Information Literacy in the Workplace

This book explains how information literacy (IL) is essential to the contemporary workplace and is fundamental to competent, ethical, and evidence-based practice.

In today’s information-driven workplace, information professionals must know when research evidence or relevant legal, business, personal or other information is required, how to find it, how to critique it, and how to integrate it into their knowledge base. To fail to do so may result in defective and unethical practice which could have devastating consequences for clients or employers. There is an ethical requirement for information professionals to meet best practice standards to achieve the best outcome possible for the client. This demands highly focused and complex information searching, assessment, and critiquing skills.

Using a range of new perspectives, Information Literacy in the Workplace demonstrates several aspects of IL’s presence and role in the contemporary workplace, including IL’s role in assuring competent practice, its value to employers as a return on investment, and its function as an ethical safeguard in the duty and responsibilities professionals have to clients, students, and employers.

Chapters are contributed by a range of international experts, including Christine Bruce, Bonnie Cheuk and Annemaree Lloyd, with a foreword from Jane Secker.

Content covered includes:

• examination of the value and impact of IL in the workplace
• how IL is experienced remotely, beyond workplace boundaries
• IL’s role in professional development
• organizational learning and knowledge creation
• developing information professional competencies
• how to unlock and create value using IL in the workplace

This book will be useful for librarians and LIS students in understanding how information literacy is experienced by the professions they support and academics teaching professional courses. It will also be of interest to professionals (e.g. medical, social care, legal and business based) and their employers in showing that IL is essential to best practice and key to ethical practice.