A Case Study of Faculty Perceptions of Information Literacy and Its Integration into the Curriculum

Abstract

Since it first appeared in the 1970s, the term “information literacy” (IL) has been defined and interpreted in many ways. While much has been written about IL, a significant portion of the literature on this topic is limited to library and information science journals. As a result, if they are familiar with the term at all, faculty outside of these disciplines often have limited or different understandings of the term and its application. This lack of familiarity is a recognized obstacle to implementing successful IL programs and initiatives. However, the research on this topic is extremely limited and tends to focus on students and programs rather than faculty. Through the use of a survey, this study examined faculty understandings of IL and its integration into the curriculum at one University. The results of this study suggest general agreement among faculty about the desirability of incorporating IL instruction into the entire curriculum and the belief that all faculty should play a role. But, the results also indicate that faculty members do not feel the University has a clear definition for IL. Although faculty seem to have an awareness of the importance of IL, their lack of knowledge of IL could, in part, explain why they are not clear about specific curricular expectations regarding such. Consistent with the literature, survey data suggest that what definitions and perceptions are in place tend to focus more on the skill-based components of IL rather than the cognitive, process-based ones.

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