The Using Information Community (and beyond!): Exploring the potential of online communities in delivering information literacy�.

Abstract

In August 2009, the library at Bournemouth University (BU) launched an online community to enhance the resource discovery and referencing skills of students, staff, and researchers. The community is embedded within the BU’s virtual learning environment (MyBU) and has been designed to present information literacy materials in a task-oriented way, allowing users to easily navigate to materials appropriate to their level of study. Previously, the library’s online information skills materials have been delivered via the library website. Although the many of the materials are the same, delivering them in a community provides a number of opportunities relevant to the theme of this conference. - Gaining and keeping a higher profile All students, staff and researchers at Bournemouth University are enrolled on the Using Information Community. This is important as the MyBU is a common online destination and the Using Information Community now provides a link to information literacy materials right from users’ landing page in MyBU. Communication tools built into the virtual learning environment may also allow us to promote resources in a more active way, by sending announcements or messages to members of the community. The Using Information Community contains materials for every level of study, from pre-reg nursing student right through to PhD’s, researchers and staff. Presenting these materials in a single community gives users a single place to go for information skills development throughout their academic career. The community also promotes an element of serendipity: for example, a researcher accessing the Using Information Community for referencing material will also “stumble across” tutorials on how to search more effectively. - Collaboration The Using Information Community provides academic staff with a simple way to direct students to the materials. There is already evidence of academic staff reusing materials from the community in their content areas in MyBU. The library retains control of the content, but making it easy to reuse encourages academics to use consistent, authoritative resources rather than developing their own and protects the library’s role as thought-leaders in this space. - Use of Information Technology One of the challenges in supporting health students is that they spend a relatively large proportion of their time away from the university on placements. The Using Information Community enables us to use technology built into the VLE to deliver information literacy support to those students who are not able to able to visit the physical library. In the future, we can integrate richer, or interactive materials e.g. lecture capture or quizzes. The VLE’s booking tools could also be used to manage taught sessions. This would allow a graduated approach to information skills delivery – online materials may be enough for some students, but quizzes could help those needing a bit more help to identify their own learning needs and book a taught workshop or tutorial. Health students come from a variety of educational backgrounds and a graduated approach will allow us to focus our taught sessions on those that really need them. In summary, the Using Information Community has already given us a common portal, within the VLE to deliver our information skills materials. The future offers us many opportunities to harness the technology inherent in the VLE and the collaborative nature of online communities to further develop and promote information literacy.