Beyond information: the academic library as educational change agent

Abstract

Mass higher education, flexible delivery, student centred and problem based learning, information literacy and other graduate attributes, are accelerating curricular and pedagogical change in progressive universities. Academic librarians need to partner academic teachers and others in that change, an impetus for which in Australia and New Zealand is the Information literacy framework and the Institute for Information Literacy. With their commitment to the free flow of information and ideas, they must also demonstrate a commitment to education which liberates, and should be willing to be held to account for graduates who are not able to function effectively in the complex information environment of the 21 st century. The mission of the university library must therefore move beyond excellence in information identification, acquisition, organisation, access and skills development. It should be described and asserted in educational, not informational, terms. here is an adage in English that if something is not broken do not try to fix it. That philosophy is pragmatically Anglo Saxon, and it can too easily become a rationale for lack of product improvement and a failure to pursue excellence. This possibly explains why Germany makes better cars than England, and why the car of choice for discerning Australians is an Audi, BMW, Mercedes or a Porsche, rather than a Jaguar, MG or Rover.

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