Rethinking Information Literacy

Book excerpt: A vision for the future of information literacy teaching. Based on groundbreaking research, undertaken by the authors as part of the prestigious Arcadia Programme at Cambridge University, this book presents a new and dynamic information literacy curriculum developed for the 21st century information professional. The authors adopt a broad definition of information literacy (IL) that encompasses social as well as academic environments and situates IL as a fundamental attribute of the discerning scholar and the informed citizen. It seeks to address in a modular, flexible and holistic way the developing information needs of students entering higher education over the next five years. The book is organized around the ten strands of the new curriculum, which cover the whole landscape of information literacy development required to succeed as an undergraduate in higher education. Interweaving the authors' research and the reflections of internationally recognized experts from the library, education and information literacy sectors, including Moira Bent, Andy Priestner, Sarah Pavey, Geoff Walton and Elizabeth Tilley, it illustrates how and why this new curriculum will work in practice. Detailed appendices present the curriculum, lesson plans and tools for institutional audit, giving readers all the tools they need to implement it successfully in their institutions.