The Framework Five - Information Literacy regarding ebooks

From the post and the other readings, I've realised how much information literacy is a part of my life. Knowing the people behind Framework Five and who are likely to be creating the posts and tasks, where those people have come from and where they are now, I know how much authority lies behind it all. Looking at the CILIP definition of information literacy and seeing familiar names such as Emman Coonan and Jane Secker listed as authors, I know how much passion and experience has gone into it. Reading the article about firefighters has made me acknowledge how much of an information literate at heart I am, recognising myself in the author's definition. I rely on people to provide me with information rather than in print or electronically; I go to my brother for technological expertise and advice; I go to my Dad for help with fixing things; I go to my friend Chris for Doctor Who trivia. I suppose that is the simplest form of information literacy, knowing the knowledge and experience of others!

"It allows us to account for the actions and influences of others as information sources and to recognize the importance of accessing information from non-textual sources which give access to embodied or cultural sites of knowledge." p. 84, Lloyd (2005).

The most everyday form of information literacy is when other people ask you to help them, when they ask you questions about something. From what people tell me I'm the most knowledgeable about, I should write about ebooks for this task; I guess you could call me fluent in ebooks. It's not a natural language to learn and frustrating at times in its inconsistency, but it's a language I became fluent in out of necessity. I have written about ebooks before, many times: for academic purposes, for published articles and for work, and so I will again. If you're interested in reading those articles, they're on my LinkedIn page; five years old, the platforms have changed and some of the names, but the articles are unfortunately still very relevant.

The very wise Lao Tzu, my mantra for life

I think very critically about ebooks, so when I'm about to make a purchase, I take many things into consideration. I know ebooks are usually complementary to the printed book, unless a distance learner has requested the book and can't get hold of the physical book. It's about finding the balance between print and electronic books, having enough to cover the class or to serve the purpose, such as reading a chapter instead of the entire text. Several factors play a part in defining ebook fluency. My ebook information literacy is informed by years of experience, across multiple libraries, developing a rounded view of ebooks from the supplier, buyer and user perspectives.

You need to take into account the subject of the book and the publisher, as it increases efficiency in the task; I know which possible platform to go to first. I search by shortened title and author in case of changes according to edition. When I find what I'm looking for, I then have to understand the terminology of the ebook model and preferred format as they differ between suppliers, hence the inconsistency. Then I need to know who to send what to so it goes up on the catalogue for everyone to find.

Buying ebooks isn't the only part of this task. I both learned and shared my knowledge via the excellent community of librarians, imparting that knowledge to my team and other colleagues and presented it to peers: you can find the presentation, where the images in this post come from, on Slideshare. In the beginning, it was the legend Sarah Stamford who set me on the right path and then the amazing Jayne Kelly helped me continue my knowledge, encouraging and supporting me in maintaining and developing my fluency.

The ebook landscape is an inundated one

At first, at least for me, it was just one ebook supplier and then the task developed as new suppliers, platforms and models were brought in. It forced my fluency to adapt as it made the task longer and more complicated, so my information literacy had to develop, as well the need to advise others. I helped users to find, navigate and use ebooks yes, but I also wrote a series of posts to inform others about the state of the ebook industry and my experience as a librarian, along with the views of others. I ran sessions to teach others how to order ebooks and some of the FAQs and issues around them. Disappointingly, it turned into more of a checklist to follow, so I was keen to stress that this is the way I've done it, but find the way that works for you. That is true information literacy, being influenced by others, while also becoming literate enough to make it your own, not only finding, assessing and managing information, but also communicating it and becoming influential yourself.

The ebook landscape is a (hopefully) constantly developing area and the need to keep track of the changes is essential, most recently in terms of accessibility and DRM-free ebooks. It is necessary to anticipate the needs of others and where it will go in the future. My information literacy will have to evolve along with it. So once you have achieved fluency in a certain subject, skill or task, it doesn't mean it will always be that way. Complacency is the enemy to information literacy.

Reference
Lloyd, A. (2005) “Information Literacy: Different Contexts, Different Concepts, Different Truths?” Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 37(2): pp. 82–88. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000605055355. (Accessed: 13 February 2020).