Information Literacy Instruction for Educators: Professional Knowledge for an Information Age

Citation

Bernath, V. (2005), "Information Literacy Instruction for Educators: Professional Knowledge for an Information Age", Library Management, Vol. 26 No. 3, pp. 159-159. https://doi.org/10.1108/01435120510580915

Educational reform has produced a proliferation of institutional, professional, state and national standards in recent years. Translation of standards into practice can be challenging, particularly when the standards have been created by a profession not universally recognised as being central to teaching, as in the case of information literacy standards. This book provides a useful overview of the current status of information literacy programs in courses for student teachers. Although mainly reporting studies and programs in the United States, with single contributions from Canada and Australia, the contents should have broad relevance.

Authors represent librarians and educators. Articles concern student teachers, trainee educational administrators and doctoral students.

Emerging themes include the low numbers of information literacy instruction programs in courses for student teachers, the need for course integrated information literacy programs which take into consideration the three main developmental stages and related needs of the students (as students, teachers‐in‐training, and lifelong learners) and the need for a common understanding of information literacy between librarians and educators.

Several examples of strategies and techniques for successfully incorporating information literacy into student teacher programs are described, and associated outcomes and challenges are identified.

While the intended readership appears to be librarians and teacher educators, in an article on the influence of school library programs on academic achievement, Roberson, Schweinle and Applin note that the literature for the teaching profession rarely addresses this topic. This book will be of interest to librarians intending to work with teacher educators to develop comprehensive programs addressing the three facets of student teachers' information literacy needs. It includes a bibliography of information literacy in teacher education with representative articles from 1987 to 1992.