ALIA Information Literacy Forum

Debate topics: August 2001

Judy Peacock: Thriving for information literacy

Good morning everyone!

Well, Prue and Di requested a discussion starter, and I hope I am about to deliver the goods! Below is a (believe it or not) much-abbreviated version of a paper I am destined to deliver later this year at the RAISS conference. I stress 'much-abbreviated' because it is much too verbose to post in its entirety and I didn't want to send you all into a stupor at your keyboards... ;-)

So, if the text doesn't flow very well, please forgive - I haven't been terribly careful about editing the original. Mind you, it is still quite lengthy as there seemed to me to be some essential points which needed to remain in order to comprehensively inform the discussion and the arguments in the paper. You might decide that it is better to just scan for the 'good bits' rather than read from A-Z.

However, for those of you who always have to know the full story (or just enjoy self-inflicting pain and suffering), I will post separately a copy of the full paper for your information (in versions Word97.doc and a .rtf).

I cover a few topics in this paper and it may be that the discussion leans in greater detail towards one or even two that are dearest to your hearts. I look forward to seeing which topics these might ultimately be...

Also note that, although the flavour of my discussion reflects my perspective as a librarian working in the university context, there are still topics covered which I believe are relevant to all our perspectives across all the sectors in which we work. So... I hope you all find something to spark your interest.

And while I hope that my opinions prompt your discursive juices - here's a disclaimer:

Prediction requires courage and insight on the part of the writer, and patience and tolerance on the part of the reader - given the pace of change, forecasts are likely to be proven wrong long before the naturally-occuring demise of the author. Assuming, therefore, that there are multiple routes to a single destination, consider this but one navigator's view of the possibilities - the ultimate decision will be your's to make.

So... 1, 2, 3 - let's go!

Cheers

Discussion topic:

Drive, revive, survive - and thrive: going the distance for information literacy

Introduction

Along with the increasing emphasis on generic capabilities, information literacy is becoming the catalyst for comprehensive and, at times, radical curriculum reform within the tertiary sector. As libraries move to consolidate a dynamic and authoritative position in this evolving scenario so, too, do academic reference librarians face the challenge of reconstructing their professional roles and responsibilities.

The recent national Drive, Revive, Survive campaign sought to highlight the contribution of driver fatigue to the road toll. Some of the telltale signs of fatigue, as suggested by the Motor Accident Authority of NSW, are excessive yawning, boredom and drowsiness, slowed reaction time, loss of concentration and restlessness. While not to make light of a very serious subject, as information literacy continues to gain momentum, seduce 'followers' and careen towards its zenith, there is a danger that these driver-related signs of fatigue will likewise begin to surface for all involved in the information literacy arena. Although there has been little time (or opportunity) for concentration to wain, or boredom to set in, signs of fatigue are beginning to appear within the academic librarians' ranks. The concern is that the excessive yawning of librarians now being witnessed is simply a precursor to burnout on a significant scale, and an indicator of an imminent rise in the information literacy road toll.

To suffer the analogy further, an editorial on the Jefferson City Drive to Survive campaign stated that '...hastily clearing a porthole of visibility on the windshield is not enough [for] motorists must be able to see what is beside and behind, as well as what's ahead.'

It is this principle which forms the basis of this discussion. In regard to the role of libraries and librarians in information literacy and higher education, this paper will endeavour to look beyond what we know to be fact, to question what we believe to be true, and to challenge what we believe to be unchangeable - that is, to better understand what's before us as librarians in order that we may navigate the information literacy journey safely and confidently. Indeed, the paper will pose more questions than it will, or can, offer answers.

Trends impacting on information literacy

Telling the future by looking at the past assumes that conditions remain constant. This is like driving a car by looking in the rearview mirror. Herb Brody, Senior Editor, Technology Review, MIT's Magazine of Innovation:

'Although it is impossible to predict accurately which factors will significantly influence the course of information literacy in higher education, it is perhaps possible to identify a number of major stimuli.'

• Technology and information intemperance
• Accountability and performance measurement
• Organisational restructuring
• Scholarship of teaching
• Educational imperatives, such as:
  • continuing growth in enrolments and diversity of students;
  • increasing requirement to include vocational relevance of curricula;
  • increasing impact of information and communications technology on all aspects of teaching and learning;
  • Collaborative teaching models
  • Significant emphasis on lifelong learning and generic capabilities (or graduate attributes) and, specifically, information literacy and technological literacy competencies;
  • Recent scrutiny of the teaching abilities of academics;
  • The increasingly sophisticated needs of a diverse and complex student population and greater emphases on distance learning, flexible delivery options and increased demand for part-time education.

Drive and revive

If our ultimate goal is to develop information literate students with a capacity to grow as lifelong learners, then information literacy must be a pervasive and enduring part of the learning environment. To this end, what is it that could, should and must be done, and by whom?

The evolution of higher education demands the reconsideration of the roles and responsibilities of the academic librarian by all groups within the academic community. In order to accept, accommodate and encourage newly-defined teaching and learning roles and partnerships, it is necessary to consider what barriers and/or enablers currently exist within academic institutions, and the scope of the change required.

Staff status and information literacy

Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of 'crackpot' than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost. Thomas J. Watson, Founder and 1st GM of IBM.

If academic librarians will increasingly become partners in teaching and learning, then what will it take to facilitate such a cultural transformation? Are Australian academic librarians viewed by the university community as intrinsic members of the teaching and learning process with comparable knowledge and skills and the capacity to make equal contribution - if not, why not? How do the 'support service' and 'general staff' labels affect perceptions of value, and pathways to participation? Which are the practical barriers and which are purely historical and/or philosophical? In light of the changing parameters of an academic librarian with regard to information literacy, perhaps these questions need review.

Some answers may be found by examining the US experience where the status of academic librarians has been the subject of much (often heated) debate for over the last 50 years in US higher education circles, and where it is estimated that half of all librarians hold faculty status. The status of these academic librarians is diverse, ranging from full faculty status (subject to the promotion and tenure requirements of the faculty staff) through to 'professional', 'general', 'administrative' and even 'service' status.

It should be acknowledged that US models can not easily be used for comparison as conditions of academic tenure are considerably different to those in Australia; in fact, the benchmarks for determining academic status using US models are often irrelevant in the Australian context.

In Australia, however, the status of academic librarians is predominantly that of 'general staff' which aligns with the Higher Education Worker (HEW) levels in academic institutions (La Trobe University, where librarians have held academic status for many years, is the exception). Despite the best of intentions, levels of employment for, and remuneration of, librarians across the Australian higher education sector are not standardised; indeed, enterprise bargaining now ensures highly individualised agreements at an institutional level.

Not surprisingly, the discussion on the topic of 'academic' or 'general' staff status for academic librarians features predominantly in the literature of librarianship only and with little concensus of opinion. Argument ranges over conditions of employment (such as appointment, pay and tenure), alignment to standards and criteria, job satisfaction and performance, and the affect of status on the attitudes, expectations and perceptions of faculty with regard to their library peers. It is opportune to consider the pros and cons in greater detail.

Pros

Without question, the most convincing justifications of conferring academic status on librarians relate to parity in salaries and conditions of employment, perceptions of worth and institutional acknowledgment of professional practice of equal value.

The NSW Pay Equity Inquiry, presented in December 1998, found that 'there had been no full work value consideration of librarianship for the past 25 years [and an] historical resistance to the recognition of librarianship as a profession which meant that rates for librarians were, and had been for a long time, lower than for other public sector professionals'. The Report concluded that 'the evidence established that librarians' work was underpaid.'

This is certainly evident in tertiary pay scales, where librarians with equivalent qualifications and/or experience and professional responsibilities have less opportunity to receive remuneration packages equal to that of their academic colleagues. This state of affairs has been partially answered in the US by the issue of the ACRL Standards for Faculty Status of academic librarians, which states that 'salaries and fringe benefits should be comparable to, and within the range of, those paid to faculty or equivalent rank'. Such 'fringe benefits' might include access to sabbaticals, professional development budgets, bursaries and professional rewards and privileges.

Riggs and Oberg believe that librarians with faculty status and rank are generally more likely to be perceived as peers by their academic colleagues. Oberg argues that it gives librarians 'the wherewithal to relate to faculty and administrators as colleagues and peers, not as subalterns and handmaidens...'. He further states that 'student and faculty contacts may be seriously degraded when librarians are perceived as clerks and not as experts and coequals', a view supported by Muronaga and Harada, who argue that, in these relationships, 'a sense of parity is critical where each person's contribution to an interaction is equally valued, and each person shares power in making decisions'.

For Schroeder, academic status for librarians provides 'entree into the educational process on an equal footing and not as an invited or occasional guest. It provides a link for working co-operatively together and for improved communication to promote the educational process.' It acknowledges 'membership' to the sphere of educational authority and practice at the most elementary level and creates a climate of trust and mutual respect. She believes that in no way does faculty status detract from, or debase the position of, academic librarians on campus.

The protagonists of faculty status concur that it creates greater opportunities for developing teaching and learning partnerships, and establishing collaborative relationships between librarians and academics. Furthermore, they believe that librarians become more active participants in the governance of teaching and learning and the educational communities in which they work, and that faculty status, owing to research and publishing expectations, creates the potential for intellectual vibrancy in academia and librarianship.

The report Building the Academic Team, produced by the Association of University Teachers (AUT) in the UK, makes a valuable contribution to the debate for the affirmative. The report states that: 'academic-related staff (such as librarians) play a key role in supporting and complementing the work of their academic colleagues'. Downing notes that the Report provides a valuable source of evidence regarding the teaching and learning role of librarians when it states that:

• academic-related staff should be viewed as partners with academic staff in providing higher education, and their pay and grading should reflect this;
• academic-related staff should be encourage to take part in professional development alongside academic staff, and;
• pathways to accreditation should recognise the contribution made by academic-related staff to teaching and learning.

The focus on pay conditions illustrates the AUT's long-held belief that the salary and grading of academic-related staff should be linked to that of academics. Schroeder believes that this is essential to the survival of the academic librarian of the future and links status and salary to political power and institutional influence. She concludes that 'in the real... world of economic expediency, those who have no or little political clout in the [institution] are usually the first to be victimised by both the loss of jobs or salary inequities. Faculty status provides that clout, at least in some instances and to some extent.'

Cons

The arguments against faculty status for librarians generally relate to organisational and functional difficulties, the economic ramifications of such status and the commitment of time and effort in academic endeavours not viewed as fundamental to librarianship. The antagonists generally believe that faculty status compromises the service ethos of libraries; there is also an argument based upon the inappropriateness of measuring the librarian's performance against criteria specific to an academic role. Interestingly, the most vehement objectors are often high-level administrators in library schools (such as Shapiro and Cronin), themselves possessing academic status.

Cronin argues that the 'tenure and the paraphernalia of the academic calling have nothing whatsoever to do with the praxis of librarianship', a view supported by Kehde who asserts that 'history has shown that it's impossible and a waste of time and effort for librarians to compete on this field', stating that librarians 'aren't scholars, intellectuals, teachers, or writers'. He also believes that new librarians want to return to the simpler times and pursuits of buying books and helping users find them. Swigger, too, laments that no-one wants to be a librarian anymore and that 'many librarians in the information literacy movement would train those who should be our clients to serve themselves' so that they can do something else, that is 'teach classes, design curricula, or sit in the seats of educational power and control'.

In terms of organisational constraints, DePew claims that faculty status is inappropriate for librarians as it 'creates tensions that obscure the proper role of the librarian, and interferes with the effective delivery of library services by diverting librarians' energies and attentions from those services'. It is argued that academic status provokes competing expectations and responsibilities and that greater demands on time make it difficult to reprioritise library-related activities and tasks which are consistent with librarians jobs during a standard working day. The argument returns consistently to the issue of librarianship as a service profession, and it is this issue which McGowan sees as the area which separates academic library faculty from most of their teaching faculty counterparts in that it requires concentrated time and commitment to be effective.

In addition, it is deemed organisationally challenging from a managerial perspective. With an extra layer of governance superimposed upon the usual functional and organisational structure, it is plausible that variant 'classes' of staff within one library with differing working conditions and compensation are created. This position argues that there is the potential for internal organisational friction and disharmony; that is, between reference librarians and their library colleagues who, by virtue of their role in the organisation (for example: cataloguers) do not have direct client contact and the same opportunities to develop collegial awareness and recognition. Hill also notes that many library positions support administrative and managerial functions which academic positions do not. It is these functional commitments which are considered to be non-negotiable and which, subsequently, exclude time for professional development in the form of research and publication.

Furthermore, it has been suggested that the faculty model performs a disservice to both professions as it creates friction between academics and librarians, as the latter are perceived by the former to be aspiring to be something they are not. This line of debate is often supported by the claim that librarians cannot be measured fairly or effectively against the same standards as academics, particularly in the area of research and scholarship (although it is deemed easy to measure against service criteria). The economic costs to the library and/or university, such as that required to cover sabbaticals, 'release time' for writing, research and presentation, paid leave and travel support, are also considered unnecessary, inappropriate and unacceptable.

However, Blaise Cronin, Dean of Information Science at Indiana University, appears to be the most vocal antagonist of the concept and, while not wishing to lend them credibility by repeating them in this paper, his arguments against academic status for librarians make for interesting reading.

He states that 'librarians... are professional employees whose role is to support, not define or negotiate, the academic mission of the university', and that, in his interactions with librarians, he has not witnessed any 'cognitive, behavioural or effective amelioration' as a result of faculty status - good librarians are good librarians whatever tasks they undertake, or roles they assume'. In terms of teaching responsibility, Cronin maintains that, while the service is valuable to faculty and students alike, librarians should not receive preferential treatment over and above any other individuals who teach on an adjunct basis in universities, such as visiting lecturers and industry 'experts'.

Cronin goes even further by suggesting that the conferment of faculty status upon librarians actually invites a mockery of the academic professoriate and consumes an unacceptable amount of institutional resources in the process. He argues that: 'if all the time spent writing unforgettable articles for journals of often questionable quality and compiling bloated dossiers were converted into service delivery, we'd would be much better off' - one could speculate on to whom the 'we' refers.

Faculty status - the winds of change

Not surprisingly, Cronin's dismissal of academic status for academic librarians instigated a storm of heated reply in the literature of the profession. As Schweinsburg summarised, 'Cronin needs to recognise that the librarians are more than just the 'help' on campus. Faculty status is no more a confirmation of competence for librarians than any other academics, but they are equals in responsibility for current and lifelong learning and deserve recognition of that responsibility'.

That library teaching is not accorded the same degree of recognition as that of teaching credit-bearing faculty-based courses is an issue which might be addressed by parity of status. While it is 'simplistic to believe that faculty status or faculty equivalence earns automatic collegial respect', it may provide institutional acknowledgment that academic librarians are partners in the educational process, and that the contribution they make in terms of information literacy education and training is equal in value to that of the discipline knowledge contributed by their academic peers.

However, the key argument of the antagonists, that of the mismatch between academic appointment and promotion criteria (ie: teaching, research and service) and the work of librarians, could potentially be disarmed by recent moves across the tertiary sector to review and revise the 'standard' appointment criteria for academic promotion. For example, at QUT a Working Party has been established to review current university policy for academic promotion with the aim to examine (i) the way in which QUT recognises and rewards academic staff, and (ii) the factors which influence and shape effective promotion. The review is informed by Boyer's reconceptualisation of scholarship (ie: as teaching, discovery, integration and application) and seeks to develop a model which recognises role variation and which explicitly attaches equal value to the scholarly activity of teaching.

In short, the review may result in a change in policy which potentially releases academic staff from the requirement that they must respond to teaching and research criteria, but rather allow them the opportunity to focus on one or the other with the potential to change emphasis as their professional interests and aptitudes dictate. Other Australian universities have also adopted similar models.

Ultimately, this shift has the potential to alter the employment landscape at QUT, but not only for the academic staff. If the balance between teaching and research expectations and requirements becomes negotiable, and the expectation that academics conduct research becomes flexible, then the argument that academic librarians do not do research and so cannot equally address the academic criteria is rendered invalid.

Food for thought

The issue of academic status for librarians certainly raises many fundamental questions regarding the impact upon information literacy initiatives and outcomes in higher education. To summarise:

• do academic libraries exist just to 'support' the educational missions of universities, or to actively contribute to and/or participate in them?
• is the work of a teaching librarian essentially different from that of an academic?
• does academic status necessarily ensure librarians will be viewed and treated as equal partners and contribute to their influence in curricula reform and development?
• does parity of status have a negative impact on library service levels and performance?
• would the assignation of academic status upon one particular group of librarians create devisive and disharmonious working relationships and environments?
• can librarians be scholars and service providers without compromising either?
• is it difficult for librarians to match the quantitative production and delivery standards of academics and do they have the requisite skills to conduct quality research?
• are the achievements of teaching librarians afforded equal prominence, significance and prestige in the academic environment, and should they be?
• will life on the academic periphery become increasingly more difficult for libraries, particularly in economic rationalist times, when funding and personnel are hard to come by?

Given that the landscape of higher education is changing rapidly, perhaps it is timely to open up further dialogue on this issue in an Australian context. Perhaps, as Kingma suggests, if in the end the academic model is deemed unsuitable for librarians, it is time to develop a new model that more appropriately serves the needs of librarians, students and academics in an era where information literacy has become a critical element in the learning cycle.

Reference services and information literacy

All things must change to something new, to something strange. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

If, as this paper posits, a primary goal of academic libraries is to educate, then newly developing models of education and collaboration dictate a need to reflect upon the traditional reference service and to reexamine the interrelationship between reference and information literacy services, with a view to providing more effective services in the future.

Many believe that, while reference and information desk services will continue to be important, they should function simply as specialised add-ons to basic instruction, a view supported by Kohl who maintains that the emphases on reference services and instruction should be reversed with 'instruction seen as the primary means of providing intellectual access to the collection'. While he believes that 1-1 reference instruction is not inappropriate, Kohl predicts that current and future educational, economic and technological pressures will demand that academic libraries move beyond this model. He contends that traditional reference services, in fact, undermine this goal as they encourage dependent rather than independent users, and force reference librarians to mediate a system continually disrupted by the traditional reference desk service.

Indeed, for some time debate has raged over whether or not information literacy education should continue to remain part of reference services. In this regard, Kohl postulates that, as an organisational necessity, 'instruction services need to be located in their own department, reporting as highly as possible within the library organisation', thereby acknowledging the importance of a library administration's support of information literacy and [its] promulgation into the traditional teaching foundations of the university.'

This view is also supported by Rader66 who argues that, in the new information environment, traditional organisational structures must change to allow librarians to focus on more specialised areas of librarianship such as reference, education, collections and technology. Van Reenan extends this view further when he states that libraries must not only establish and support new jobs but also reprioritise, or abandon entirely, those duties and services which become unnecessary.

Certainly, any alteration of the reference service status quo will demand as much of a cultural shift in attitudes as it will organisational change, particularly as librarians relinquish duties and tasks which have long been perceived to be core business. As priorities shift, it may become necessary to further consider the role to be played by other professional and paraprofessional library personnel in managing many routine reference tasks to ensure that reference librarians have the time to 'teach, do research and practice the [skill] of information acquisition and dissemination.'

Librarians as information literacy researchers

First comes thought; then organisation of that thought into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination. Napolean Hill, Author (1883-1970)

It is well recognised that research feeds the discipline which fuels a profession, and this premise is equally true of information literacy and librarianship. Although, as Bruce recognises, information literacy research is still in its infancy, she strongly defends its research potential. She argues that, as the territory expands, the 'directions being established will potentially make information literacy research a significant source of knowledge for information professionals and educators'.

Librarianship is a discipline in its own right, with its own foundation of theory and practice and an applied field in which testing, experimentation and application are inherent taxonomies. It cannot, therefore, be reasonably argued that research is a non-essential component of librarianship, or that the research requirements of faculty are any more significant to the fields in which they teach than is that of information literacy research to librarianship. This view is supported by Schroeder who maintains that there is 'no data to claim that research in library science is any less or any more significant than in other fields'; she also argues that the quality of research in librarianship can no longer be dismissed for being too empirical.

However, due to the nature of their professional work practices and responsibilities, there is a generally held belief that librarians must make more personal sacrifices to conduct research and to publish. Conversely, the work of Boice, Scepanski and Wilson conclude that lack of time was not the issue; rather, they noted that 'the publishing efforts of librarians... suffered less from actual lack of time than for insecurities, entrenched work habits, inefficient use of time, and unsupportive workplace cultures.'

As information literacy research becomes increasingly vital to the mission of universities, academic libraries and librarians, the incentives and benefits are significant. Mitchell believes that librarians who regularly undertake research are 'more receptive to change and have more effective relationships with other faculty than do those who do not do research' and that research 'promotes advancement and recognition for librarians.' For McGowan, research is essential to advance a discipline and 'academic librarians [are] in a unique position to do research'. Although librarians may not currently be able to produce the same volume of research and publication as their academic colleagues, it is to be hoped that the institutions in which they work will recognise the critical need to conduct information literacy research on an ongoing basis and provide essential practical and philosophical support in response to the need.

There is ample scope for ongoing information literacy research, particularly in response to the influence of ongoing developments in the educational sector such as graduate attributes, generic skills, online learning and industry demands, and the future of information literacy development depends on the vision and determination of the discipline's protagonists to conduct that research. The final word on this issue must surely belong to Bruce who predicts that 'the present character of information literacy research suggests that it will continue to be exciting and relevant, and that 'it will make contributions to many fields beyond those which served as its cradle'. Academic librarians need only to step forward and accept the challenge.

Librarians as educators

Any ideas, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought. Napolean Hill, Author (1883-1970)

This issue has been the focus of much recent debate in the literature and in professional forums, and it could be argued that this perspective is now widely-accepted as a given. However, there remain some fundamental issues to be addressed which demand that the profession not rest on its laurels.

At Think Tank III, Dupuis and Watts reevaluated the teaching role of academic librarians in light of the major information literacy initiatives witnessed in higher education over the past ten years. The key conclusion arising from that forum stressed that 'librarians are still struggling for validation in [their]... roles as educators, both within and outside of [the] profession.' This 'struggle' is destined to continue unless some significant attitudinal and organisational changes take place.

These changes must first take place within the profession. Until academic librarians cease to question their rightful place in the educational process and begin to see themselves as educators who are integral to the educational process, it will be impossible to convince others that they have anything of value to offer. When, as Schroeder predicts, it is universally accepted within tertiary institutions that, not only do 'librarians teach in the traditional sense' but that they also 'inspire, guide, and support students and peers' as well, it will lead inevitably to an appreciation that reference librarians are, or should be, the most qualified people to lead the development of information literate students.

However, academic librarians need to not only be conversant with pedagogy and practice, they must be ahead of the game in terms of teaching and learning. As academics ask less 'what is information literacy?' and more 'how do I do it?', the librarian's position as a consultant in the teaching and learning cycle becomes more critical than ever before. In taking on this role, they must be willing, able and confident enough to do so, in order that they may do it well and that the academics trust and value their contribution. In this way, they will be able to work with faculty 'to introduce information literacy education at the point of greatest relevance.'

It is widely acknowledged that curriculum intervention is the most effective means by which to develop the information literacy skills and knowledge of students and, as Rader indicates, the pressure is now on faculty members to restructure the academic curriculum in order to meet the new learning needs of students. While the concept of curriculum development is not difficult to grasp, nor necessarily to accomplish, it is that librarians themselves have not traditionally posed this role to themselves in these terms. Curriculum development is traditionally seen as the province of the academic; it needs now to be presumed likewise for the academic librarian, by academia at large, library administration and by librarians themselves. The key to establishing information literacy in the curriculum, Chiste notes88, requires a change in the focus from the way teaching colleagues approach collaboration with librarians, to the way librarians approach collaboration with them'.

However, the most pressing issue still to be addressed is the fundamental need for training for academic librarians themselves, and for training which is proactive rather than reactive. The key areas of teaching competency which require a degree of training and/or additional support, have been distilled by the ILT as including: reflective practice, professional development, use of a range of teaching methods, planning teaching and learning events and assessment, and the creation of a learning environment. Also to be included is the need for education and training in pedagogical theory, evaluative practices and effective presentation methods.

Certainly there are positive signs that such training is being increasingly considered as vital. In the US, in addition to the Institute for Information Literacy's (IIL) Information Literacy Immersion Program, a recent ACRL National Leadership Grant of US$150 000 is funding training of academic librarians to work with faculty in curriculum design, implementation and evaluation to enable the assessment of student learning outcomes in information literacy. In Australia, institutions such as QUT Library (EduLib, adapted) and the University of NSW Library (TSISL) have developed and provided specialised training courses for their own librarians, or opened the courses up for broader participation (in the case of the latter).

In addition to librarian-focused courses such as these, greater numbers of academic librarians are now enrolling in graduate certificate programs originally designed for their academic colleagues. Indeed, at QUT, as part of a recent human resources initiative regarding linked classifications, the University's Graduate Certificate in Higher Education can now be used to demonstrate attainment of a high level of knowledge in teaching and learning by those librarians who wish to achieve 'soft-bar' promotion from a HEW6 to a HEW7. For Biddiscombe, however, the most acute acknowledgment of the educational role of librarians will come when the information professionals are themselves teaching into those certificate courses designed for academic staff.

Furthermore, the onus rests upon professional library associations to support, promote and advance the role of academic librarians in higher education. Ideally, academic librarians will also vie for entry into broader educational associations, and participate proactively in wider educational forums and debates. For example, as an acknowledgment of the extensive role librarians play in teaching in academic institutions, and on the strength of their key role in teaching and learning, the ILT strongly encourages the involvement and membership of librarians. Membership to the ILT requires evidence of involvement in 5 key areas:

• teaching and the support of learning;
• contribution to the design and planning of learning objectives;
• assessment and giving feedback to students;
• developing effective learning environments and students' learning support systems;
• reflective practice and personal development.

That academic librarians in the UK are eligible for membership in such an association based on this criteria sends a clear signal regarding the future of teaching and learning in higher education.

Ultimately, the focus for academic librarians must continue to be on sound pedagogy, good practice and strong peer-to-peer collaboration; the first informs effective teaching and learning, the second confirms their role in the educational process and the third affirms the critical process required. Holistically, it is essential that the teaching librarian functions as an educational professional; that is, as one who can 'engage in educational debate and decision-making processes, influence policy, forge strategic alliances and demonstrate diplomatic sensitivity.'

Librarians as leaders in education and information literacy

The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1890

Wills defines a leader as being one who mobilises others towards shared goals through determination, focus, priorities, and an appealing image. With regard to information literacy, it is this role which falls to the academic librarian. As Rader indicates, to develop information literate graduates, 'librarians will have to break out of their traditional reactive mode [and] become leaders and innovators in their interaction with faculty', students and administrative leaders.

It is this which Todd refers to as transformational leadership, which subsequently allows learners to maximise their opportunities in a new information rich environment. He believes that, although the development of systematic and explicit teaching strategies is complex, time-consuming and challenging, it is by developing these skills that librarians will 'contribute to qualitatively different learning experiences and positive learning outcomes'. It is positioned to be the 'leadership challenge for the next millennium'.

Librarians, therefore, must be encouraged to embrace leadership and develop those characteristics shared by leaders identified by Howe as including:

• providing and communicating vision and ideas;
• a knowledge of the field;
• self-awareness;
• an acceptance of, and capacity to manage change;
• an ability to evaluate risks and the courage to take action;
• an understanding of the context in which they operate;
• an ability to co-operate with and motivate others;
• a desire and ability to build the organisation.

As associations and governing bodies such as the ILT begin to influence higher education, academic librarians must participate in the same decision-making processes, engage with the issues impacting upon teaching and learning, and strive for the same types and levels of accreditation as do their academic peers. Such action will provide the opportunity to 'professionalise our practice and to advertise our role in the teaching and learning context.'

Librarians must also embrace and undertake stringent individual and organisational self-development and self-evaluative processes and procedures which strengthens their credibility, substantiates their educational role and instils academic community trust in their educational ability. Such processes may include:

• peer review of teaching;
• ongoing contribution to information literacy and teaching and learning research;
• ongoing contribution to the literature across multiple disciplines;
• commitment to ongoing postgraduate study, such as graduate certificates and doctoral studies, in disciplines such as adult learning and teaching and learning in higher education.

Surviving the challenges

What is important is to keep learning, to enjoy challenge, and to tolerate ambiguity. In the end there are no certain answers. Martina Horner, President of Radcliffe College

According to Cubynet's Safe driving hints, when driving a long distance one must plan the route and the break intervals in advance in order to make the journey more fun. The same is true of the information literacy journey for academic librarians. The course that information literacy will necessarily take over the next few years will be long, windy and unpredictable but, if managed well, it will prove to be a rewarding and beneficial experience for all involved, not least of all for the students themselves.

As teaching and learning opportunities present themselves, it is essential that librarians and the organisations in which they work are receptive to, and prepared for, the change. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of individual librarians and academics, academic libraries and their administrators, institutions and their administrators, professional associations and librarianship educators 'to develop a new paradigm not only for our libraries but also for our profession' which will serve to enrich higher education for students.

Much of the transformation will need to occur within the academic library and the library profession. As Lynch and van Reenan concur, new technological capabilities and the shifting context of higher education and scholarship will necessitate a basic alteration in the activities of the academic library as an organisation, and demand that the profession focus on the successful re-invention of library jobs when conducting training and staff development and undertaking strategic planning. It is timely, perhaps, for academic libraries to now review and re-evaluate their traditional roles and services in order that they may firmly establish their new place in the educational continuum.

Any examination must also take into consideration the extenuating needs and responsibilities of, and demands upon, the contemporary librarian-educator, and seek to encourage and accommodate more complex involvement in non-traditional pursuits. These areas may include extensive and ongoing professional development, research into the nexus between teaching and learning and information literacy, and diverse professional contributions to forums and activities beyond those traditionally deemed as 'library-related'. Ideally, in conjunction with these changes, academic librarians will reconstruct their roles and reposition themselves as critical elements in higher education. The politics of success demand only, notes California State librarian, Kevin Starr, that librarians possess a high level of esteem, have the courage to be idealistic and see themselves in broad conceptual terms.

This reconceptualisation includes seeing oneself as directly involved in, rather than as an ancillary supporter of, the educational process. As the design and delivery of tertiary education changes, so will academic-related staff increasingly become involved alongside academic staff in making a direct contribution to the provision of higher education. In this capacity, the academic librarian must not only become a proponent of exemplary practice in the design, delivery and evaluation of effective curriculum and quality teaching and learning experiences - they must also become confident, competent practitioners and leaders in the area. Furthermore, in order to transform higher education, librarians and educators must continue to 'develop tools of collaboration' and communication with faculty about information literacy, in the context of teaching and learning, in order to move beyond the boundaries of information literacy as a library-only issue.

It is yet to be established that academic status for librarians is counterproductive to the success of information literacy teaching and learning. Oberg believes that to survive in an era of rapid change, librarians must become 'quick-witted, creative risk-takers'. He concludes that 'tiered reference and faculty status encourage librarians to participate fully in the scholarly life and governance of our campuses [and that] faculty status accords librarians full partnership in the creative, co-operative, synergistic, collegial relationship between students.

Granted, it is unlikely that administrators will alter the organisational status quo unless there is a 'strong and reasoned demand for change on the part of the library [staff]'. However, regardless of official contracted status - academic or otherwise - institutions of higher education must begin to recognise the changing role of the academic librarian, acknowledge the critical nature of their contributions to teaching and learning, and encourage, facilitate and reward their participation in scholarly pursuits. To this end, it may be timely to review such areas as:

• performance criteria and promotional incentives;
• pay structures and renegotiation of employment classifications;
• professional development opportunities;
• workload and renegotiation of duties;
• equal access to fringe benefits such as bursaries, scholarships, release time etc.

Conclusion

I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones. John Cage, Composer (1912: )

This paper has not sought to provide definitive answers - in fact, in many respects, it has posed more questions for discussion than can be addressed in the limitations of a single paper. What it has attempted to do, however, is resuscitate some long-standing subjects, reemphasise current issues, and raise new topics for broader debate; to examine particularly which issues impacting upon information literacy should be investigated further, and investigate what should be examined more closely.

To return to the original analogy: information literacy is forcing us to map out new roles for ourselves as librarians - we may not always be certain which way the road is going, or where it will end up, but we must be armed with some critical tools and a reasonable sense of direction to avoid information literacy fatigue. In the words of Professor Irwin Corey, if we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we're going.

Judith Peacock, Information literacy co-ordinator, Office of the Library Director, Gardens Point Campus, Queensland University of Technology, GPO Box 2434 Brisbane 4001 ph 07 3864 2893, fx 07 3864 2485, j.peacock@qut.edu.au, http://wwwlib.qut.edu.au/info/about/staff/j_peacock.html

[References available from Judy on request]