What is Information Literacy?
Often when we hear the word "literacy" we think of reading and writing. Another kind of literacy is called Information Literacy (IL). An IL person is able to make correct decisions about which information to use when doing an assignment, such as an essay, a speech or presentation, where to get the kind of information needed, how to present it, including in the form of a PowerPoint, and so on. The process that should be used by students in becoming an IL person is shown in the Information Process model below. There are many other IL models but as this was created by the NSW Department of Education (DoE) it is appropriate for NSW public schools to use it.
The role of school libraries in the ISP
While teachers will typically instruct students to follow something similar to the ISP in completing an essay or research assignment, school libraries can assist students by providing much needed resources and suggestions, and by encouraging them to routinely follow the ISP model. Thus, enabling students to not just complete their assignments but to complete them to much higher standards.
This is especially important given that while teachers will instruct students to locate a range of resources for use in completing a research assigment, essay or presentation, many students tend to struggle to find these resources and to identify the best resources to use. Indeed, some students will copy and paste slabs of text from an online encyclopaedia or a website only and that may answer the question only in a very general sense.