German libraries at the starting line for the new task of teaching information literacy

Abstract

Initiatives by German librarians on taking on board educational work in the field of information literacy or “Informationskomptenz” now seem to be successful. Although a lot of unfavorable organizational and political conditions still exist and much remains to be done, there are now many indicators showing that the mediation of information literacy will be institutionalized within the education system and the everyday work of librarians. In the last ten years of user education work, a lot of methodological experience has been gained and promising pedagogical concepts have been developed, influenced by Anglo‐American concepts of information literacy. However, a great disadvantage for the development of these concepts and for their evaluation is the absence of any central institution capable of supporting this particular aspect of libraries’ work.

IEA International Computer and Information Literacy Study 2018 Assessment Framework

“…ICILS defined CIL for use in ICILS 2013 with reference to definitions and constructs associated with information literacy and computer literacy. Information literacy constructs developed first through the fields of librarianship and psychology (Bawden 2001;Church 1999;Homann 2003;Marcum 2002) and are acknowledged as having the following processes in common: identifying information needs, searching for and locating information, and evaluating the quality of information (Catts and Lau 2008;Livingstone et al 2008;UNESCO 2003). Information literacy constructs evolved to include the ways in which the collected information can be transformed and used to communicate ideas (Catts and Lau 2008;Peters 2004).…”

Perceptions and beliefs of academic librarians in Germany and the USA: a comparative study

“…• A colloquium at the Stuttgart university library in Germany highlighted aspects of library work on both sides of the Atlantic, partly with comparative approaches (Laich, Stephan, & Universitätsbibliothek Stuttgart, 1999). • Benno Homann at the University Library of Heidelberg saw German libraries at the starting line for the new task of teaching information literacy, influenced by Anglo-American concepts (Homann, 2003). • U.S. librarian Dale Askey observed differing service mentalities in German and American libraries (Askey, 2003).…”

Self-Assessment Scores Increase in Parallel with Objective Performance Measures: The Case of Information Literacy in the Context of a Randomized Blended Learning Program Evaluation

“…Most university libraries offer information literacy instruction, often in the form of one-shot sessions complemented by individual assistance at the reference desk (Homann, 2003;Mery, Newby, & Peng, 2012). The practice of one-shot sessions has been criticized because a single session is too short to cover information literacy comprehensively (Grassian & Kaplowitz, 2001;Mery et al, 2012).…”