{"id":753,"date":"2019-10-25T08:14:44","date_gmt":"2019-10-25T08:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dkut.ac.ke\/library\/?page_id=753"},"modified":"2025-03-06T06:03:03","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T06:03:03","slug":"information-literacy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.dkut.ac.ke\/library\/index.php\/information-literacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Information Literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"w3-bar w3-dark-grey\">\n<div align=\"left\">\n  <a href=\"#\" class=\"w3-bar-item w3-button w3-border-right\"><strong>RESEARCH SUPPORT<\/strong><\/a>\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dkut.ac.ke\/library\/index.php\/research-tools\/\" class=\"w3-bar-item w3-button w3-border-right\">&nbsp;|&nbsp;Research Tools<\/a>\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dkut.ac.ke\/library\/index.php\/apa-reference\/\" class=\"w3-bar-item w3-button w3-border-right\">&nbsp;|&nbsp;APA Reference<\/a>\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dkut.ac.ke\/library\/index.php\/google-scholar\/\" class=\"w3-bar-item w3-button w3-border-right\">&nbsp;|&nbsp;Google Scholar<\/a>\n <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dkut.ac.ke\/library\/index.php\/user-guide\/\" class=\"w3-bar-item w3-button w3-border-right\">&nbsp;|&nbsp;User Guide<\/a>\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dkut.ac.ke\/library\/index.php\/information-literacy\/\" class=\"w3-bar-item w3-button w3-border-right\">&nbsp;|&nbsp;Information Literacy<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n\n\n<h3>Introduction to Information Literacy<\/h3>\n<h4><strong style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><br \/>Case study<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Meet Jane!<\/p>\n<div>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: square;\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: square;\">\n<li>Jane is a parliamentary researcher who has been asked by an MP to write a report about use of vaccines in Africa<\/li>\n<li>Jane prepares the report\u2026 but the MP is not happy<\/li>\n<li>He complains that:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 30px;\">\u2013some of it is based on unreliable sources such as anti-vaccine lobby groups<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 30px;\">\u2013Some of the data is over ten years old<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 30px;\">\u2013Some of the information concerns vaccine use in Europe not in Africa<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 30px;\">\u2013Some key sources such as the World Health Organisation have not been consulted<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 30px;\">Why do you think Jane did not use better information?<\/div>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<h4>What is Information Literacy?<\/h4>\n<p>IL is a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use effectively the information needed<\/p>\n<h4>\u00a0<\/h4>\n<h4>\u201cSeven pillars\u201d of Information Literacy<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Recognizing an information need<\/li>\n<li>Distinguishing ways of addressing information gaps<\/li>\n<li>Constructing strategies of locating information required<\/li>\n<li>Locating and assessing information<\/li>\n<li>Comparing and evaluating found information<\/li>\n<li>Organising, applying and communicating<\/li>\n<li>Synthesising and creating new knowledge<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4>\u00a0<\/h4>\n<h4>An Information Literate Person is one who can\u2026<\/h4>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: disc;\">\n<li>Know the extent of information needed.<\/li>\n<li>Access the needed information effectively and efficiently.<\/li>\n<li>Critically evaluate information and its sources.<\/li>\n<li>Incorporate the selected information into her knowledge base.<\/li>\n<li>Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose (eg. solve a problem, add new knowledge).<\/li>\n<li>Understand the economic, legal and social issues surrounding the accessed information and so use the information ethically and legally.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\u00a0<\/div>\n<div>\n<h4>Information Literacy involves:<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Attitudes<\/li>\n<li>Knowledge<\/li>\n<li>Skills<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div>\n<h4>\u00a0<\/h4>\n<h4>Lifelong learning<\/h4>\n<p>What is lifelong learning?<br \/>Do people need to learn how to learn?<br \/>Information Literacy is the key to lifelong learning<\/p>\n<h4>\u00a0<\/h4>\n<h4>Gathering information at school<\/h4>\n<p>Think back to when you were at school\u2026<br \/>Why did you need new information?<br \/>Where did you get information from?<br \/>Were you encouraged to ask questions?<br \/>Did you \u2018critically evaluate\u2019 the information from your teacher?<br \/>If not, why not?<\/p>\n<p>When we were at school, many of us learnt \u2018by rote\u2019<br \/>We were not encouraged to ask questions and investigate<\/p>\n<h4>Gathering information now<\/h4>\n<p>Discuss with a partner<br \/>Has your experience at school affected your information seeking behaviour as an adult?<br \/>Are you curious to find out new information or do you tend to accept what you are told?<br \/>What attitudes prevent you from seeking information?<\/p>\n<p>Asking questions is good.<br \/>The first step to being information literate is being curious .<br \/>Asking questions and seeking new information is how you will continue to learn and develop.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Introduction to Electronic Resources Management<\/h3>\n<h4>Using electronic resources<\/h4>\n<h4>\u00a0<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Definitions<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>An Electronic Resource is any information source that can only be accessed using a computer<\/li>\n<li>May be electronic version of print<\/li>\n<li>May be electronic version only<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong><br \/>Scope<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>E-journals<\/li>\n<li>E-books<\/li>\n<li>Databases<\/li>\n<li>Reference material<\/li>\n<li>Digital collections<\/li>\n<li>Other related materials<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Why use e-resources?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Benefits<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Current (very current contents)<\/li>\n<li>Easy and efficient retrieval process<\/li>\n<li>Sharing of resources (can be accessed by many at the same time)<\/li>\n<li>Easy to access related items<\/li>\n<li>Easy to browse<\/li>\n<li>Saves time for both user and staff<\/li>\n<li>No cataloguing\u00a0 (MARC records are part of the package)<\/li>\n<li>Economic (subscribe or purchase in packages)<\/li>\n<li>Enhanced security (no loses, no mutilation&#8230;)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong><br \/>More Benefits<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Easy to monitor and evaluate usage (publishers provide usage statistics)<\/li>\n<li>Access to publishers\u2019 added benefits (training, advanced search tools, friendly platforms, alerts, etc.)<\/li>\n<li>Fun<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Most important benefit<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Enhances Research Activities &#8211; the benefits listed above enhance access to quality content which leads to more and better research output.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h4>\u00a0Effective searching of e-resources<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The volume of electronic information is overwhelming. It is not easy to identify and access relevant information. Search skills can assist in retrieving relevant information and saving time.<br \/>Librarians hold the key to such competencies. They need to understand effective search strategies<\/p>\n<p><strong>Preparing a search strategy<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Effective searching is a process<\/li>\n<li>Define a search topic<\/li>\n<li>Identify possible search terms<\/li>\n<li>Refine a search strategy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Defining a Search Topic<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Your search topic:<em> Sexual violence in armed conflicts<\/em><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>What do you know about the topic?<\/li>\n<li>Define the scope<\/li>\n<li>Regional coverage (continent, region, country, etc.) e.g. in Africa, in Kenya, in Western Kenya\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Identifying Search Terms<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What are the possible terms you can use for searching?<br \/>Examples:Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, sexual crime, sexual assault, sexual abuse, rape, Armed conflicts<br \/>Regional conflicts, war, armed forces, women in armed conflicts,<\/p>\n<p><strong>Issues to consider<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Synonyms (mobile phones, cellular phones)<\/li>\n<li>Plural\/singular forms (woman, women\u2026)<\/li>\n<li>Spelling variations (honour, honor\u2026)<\/li>\n<li>Variations of root word (feminism, feminist, feminine\u2026.)<\/li>\n<li>Acronyms (CEO, Chief Executive Office\u2026)<\/li>\n<li>Lower\/upper case<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Where to start the search<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Library website<\/li>\n<li>INASP country page<\/li>\n<li>Publisher platform<\/li>\n<li>Google or other search engine<\/li>\n<li>Other logical starting point<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Searching<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Any of the identified terms and related terms can be used in the search separately<\/li>\n<li>The end results will be overwhelming making selection fairly time consuming<\/li>\n<li>To enhance accuracy and save on time, one has to refine the search by combining search terms<\/li>\n<li>Predicting results<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&#8211; How many documents would you like to retrieve?<br \/>&#8211; A few very specific ones?<br \/>&#8211; Lots of general ones?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Refining a Search<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Using the identified search terms separately is a broad search which may result in overwhelming results<\/li>\n<li>To refine the search one has to narrow the search<\/li>\n<li>Boolean Operators assist a researcher to combine two or more search terms to enhance accuracy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Boolean Operators<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Boolean Operators consists of 3 words<br \/><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">AND<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">OR<\/span><br \/><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">NOT<\/span><\/p>\n<p>These words can be used to combine search terms to narrow or broaden the search<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">AND<\/span>: retrieves a document on condition that both search terms used are present<br \/>e.g.\u00a0 Sexual violence AND armed conflicts<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">OR<\/span>:\u00a0 retrieves documents with either of the search terms used<br \/>e.g. sexual violence OR armed conflicts<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">NOT<\/span>:\u00a0 Excludes documents with one of the search terms from the results<br \/>Sexual violence\u00a0 NOT\u00a0 rape<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Truncation<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Truncation is another strategy for broadening a search.<\/li>\n<li>It helps to retrieve related terms in one search.<\/li>\n<li>It also solves the problem of singular and plural.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But truncation is used with a code e.g. $ or *\u00a0 This depends on the search engine used<\/p>\n<p>EXAMPLES:<br \/>Search Topic is Economics and development<\/p>\n<p>Economic development will certainly be useful to this topic<\/p>\n<p>Econ*.\u00a0 Will retrieve documents with both terms<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Field searching<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Most publisher resources offer advanced search functions<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Author<\/li>\n<li>Journal title<\/li>\n<li>Article title<\/li>\n<li>Date ranges<\/li>\n<li>Abstract<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin: 2px; float: left;\" src=\"images\/wiley-online-library.jpg\" alt=\"wiley-online-library\" width=\"820\" height=\"421\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Search modifications<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Learner-centred \u2013 alternative spellings?<\/li>\n<li>Pedagogical \u2013 where should we truncate?<\/li>\n<li>Education \u2013 what will it produce?<\/li>\n<li>Train the trainer \u2013 any irrelevant items?\u00a0 How would you use this?<\/li>\n<li>Evaluating a Search Strategy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Too many results?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Review strategy<\/li>\n<li>Use more specific terms<\/li>\n<li>Combine search terms using AND or NOT<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Too few results?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Review strategy<\/li>\n<li>Use broader terms<\/li>\n<li>Combine search terms using OR<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><br \/>Satisfied?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Download documents<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Resources linked from:<br \/>&gt;&gt; www.inasp.info<br \/>&gt;&gt; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.inasp.info\/en\/training-resources\/open-access-resources\">http:\/\/www.inasp.info\/en\/training-resources\/open-access-resources<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RESEARCH SUPPORT &nbsp;|&nbsp;Research Tools &nbsp;|&nbsp;APA Reference &nbsp;|&nbsp;Google Scholar &nbsp;|&nbsp;User Guide &nbsp;|&nbsp;Information Literacy Introduction to Information Literacy Case study Meet Jane! Jane is a parliamentary researcher who has been asked by an MP to write a report about use of vaccines in Africa Jane prepares the report\u2026 but the MP is not happy He complains that: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-753","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dkut.ac.ke\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dkut.ac.ke\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dkut.ac.ke\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dkut.ac.ke\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dkut.ac.ke\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=753"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.dkut.ac.ke\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/753\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1109,"href":"https:\/\/www.dkut.ac.ke\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/753\/revisions\/1109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dkut.ac.ke\/library\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}