Collaboration between Academics and Librarians: the case of the Durban University of Technology

Abstract

The concept of information literacy is not a new one but it has attracted increased attention as a result of the digital information explosion. At the Durban University of Technology Library, Information literacy (IL) is offered in various forms by librarians. Unfortunately it has not enjoyed the accreditation or value that it deserves across all academic disciplines. There have however been a few success stories that have proven that IL contributes productively to the holistic development of learners. One such success story is the collaboration between the Library and the Industrial Engineering Department in embedding Information literacy into the curriculum. What started off as a pilot study between the library and the department, gained momentum to the point that is has successfully been integrated into the formal academic offering of the department. A major contributor to the success of this initiative was the relationships that were forged between the librarians and the academics. Ivey (2003) identified behaviours that contribute to successful collaborative teaching partnerships, which were prevalent at DUT and this provided the assurance of a winning formula. Librarians and academics designed learning events and material that brought together discipline specific content that integrated information literacy skills as part of the learning process. This then ensured that learners benefitted from the synergy between these 2 departments. This paper will talk to that particular partnership and outcomes of this initiative. Reference: Ivey, R. 2003. Information literacy: How do librarians and academics work in partnership to deliver effective learning programs? Australian Academic and Research Libraries, 34 (2): 100-113.(online) Available: http://alia.org.au/publishing/aarl/34.2/full.text/ivey.html [Accessed: 15 December 2012] Biodata: David Thomas is the Training Librarian at the Durban University of Technology, whose focuses on developing training material that embrace various pedagogies and learning behaviours of the current contingent of learners and capacitating librarians in this regard. He has a passion for engaging web based technologies as a medium of instruction. Mousin Saib is the Engineering Subject Librarian at the Durban University of Technology and has embraced various teaching strategies in formulating an appropriate Information Literacy offering for the departments under his care.

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