Presentation by Sheila Webber at KISK, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic, 27 November 2014.

1. Sheila Webber, Brno, November 2014
Blended information behaviour and information literacy for 21st Century life

2. “Information Behavior is the totality of human behavior in relation to sources and channels of information, including both active and passive information seeking, and information use.” Wilson (2000; 49)
Sheila Webber, 2014

3. Blended Information Behaviour “effective use of a variety of channels and sources, moving between different digital and offline environments, and using a blend of techniques (searching, browsing, encountering, etc.) to meet a variety of needs and achieve the desired outcome.” (Webber (2013; 97)
Sheila Webber, 2014

4. “Information literacy is the adoption of appropriate information behaviour to identify, through whatever channel or medium, information well fitted to information needs, leading to wise and ethical use of information in society.”
Definition by: Johnston & Webber (2003)
International IL Logo
Sheila Webber, 2014

5. information
behaviour
whatever
channel or
medium
information
needs
wise and
ethical use of
information
in society
encountering
linking
searching
creating
browsing
people web
journals
sound
pictures
text
education
work
family
citizen
fun
spiritual
Sheila Webber, 2014

6. Information literacy as a key discipline of the information society: IL for workplace & citizenship, not just for study
“a basic human right in a digital world and promotes social inclusion of all nations”
(Alexandria proclamation)
Sheila Webber, 2014

7. Evolution of Information Literacy concept
•Moving from individual information literacy and focus on texts to
–Information literate with pictures, video
–Information literate in digital environments
–Able to cope with a rich mixture of information types – all at the same time
–Information literate with people
–Information literate individually and collaboratively
–Information literacy in context
Sheila Webber, 2014

8. Information literacy & graphic novels
Neill, M. (2008) Graphic novels: a young man’s superhero or the library’s contemporary villain. MA thesis. Sheffield: UoS.
“The text is a lot easier, simpler, short, snappy, but you are looking at the pictures and making sense of them, applying the language to them. It sets you thinking a bit more. “ (Interviewee 9)
More people learning from watching videos – cooking, makeup, Minecraft, mathematics,…
Sheila Webber, 2014

9. From research by Dr Shahd Salha (2011)
Sheila Webber, 2014

10. World of health information literacy
“Consumer health information isn’t just about leaflets and printed information. It’s much broader than that; it can be hospital signage, appointment letters, websites, informed consent, personal health records, patient education programmes, the list goes on. Good information engages people in their well-being, improves their experience and enables them and their families or carers to make choices about their lifestyle, treatment and the services they use.” (Patient Information Forum)
Sheila Webber, 2014

11. Information Literacy … and computer games
- Gumulak, S. (2009) Video games: the way to attract teenagers into the library. MA thesis. Sheffield: UoS.
- Gumulak, S. and Webber, S. (2011) "Playing video games: learning and information literacy" Aslib proceedings, 63 (2/3), 241-255.
“I learned all about camping, how to light a fire. “ (Interviewee IIb12)
“ye I go back and start the level again to see if I missed anything then I read it is it says anything for help. “ (Interviewee XIIg12)
• Text boxes
• Game environment
• Non player characters
• Game booklet & box
• Friends and family
• Walkthru sites (last resort)
•Review sites
•Search engines
•Forums
•Websites
20% wrote reviews “if it is a good game I write „try it it‟s a good game‟ if it is rubbish I write it‟ (Interviewee Ib12)
Browsing, searching, evaluating, applying
Sheila Webber, 2014

12. Information: preteens
Other young people
Adults
Instant Message
Email
Telephone
Television
Radio
Books
Magazines
Websites
Search engines
Organisations
Meyers, E. Fisher, K. and Marcoux, E. (2009) “Making sense of an information worlds: the everyday life information behaviour of preteens.” Library Quarterly, 79 (3), 301– 341
“a tween might consult a peer, who recommends a Web site, which is vetted by a parent, and ultimately they together consult a store professional.” (p317)
“in nineteen of twenty- five [searches] … tweens used another person as the primary or secondary source of information” (p317)
school , bus, shopping mall, sports fields, parks, home, churches , libraries , restaurants, shops
Sheila Webber, 2014

13. Saw picture of sculptures on a blog
Visited the sculpture site in Second Life, examined details of sculptures, then of creator of sculpture
Googled name of sculptor to find out more about her
Bought sculpture in artist’s Second Life shop
Asked SL friends about sculptor
Buying a sculpture in Second Life
Searched/examined subject specific blogs and websites & art gallery in SL
Interacted with new people in SL discovered through these channels
See Webber (2013)
Sheila Webber, 2014

14. Information: ambulance workers
Lloyd, A. (2009) “Informing
practice: information
experiences of ambulance
officers in training and on-road
practice.” Journal of
Documentation, 65 (3),
396-419
• training manuals
• books,
• written rules
• protocols
•Colleagues
•Trainers
Bodies/ people/ environment
• Sound
• Speech
• Touch
• Appearance
Patients • Movement
Text
“you don’t really know what’s happening until you get
your hands on the patient and can see breathing, feel a
pulse, what’s the blood pressure, are they pale?” (p409)
Pics: Microsoft clip art
Sheila Webber, 2014

15. Ambulance workers: “you don’t really know what’s happening until you get your hands on the patient and can see breathing, feel a pulse, what’s the blood pressure, are they pale?” (Lloyd, 2009: 409)
Observation of people, medical instruments, environment
Existing & “textbook” knowledge
Seeking new information, from people, texts
Combining, comparing, evaluating, applying, communicating

16. Information behaviour during the Hurricane Sandy crisis
•Stage 1: Warning/threats
•Stage 2: Impact
•Stage 3: Inventory (taking stock of what has happened)
•Stage 4: Survival
•Stage 5: Recovery
•Stage 1: Internet sites, news media, Personal experiences, Social media
•Stage 2: Personal experiences; News media; Internet sites
•Stage 3: Personal experiences
•Stage 4: Personal experiences, Social media, Internet sites
•Stage 5: News media, Internet sites, Social media, Personal experiences
Channels used during the Hurricane Sandy crisis. Source: Lopatovska and Smiley (2014), Figure 1: Model of information behaviour during Sandy
Sheila Webber, 2014

17. (Stage 4) “Due to the inefficiency or limited accessibility of traditional information channels, personal experiences became the major source of information. Residents sought information through direct contact with their community (neighbours and friends), or walking and driving around the area in search of the functioning gas stations, stores, restaurants, and other types of services. While direct observation might not be considered the most efficient way to seek information, it was often the only way to obtain information as well as to reinforce the sense of belonging to a community.” Lopatovska and Smiley (2014)
Sheila Webber, 2014

18. Acting in a crisis, in Syria:
“she told what Dr Shahd teach us was great, I was able to search for the best way to escape after I checked with my husband all the ways. She told me that she used the internet on Google earth to find information about the pathways and I did the same and I teach other people to do so as well. I am sorry if I said too much but I wanted to tell you that you are in our heart and what you teach us is like a matter of live or death” Personal email received by Dr Shahd Salha (10 Oct 2012)
Sheila Webber, 2014

19. Shahd Salha’s case of Active Citizenship in Syria
“Motivation: we lost activists, some of them close friends, because they lacked required skills and attitudes to deal effectively with information”
“Active citizenship in the Syrian context involves acquiring the skills, attitudes and social intelligence to be able to support other Syrians with information, information sources, information advice as needed.”
Johnston, Webber and Salha (2014)
Sheila Webber, 2014

20. “ An information literate person has a deep awareness, connection, and fluency with the information environment. Information literate people are engaged, enabled, enriched and embodied by social, procedural and physical information that constitutes an information universe. Information literacy is a way of knowing that universe.“
Lloyd (2004 p.223)
Sheila Webber, 2014

21. IL in context
•IL in different cultures & communities
•IL in different workplaces
•IL in different academic disciplines
•IL in crisis and in play
•IL of diverse individuals in their own circumstances in society & life
Sheila Webber, 2014

22. Therefore goal for education: Situational awareness rather than “transfer of skills”
•Moving awareness and understanding of own IL to the foreground
•Understand how you can be information literate with a wide variety of information types or information-rich environments e.g.
–Wikipedia; Youtube
–Hospital; Multinational company; Refugee camp
•Requires different learning outcomes and pedagogic strategy in formal education (teaching IL “recipe” not enough!)
•Changing role of LIS professionals and educators
Sheila Webber, 2014

23. Curriculum for an information literate lifecourse
•Individual reflecting on his/her information literacy contexts
•Identifying IL strengths, gaps & priorities for his/her stage in life - forming his/her own personal “curriculum” for development
•Being able to audit his/her context: at different stages of life; at transition points; in response to critical events
See: Webber and Johnston (2013)
Earlier reflections on curriculum: Johnston & Webber (2006), Webber & Johnston (2000)

24. •MOOCs
•Importance of information literacy in helping us become sensitised to – but not overwhelmed by – the rich information world(s) we inhabit
•Eductators empowering people to evaluate and use information in its many forms (Information literate use of Wikipedia, not banning Wikipedia!)
•Situational awareness of IL: becoming aware that being information literate is valuable, and making choices using IL
•Helping people generate a curriculum vita (a course for life)
•IL as a discipline to enable life
Sheila Webber, 2014

25. From research by Dr Shahd Salha (2011)
Sheila Webber, 2014

26. Sheila Webber
Information School
University of Sheffield
s.webber@shef.ac.uk
Twitter: @sheilayoshikawa
Second Life: Sheila Yoshikawa
http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/
http://www.slideshare.net/sheilawebber/
Photos and graphics:Sheila Webber

27. References
•High Level Colloquium on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning. (2005). Beacons of the Information Society: Alexandria proclamation on information literacy and lifelong learning. http://archive.ifla.org/III/wsis/BeaconInfSoc.html
•Johnston, B. and Webber, S. (2006). As we may think: Information Literacy as a discipline for the information age. Research strategies, 20 (3), 108-121.
•Johnston, B. and Webber, S. (2003). Information literacy in higher education: a review and case study. Studies in higher education, 28 (3), 335-352.
•Johnston, B., Webber, S. and Salha, S. (2014). The Active Citizen in a Changing Information Landscape. http://www.slideshare.net/sheilawebber/the-active-citizen-in-a-changing-information-landscape
•Lloyd, A. (2009). Informing practice: information experiences of ambulance officers in training and on-road practice. Journal of Documentation, 65 (3), 396-419
•Lopatovska, I. and Smiley, B. (2014). Proposed model of information behaviour in crisis: the case of Hurricane Sandy. Information Research, 19(1) paper 610. http://InformationR.net/ir/19-1/paper610.html
•Patient Information Forum: http://www.pifonline.org.uk/
•Salha, S. (2011). The variations and the changes in the school librarians' perspectives of information literacy. PhD Thesis, Information School, University of Sheffield. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/1538/2/Salha,_Shahd.pdf
•Webber, S. (2013) "Blended information behaviour in Second Life." Journal of information science, 39(1), 85–100
•Lloyd, A (2004) Working (in)formation: conceptualizing information literacy in the workplace. In Proceedings of 3rd International Life Long Learning Conference, 13-16 June. (pp. 218-224). Rockhampton, Australia: Central Queensland University Press.
•Webber, S. and Johnston, B. (2013) Transforming IL for HE in the 21st century: a Lifelong Learning approach. in Hepworth, M. and Walton, G. (Eds.) Developing people's information capabilities fostering information literacy in educational, workplace and community contexts. Emerald. pp.15-30.
•Wilson, T. (2000). Human information behavior. Informing science, 3 (2), 49-55.
Sheila Webber, 2014