Information literacy, by definition, is something that should be actively learned.  ALA defines an information literate person as one who is able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.  This book provides school and college librarians with ideas for incorporating 116 information literacy activities into their classes.  The introduction offers tables that relate the activities to the components of the American Association of School Librarians information literacy curriculum delineated in the Appendix.  Instead of lecturing, librarians can use these exercises to introduce a topic, have the students work through an activity, and then engage them in discussion.

A 20-minute, self-administered student assessment on the accompanying computer disk (Windows version only) will assist librarians in knowing which skills to teach.  There is a limit of five administrations for the trial disk, but disks are available for purchase in both Windows and Macintosh formats which can be used on one computer ($99.95); up to five computers ($199.95); or up to thirty computers ($499.95).

All three authors hail from Florida.  Patricia Iannuzzi is head of the Reference Department and co-director of the Information Literacy Initiative at Florida International University Libraries.  Also at F.I.U., Stephen S. Strichart is a professor of special education and learning disabilities. Charles Mangrum is a professor of special education and reading at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida.  These three authors have collaborated previously to produce the following titles:
 

• Teaching Study Skills and Strategies in Grades 4-8 in the Information Age, 1997
• Teaching Study Skills and Strategies in College, 1997
• Teaching Study Skills and Strategies to Students with Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorders, or Special Needs, 1998

Teaching Information Literacy Skills is well organized and easy to use.  Objectives are introduced at the beginning of each chapter, followed by a list of reproducible activities.  “Using the reproducible activities” follows, consisting of an annotated list of activities with explanations about how to introduce each activity to a class.  Activities are labeled with “L” if they require a trip to the library; with a “C” if they require the use of a computer.

Excellent examples accompany important concepts.  For example, on a worksheet dealing with “Primary Sources,” the sources range from “letters from a soldier in the Civil War” to “blueprints of your school.”  A few carefully chosen illustrations enhance the text.  A particularly effective flow chart offers a strategy for using information literacy skills and aids students in understanding how access tools such as catalogs and indexes are related.  It guides students in their quest for information by specifying  “places to go,” “tools to use,” what to get,” and “what to do with it”.  The worksheets reinforce the major information literacy concepts presented.  The questions offer students an opportunity to assess their understanding.  Answer keys are included.

Chapter One, “Accessing information,” covers catalogs of all types, indexes and searching conventions such as truncation and controlled vocabulary.  The exercises are easily adaptable to most library settings.

Chapter Two, “Locating and Using Materials,” deals with classification schemes and call numbers as well as distinguishing characteristics of popular magazines and scholarly journals.

A variety of tools are examined in Chapter Three, entitled “Using Reference Sources.” This chapter succeeds in simplifying such reference sources as dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, atlases, biographical sources, chronologies, and literary criticism.  Students are exposed to the broad range of reference materials in both paper and electronic formats.

Chapter Four, “Interpreting Visual Information from Reference Sources,” deals with tables, graphs, maps and charts.  One worksheet asks the question: “Which sold more, entertainment or database software?”

”Using the Internet” is the subject of Chapter Five.  It covers the basics of email use, netiquette, using URLs, freenets, directories and search engines.  There are a number of worksheets devoted to discovering what’s on the web, including information about tourist attractions, schools, libraries, and reference sources.  The authors chose URLs which are both familiar and enduring.

Somewhat problematic is identifying the book’s intended audience.  The introduction mentions that the information literacy curriculum was adopted by the both the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the National Forum on Information Literacy (NFIL) which represents K-12 and higher education.  Most exercises seem suitable for high school and beyond, although some could be used at the elementary school level.  I used the worksheet on distinguishing scholarly journals from popular magazines as an oral exercise in a university class, and succeeded in eliciting student participation.  I think parts of this versatile book could be adapted to suit any instructional level.

Certainly not as comprehensive as the Library Research Skills Handbook (Myrtle S. Bolner, Doris B. Dantin, and Ruth C. Murray), this book is a handy resource for all instruction librarians who want ideas on how to incorporate active learning into their information literacy teaching.

Deleyne Wentz, Utah State University