1.3: How Librarians Support Information Literacy Development
- Page ID
- 260775
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People with common interests or concerns create formal or informal information communities, made up of people with different levels of expertise. Developing expertise is a process and learners can be assisted in that process by those who are more expert in the field, and those with related expertise, such as a librarians.
You may have seen negative stereotypes of librarians in the popular culture of the United States -- think of an image of an old, cranky woman with her hair in a bun peering over her glasses and shushing people while pushing around a cart of dusty, old books. In reality, most librarians stay up-to-date with the rapidly-changing world of information and are fierce advocates for equitable access to information and strong supporters of learning. Contrary to the stereotype, many libraries themselves are vibrant, active places, full of people engaging in conversation, activities, learning, and building knowledge.
Librarians have Masters degrees in Information Science and are experts on the information "ecosystem" and how to navigate it. They can help you think critically about concepts related to the production, evaluation, and ethical use of all kinds of information, and the creation of knowledge. They can help you develop research plans and learn better search strategies for using library resources, the internet, and other sources of information for class assignments as well as for life in general.
Seek out the librarians at your school for support in applying the concepts covered in this book!
Image: Cover illustration from This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All, by Marilyn Johnson.