information Creation as a Process 3.Information Has Value 4.Research as Inquiry 5.Scholarship as Conversation 6.Searching as Strategic Exploration ACRL does not prescribe a preferred order or emphasis. I am numbering to give shape to the presentation. This webinar will discuss each frame and propose a few instruction ideas.

#1. AUTHORITY IS CONSTRUCTED AND CONTEXTUAL #1. authority

AUTHORITY: OF AN INSTITUTION The World Bank ‘s role within the United Nations #1. authority

AUTHORITY: CHALLENGING IT Defined By Others? Google recommended the “protest” search term to find visual images. Challenging Authority. #1. authority

AUTHORITY OF THE ELIBRARY Part of the World Bank Help students recognize the scope of the database Need also to understand the authors and the information products #1. authority

AUTHORITY: EXPLAINING TO NOVICE LEARNER? From 2005 ebook From A 2002 Working Paper eLibrary Record, 2005 date From current University of Ottawa faculty page (5/2015) #3. value

AUTHORITY OF AUTHORS: SEARCH RESULTS:? Reviewing a search result record Authority of World Bank Authors? Books might have more author information, but working papers might have newer information on a topic. The OKR has a good summary page of document types.good summary page #1. authority

AUTHORITY:THE CRITICS? Most students* information needs compel them to find information from a variety of perspectives as they gain greater understanding of a topic. This article (Stein, 2009) was discovered in PAIS International, and is critical of the World Bank’s work. * Graduate students in particular need an extensive literature review for their dissertations. #1. authority

#2. INFORMATION CREATION AS PROCESS

CREATION: SHARED/ING MESSAGE A variety of tools help users and the World Bank share information eLibrary contains the work of the World Bank (no third-party content; written by World Bank staff, economists, and experts in their field) Recognize that students may be overwhelmed by the authority and expertise of the works as they try to meet their information needs. Linking to blog sources (more informal) or the public topic pages can give students more room to maneuver. The eLibrary results screen presents some opportunities for novice learners. #2. creation

SHARING: TOPIC PAGE eLibrary Topic Page Background paragraph & web links (esp. blog) Filters Country Favorites Citation Alert Share Page #2. creation

CREATION:ALTERNATIVE METRICS “Emerging process of information creation and dissemination” Altmetric tool to measure discussion of work. Some records in the eLibrary include this measure. “Accept the ambiguity surrounding potential value of information creation” A Twitter user that tweeted WB title. #2. creation

#3. INFORMATION HAS VALUE

VALUE OF SOURCES Demonstrating free vs. fee content (esp. for senior students) Intergovernmental information as a means to educate, influence, negotiate and understand the world. Country information Google United Nations World Bank eLibrary #3. value

VALUE: UNDERSTANDING WORLD I have students in my Library Strategies class search for information about their countries of interest. Often result emphasis is travel or other consumer-oriented Activities (Destinations, Lonely Planet). We also talk about ways that Google Personalizes search results. #3. value

VALUE: NEGOTATING MEANING Students can have a difficult time finding and comprehending sources like these. #3. value

VALUE: EDUCATING eLibrary Country page World Bank sources The Topic filter can help students find and learn about issues facing a country. #3. value

#4. RESEARCH AS INQUIRY

INQUIRY: STARTING POINTS Students may begin their work from a variety of starting points, and use more sophisticated tools as they progress in their learning A librarian can help students differently in a library developed, credit- bearing class vs. a one-shot class vs. a consultation. Students may ask different questions based on the information tool they use. A library catalog or discovery tool (that includes World Bank eLibrary records) Google or Google Scholar PAIS International or a Political Science index (like Worldwide Political Science Abstracts) eLibrary #4. inquiry

INQUIRY: LIBRARY CATALOGS Connects students to content directly Puts information in context of wider range of material May be difficult for new users to identify value of content in midst of larger results lists. #4. inquiry

INQUIRY: SCHOLARLY DATABASES Many sources about the World Bank Some WorldBank, documents, reports and books in these databases, too. (with links or via a link resolver) More like this? World Bank content through ebrary in ProQuest databases? Why not eLibrary or the Open Knowledge Repository? Helping students navigate search results helps raise questions. #4. inquiry

INQUIRY: FULL RECORD #3. value

#5. SCHOLARSHIP AS CONVERSATION “

CONVERSATION: SAMPLES Discuss Scholarly Communication Issues (esp. Assistant vs. Associate Professor rank) Bibliography exercise. Give students a selection of sources on a topic and have them answer questions like, “Which source is from a scholarly article, a news report, a government publication.” Help students review a bibliography in a work. Build research management skills like learning citation tools (i.e. EndNote) Reduce student anxiety about contributing to the conversation (collaborative activities, short presentations, etc). #5. conversation

CONVERSATION: PUBLISHING I have talked with students & faculty on sections such as: “About this journal” “Rights & Permissions” “Editorial Board” “Instructions for authors” #5. conversation

CONVERSATION: CITATION MANAGEMENT Google Scholar Example. Cited by Import into.. eLibrary “Download Citation,” “Citation Alerts:” the conversation. #5. conversation

#6. SEARCHING AS STRATEGIC EXPLORATION

EXPLORATION Concept maps exercise & writing on paper Small group discussion Flipped class idea. Students complete a Google Form ahead of class time (can work in a variety of teaching contexts). Assign students a database to explore, have them present it to class using their research topics and keywords (subject-based, or tools like the eLibrary Browsing eLibrary topic and country pages useful for exploration. Knowing about student’s interest early on helps construct sessions. #6. exploration

WRAP-UP The World Bank eLibrary can be a useful starting point in teaching information literacy concepts discussed in the Framework. The Framework is a conversation starter for librarians, faculty, higher education and publishers Hope some ideas here might lead to future emphasis on information literacy in intergovernmental sources and government information in general. I’ll be at ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco if anyone wants to meet and talk about these issues.

THANKS

WORKS CITED Bibliography is available at: