Information Power and Connecting with Students

Information Power is a concept supported by librarians, providing students with lifelong learning competencies for real-world experiences. American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) built upon guidelines of American Library Association to improve library media programs to create a framework for Information Power.

The service functions of an academic library may be different from library media programs or public libraries. However, the goal of these libraries is for students to find, engage with, and critically think about information, to encourage lifelong learning and promote collaboration between students, librarians, and teachers. (Information Power, 1998)
Information Literacy is an aspect of information power where students learn which resources are available and how to reflect on what they read for meaningful learning. Moreover, Metaliteracy is another aspect of Information Power, where students learn to analyze various evolving forms of information like Artificial Intelligence, such as ChatGPT, and social media content for bias and reliability.

“As a Metaliteracy learner, one needs to be able to use information in multiple formats, including print, audio, digital, virtual, or augmented resources, to think critically about the processes, concepts, production, and reception of information, in order to adapt to new forms of technology, and to produce and share information in creative and ethical ways.” (Chen, 2023)

Together Information Power, Information Literacy, and Metaliteracy help students access, use, reflect on it, and integrate information in their learning. Information Power helps students build their individual and communal learning practices. Connecting students to a dynamic and safe learning environment where they feel supported can encourage them to discover ways to research independently. Students can learn how to retrieve, evaluate, synthesize, and use information individually or in a group setting. These skills build a foundation for lifelong learning in their pursuit of continued education, future work interactions, and personal use. (Metaliteracy, n.d.)

Rebecca Arzola

References

American Association of School Librarians, & Association for Educational Communications and Technology. (1998). Information power: building partnerships for learning. American Library Association.

Chen, C.-C., Wang, M.-L., Chu, S., Ishita, E., Kunlathidā Thūamsuk, & Shamila, M. S. (2023). Information literacy education of higher education in Asian countries. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0522-5

Metaliteracy. Teaching Information Literacy: Beyond Research Skills. (n.d.). https://sites.google.com/view/teachinginfolit/bonus-modules/metaliteracy

Bloomberg Lab and Group Study Rooms provide student-driven learning environments that can be accessed for individual or group-centered learning

All photos by Rebecca Arzola, 2024