Teaching Information Literacy Reframed by Joanna M. Burkhardt

Author:Joanna M. Burkhardt [Burkhardt, Joanna M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LAN025000 Language Arts & Disciplines / Library & Information Science / General
ISBN: 9780838914526
Publisher: American Library Association
Published: 2016-06-06T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

Searching as Strategic Exploration

“Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring the evaluation of a range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as new understanding develops.”1 We live in an age in which an instant response to any query is the expected norm. Students today have never been without the Google search box. If they want to know something, they Google it, and whatever the search brings back is the answer. Although instant gratification is appealing, the instant answers of Google are sometimes less than adequate and sometimes so overwhelming in quantity that it is impossible to sift out a simple answer to a simple question. Further, there are some instances in which a Google search brings results, but the results do not answer the question because they are only “related to” it. Sometimes a search query is poorly constructed, misspelled, or otherwise inadequate. When a Google search turns up nothing, students (and others) often assume that there is nothing to find. If they don’t get an instant answer, they assume there is no answer at all.

Experienced researchers learn about a new topic by starting the search for information with a wide range of sources and then narrowing to more specific and targeted sources as they gain information. If they don’t find what they are looking for in one source, they try another source. They understand that the search for information takes time and patience. It takes mental flexibility to consider who might cover the topic under consideration and to seek out sources of information from those individuals or institutions. It takes some thought to consider search terms, synonyms, alternative spellings, and other means of obtaining results. It takes time to evaluate information sources for accuracy, reliability, and applicability. It is a winding path through the forest of information possibilities, a treasure hunt that will answer a question or solve a problem. An experienced researcher knows and embraces the process, including the time it takes and the number of sources one might need to explore. For the beginner in information literacy, it is necessary to unlearn the expectation of an instant answer while learning patience and perseverance in research.

Information literacy instruction should help beginning students understand the components of the search process. Instruction should guide students through the forest of information, showing them examples of alternative sources along the way. It should also provide students with practice in independent discovery of information from a variety of sources. Instruction should help students become researchers by making the search process habitual, if not automatic. To develop this habit, it is necessary to overcome the need for speed and instead emphasize quality. Success in this rather daunting task will ultimately contribute to students’ overall success in their classes, in their workplaces, and in their daily lives.

Thus far in the information age, the quantity of information available has grown astronomically. The abundance of information is both a blessing and a curse. The answer to any question is probably out there, but finding it can be next to impossible.

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