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##  Information Literacy: Search Strategies, Tools & Resources. ERIC                Digest.                                                                      

In the current Information Age, the speed at which we work makes us             increasingly dependent on high-quality, accurate information.                   However, information is becoming more voluminous, fragmented into               different formats and media, and duplicated in multiple physical                locations. In order to access and use these myriad sources                      effectively, people must be information literate. 
As defined by               the American Library Association (ALA) in its mission statement for             the global information society, 21st century information literacy is            the ability to seek and effectively utilize information resources,              including knowledge of how to use technologies and the forms in                 which information is stored (ALA, 1998). This means that asking a               good question, as well as accessing, locating, evaluating, and using            information, is critical not only in scholarly activities but in                making daily decisions. 
Having accurate, up-to-date information               determines the difference between the rich and the poor in the                  Information Age. Community colleges can make a vital contribution               toward closing this gap by equipping their students with the ability            to access, retrieve, and utilize information. 
As we strive to                 understand information literacy issues in a more holistic manner,               the Information Literacy: Search Strategies, Tools &                            Resources (ST&R) Program developed by Ercegovac (1997a) can provide             invaluable guidance in a variety of information literacy                        environments. 
This Digest briefly describes challenges facing                 information literacy development as well as ST&R and its usefulness             to community college faculty and students. INFORMATION                        TECHNOLOGYThe growth of computer networks and information                   services has already enabled learners at all levels to share                    resources, collaborate with one another, and publish their results              electronically. To use information sources effectively, we need both            technology infrastructure (TI) and information literacy                         infrastructure (ILI) in place. While TI has been well-funded and                developed, ILI is poorly applied in teaching and learning, and                  requires educators' attention. 
Information technology is a tool               for writing papers, communicating with colleagues worldwide, and                exchanging experiments, ideas, and programs internationally. As                 community colleges are considering distance learning and adding new             technologies to their curriculum, ensuring students' information                literacy becomes vital. However, this shift may challenge existing              campus dynamics. A CURRENT CHALLENGEThe proliferation of                  information sources and educational technology have created a                   dysfunctional relationship between community college faculty and                librarians that is based on an outdated teaching/learning                       paradigm (Tompkins, 1996). Traditionally, teaching has been the                 purview of faculty while librarians were viewed as merely custodians            of printed information resources. In the current Information Age                however, librarians have become the primary instructors in community            colleges to teach research methods and critical thinking skills as              applied to information access (Academic Senate for California                   Community Colleges, 1996). As such, there is increasing support for             community college librarians to be seen as key instructional team               members and as partners with faculty (Tompkins, 1996; McHenry,                  Stewart & Wu, 1992). 
Especially as libraries are transformed into             integrated library/high technology centers, resource-based                      learning (i.e., drawing on resources beyond textbooks and lectures)             and information literacy can be adopted as goals across academic                disciplines. At Central Seattle Community College, for example,                 faculty linked an English composition course with one in library                science to teach students how to use information literacy skills in             the context of cultural pluralism (McHenry, Stewart & Wu, 1992). By             working together, librarians and faculty were able to teach content             as well as the valuable skill of navigating through complex data                bases and information resources. 
While faculty may know how to                teach English composition or other standard courses, they may not be            as comfortable teaching information literacy. Fortunately, an                   abundance of resources has emerged from sources including the                   Department of Education (1996), the ERIC Clearinghouse on                       Information and Technology (Eisenberg & Johnson, 1996) and                      independent authors (for example see Mendrinos, 1994). These                    publications state information literacy goals, review literacy                  tools, provide case studies, and present adaptable models of                    information literacy curricula. 
THE ST&R PROGRAM

One recently              developed aid is the Information Literacy: Search Strategies,                   Tools & Resources (ST&R) Program that can be tailored to the local              needs of colleges. It is comprised of three integrated instructional            components: the ST&R book, a PowerPoint presentation for classroom              use, and an HTML version of the book for installation on                        institutional servers. 
Implemented at the intersection of learners            and Web-ready information resources, ST&R can initiate students to              the world of information literacy. It is a comprehensive and                    flexible tool that has been developed to enable students to become              self-sustained seekers and users of information sources and digital             libraries. This can be especially useful in the community colleges              where many students are from disadvantaged or lower socio-economic              backgrounds and previously may not have had access to such                      sources. 
The program has been designed for anyone interested in               the critical and effective use of all types of information sources              regardless of their format (e.g., books, journal articles,                      manuscripts, log diaries, visual elements, and other artifacts) and             medium (e.g., printed, electronic, and networked digital libraries).            ST&R takes a user-centered perspective and focuses on the                       intellectual aspects of locating, evaluating, interpreting, and                 communicating information sources rather than on the technical                  aspects of these activities. 
Furthermore, ST&R is comprehensive               because it contains references to a variety of sources and digital              repositories, introduces effective search strategies and tools for              the use of these sources, and covers critical evaluation of these               sources. In this one-stop "literacy mall," ST&R also offers                     exercises, a glossary of introduced terms and concepts, and Internet            addresses of numerous sources available on the Web. In particular,              the electronic version of ST&R allows students to connect                       automatically with Internet addresses and explore various search                engines in an orderly and guided manner. Instructors are equipped               with the "ST&R Show," based on the Microsoft PowerPoint 97                      presentation program, that features links to selected Internet                  digital libraries and resources. 
The ST&R Program also is flexible            because its content is divided into a series of nine interrelated               yet independent chapters. Students can expand each chapter by doing             more exercises and searches, tracking new Web addresses, updating               the existing ones, and developing their own portfolio of annotated              information sources. 
This program is the first attempt to                     translate research from the fields of information seeking,                      information retrieval, and educational psychology into a practical              information literacy program. It can be utilized in a variety of                academic settings including libraries, media centers, and                       classrooms. In addition, different academic departments may wish to             incorporate individual parts of ST&R into their curricula to fit                their own information literacy mission, students, and collections.              Also, the program is scalable to the different academic abilities of            community college students. 
In summary, ST&R represents an                    accumulation of over 10 years of teaching, in-class testing with                undergraduates at the University of California, Los Angeles, and                feedback from real learners and users. It is based on understanding             the user, active learning, a conceptual approach in teaching, and               modularity (Ercegovac, 1995; 1997b). While the program is a very                practical information literacy tool, it also is based on solid                  research and conceptual foundations. For example, it recognizes the             importance of the information life cycle (e.g., information need,               search and interpretation, evaluation, and use) as well as the                  user (National Academy of Sciences, 1998). CONCLUSIONIn this              Information Age, we browse and query the world's repositories                   without ever having to leave our workplaces and communities. Thus,              it is not surprising that the traditional sense of a library as a               confined space with local dimensions has introduced ambiguities to              the way people interpret library collections and uses. As a result,             the value of a library as a store has been questioned, and the                  library's role as a service is largely misunderstood. 
Another                 concern is the ease with which untrained users can directly search              sources, resulting in their continued difficulty with utilizing                 information retrieval systems. Furthermore, definitions of access               and information are not agreed upon universally. 
All these changes            have created the need to rethink information literacy and to educate            students in the lifelong quest for knowledge. ST&R helps in this                regard. REFERENCESAcademic Senate for California Community                Colleges. (1996, Spring). Library Faculty in California Community               College Libraries: Qualifications, Roles & Responsibilities.                    Sacramento, CA: Academic Senate for California Community                        Colleges. (ED 395 630) 
American Library Association. (1998). New              Visions: Beyond ALA Goal 2000. Planning document. Chicago: American             Library Association. 
Department of Education. (1996). Getting                 America's Students Ready for the 21st Century: Meeting the                      Technology Literacy Challenge. A Report to the Nation on Technology             and Education. Washington, DC: Department of Education. (ED 398                 899) 
Eisenberg, M.B. & Johnson, D. (1996). "Computer Skills for               Information Problem-Solving: Learning and Teaching Technology in                Context." ERIC Digest ED-IR-96-04. Syracuse, NY: ERIC Clearinghouse             on Information and Technology. (ED 392 463) 
Ercegovac,                        Z. (1995) "Information access instruction (IAI4): Design                        principles." College & Research Libraries, 56 (3), 249-257. (EJ 510             313) 
Ercegovac, Z. (1997a). Information Literacy: Search                      Strategies, Tools & Resources. Los Angeles: InfoEN Associates. (ED #            forthcoming) 
Ercegovac, Z. (1997b). "The interpretation of library            use in the age of digital libraries: Virtualizing the name."                    Library & Information Science Research, 19 (1), 31-46. 
McHenry,               K.E., Stewart, J.T. & Wu, J. (1992). "Teaching resource-based                   learning and diversity." New Directions for Higher Education, 78,               Summer, 55-62. (EJ 450 253) 
Mendrinos, R. (1994). Building                    Information Literacy Using High Technology: A Guide for Schools and             Libraries. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited. (ED 375                          820) 
National Academy of Sciences. (1998). Workshop on Information            Literacy. Irvine, CA. January 14-15.                                            http://www2.nas.edu/cstbweb/ 
Tompkins, P. (1996). "Quality in                 community college libraries." Library Trends, 44 (3), 506-25. (EJ               520 152) 
The ERIC Clearinghouse operates under OERI Contract No.              RR93002003. The opinions expressed in this digest do not necessarily            reflect the position or policy of OERI and no official endorsement              by OERI should be inferred.                                                  **Title:** Information Literacy: Search Strategies, Tools & Resources. ERIC                Digest.                                                                      **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** http://www.gse.ucla.edu/ERIC/eric.html                                       **Descriptors:** College Role,  Community Colleges,  Educational Needs, Educational              Objectives, Futures (of Society),  Information Literacy,                         Information Seeking,  Information Utilization, Search Strategies,              Student Needs, Two Year Colleges                                             **Identifiers:** Eric Digests                                                                 
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