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This article reports a research project in which the thinking preferences of a group of students enrolled for a module on information literacy at the University of Pretoria were determined. Annually about 7 000 first-year students enrol for this module. The main aim of the research project was to determine to what extent the traditional approach to offering the module could be changed with a view to accommodating students with differing thinking preferences and enhancing the quality of learning. To get a holistic perspective on learning the theory on whole brain learning and the application of Herrmann's whole brain learning inventory were applied and investigated.The research forms part of an overarching interdisciplinary research project that focuses on facilitating whole brain information literacy. Since the focus is on investigating a specific practice, action research is used as scholarly process for professional development. The action research approach includes mixed methods. This mix allows for merging quantitative and qualitative studies.The first phase of the project consisted of a baseline study. It entailed a quantitative approach to determining the students' learning style profiles by means of the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) -used as a diagnostic assessment tool. The outcome of this diagnostic assessment forms part of the baseline data for the envisaged longitudinal study.

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The information profession has changed drastically in the last few years. The core requirements for information workers have also changed because the workplace needs specific qualities and skills. The necessity of continuing to teach cataloguing and classification is questioned, and many library schools have discontinued teaching these subjects. Many experts, however, believe that cataloguing and classification are still among the basics of information work. The subject still forms part of the curriculum at the University of Pretoria. At the beginning of 2000, funds were obtained to use the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument to establish the preferences of the second year Library Science students taking cataloguing. The result showed that their preferences do not really correspond to those of cataloguers. They specifically do not like the analysing and mastering the technical details required in cataloguing. As these skills are required for cataloguing, teaching methods will have to be adapted to equip students for the workplace. IntroductionThe library and information profession as a whole and the work of cataloguers in particular has changed significantly in the last few years. There are a number of reasons for these changes. Among these are the increase in electronic publishing, digitising conventional library materials, the advent of the Internet, the availability of information in many new formats and the extensive use of technology in the organisation and retrieval of information, as well as in most other operations in library and information organisations (Ayres 1999, 3). All this seems to make cataloguing if not superfluous then less important than before.Information workers also had to adapt to meet the information needs of a varied clientele. Sheila Corral, as quoted by Garrod (1999, 194) argues that, in the hybrid library of today, "content professionals", who specialise in information handling, as well as "conduit professionals", who specialise in IT (information technology) and computing are needed. To discover how the information professional of the future must be educated and trained, it is essential to look at the environment in which these future professionals must function.

The interconnectedness of the constructs 'whole brain ® thinking' and 'multiple intelligence' forms the epicentre of this article. We depart from the premise that when whole brain ® thinking is activated multiple intelligence can be nourished. When this becomes evident in a higher education practice it can be claimed that such a practice is innovative. Whole brain ® thinking that informs intelligence and vice versa is inevitable when it comes to facilitating learning with a view to promoting quality learning in the context of higher education. If higher education is concerned about the expectations of industry and the world of work there is no other option as to prepare students in such a way that they develo as holistic -whole brained and intelligent -employers, employees and entrepreneurs who take responsibility for maximising their full potential. Becoming a self-regulated professional and being reflexive are some of the attributes of the 21 st century which should be cultivated in all students. Research on whole brain ® thinking and multiple intelligence shows that these human attributes form an integral part of one's interaction with life -one's environment and especially people as integral part of the environment. This focus on people highlights the need for developing soft skills within every curriculum. The epistemological underpinning of our reporting of experience in practice and research of the application of the principals of the constructs is metareflective in nature. Instead of a typical traditional stance to research we do not report on the numerous sets of data obtained over a period of more than 15 years. Our approach is that of a meta-reflective narrative as most of the studies we were involved in and still are, are reflective as it is most often than not action research-driven. And action research is a reflective process. We report on evidence-based practice that includes fields of specialisation such as health sciences, engineering, academic staff development, financial sciences, teacher education and higher education. Important aspects of any higher education practice, such as curriculum development, facilitating of learning and assessment are addressed. Practice-based evidence of each, where applicable, is offered as claims of innovation.