All I can think of right now is record keeping and information literacy. Over the last few weeks I’ve been in ‘record keeping mode’ both at work and at home, completing a university assessment piece – an Information Literacy plan.
I will admit information literacy was, and has been difficult to grasp, at least at first. Plus I think I’ve taken information literacy right out of its comfort zone, out of an educational setting in a library of sorts and applying it to not only a workplace context, but also to record keeping practice. I have chosen to complete the information literacy plan in a context related to my work so I can 1) demonstrate my understanding (so far) of the role the unit I work in has in the community of record keeping practice across government, and 2) develop an alternative approach to the design and delivery of services such as training and the provision of policies and advice.
During my research, I have come across some key concepts associated with the situating of information literacy within the given context – workplace information literacy and information “landscapes”, knowledge management, organisational learning (and learning organisations, there’s a difference) and communities of practice. I’m hoping my plan will show how the design and delivery of learning opportunities to clients will be better informed by an information literacy approach and how to implement it.
I still have quite a bit left to do, my productivity held back by tiredness, limited brain power and hesitation about getting it right.
I do have some great company at my desk though….meet Owlie.
I was all set to write something deep and meaningful – now I am squeeing about Owlie.
I love Owlie. My partner’s mum made him and now he sits with me at my desk. I’ll try not to distract you from deep and meaningful today. 🙂
I also noted a lot of the Information Literacy programs and articles were overly focused on universities and libraries. I found it infuriating that the field was so limited for a subject that is pretty encompassing.
I’m glad I wasn’t alone in that.
I think that a lot of people researching in that area just use what they’re comfortable with when they’re doing research and as a result they don’t explore non-academic settings.
Anna Lundh in her talk in week 4(?) of Information Literacy and Education, mentioned that too much of the field is looking at what it is right now and not looking for what Information Literacy should be, looking for the best methods of use and implementation. Most researchers so far have been trying to create models that reflect what’s happening and how people use information literacy and almost none of them are looking at how to improve or enhance it.
Also Owlie is nice.
Thanks for your comment, Andrew. Much appreciated. I can see how information literacy can be applied to different “information landscapes”, it’s somewhat annoying research hasn’t been adventurous enough in the area. I would like to suggest reading some of AnneMarie Lloyd’s research to gain a sense how information literacy is theoretically situated in various contexts. I’ve found it helpful.