Conference Agenda

The aftermath of the crisis generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the dangerous infodemic that has emerged in parallel, has made the importance of fostering information literacy even more evident. Information literacy is fundamental in all ages to enable us to participate in contemporary society, and is therefore specifically a key competence to be developed starting from early childhood (Baji, Bigdeli, Parsa, & Haeusler, 2018; Batool, & Webber, 2019; Chu, Tse, & Chow, 2011; Gardner, Goldstein, Pavey, & Secker, 2020).

In some countries, for the primary education stage, the socio-educational need to promote information literacy has obtained an institutional response with the inclusion of information and digital competence in the school curriculum and in current legislation. But the reality is that there is no sound educational approach, no updated and transferable curricular design, no substantial support for the school library, and the results of both the PISA Programme (2018) and recent academic research (Martínez-Piñeiro, Gewerc, & Rodríguez-Groba, 2019) regarding information literacy of primary school students show huge gaps that urgently need to be addressed.

The aim of this panel is to describe the preliminary results of the research carried out within the European project BRIDGE (“Information and Digital Literacy at School. A Bridge to Support Critical Thinking and Equality Values for Primary Education Using Children’s Literature and Transmedia”). Current legislation, curricula, and practices of promoting information and digital literacy in the six countries of the project, Spain, Turkey, Italy, Finland, Greece and the United Kingdom, have been reviewed and accompanied with results from a questionnaire survey for teachers and librarians working with 8-11-year-olds. The questionnaire addressed how primary school teachers and school librarians support their students in developing information literacy, digital literacy, critical thinking and equality values as part of their teaching practices, and also included open-ended questions to collect information on the challenges they encounter, as well as their suggestions for materials and best practices. In the panel, the main results obtained in the six countries of the project will be presented to identify and reflect the needs and challenges shared and those that are specific to each country.

References

Baji, F., Bigdeli, Z., Parsa, A., & Haeusler, C. (2018). Developing information literacy skills of the 6th grade students using the Big 6 model. Malaysian Journal of Library & Information Science, 23(1), 1–15.

Batool, S. H., & Webber, S. (2019). Mapping the state of information literacy education in primary schools: The case of Pakistan. Library and Information Science Research, 41, 123–131.

Chu, S. K. W., Tse, S. K., & Chow, K. (2011). Using collaborative teaching and inquiry project-based learning to help primary school students develop information literacy and information skills. Library & Information Science Research, 33, 132–143.

Gardner, G., Goldstein, S., Pavey, S., & Secker, J. (2020). Information Literacy for Education. A call for expressions of interest. Retrieved January 3, 2021 from https://www.informall.org.uk/news/il-school-education/

Martínez-Piñeiro, E., Gewerc, A., & Rodríguez-Groba, A. (2019). Nivel de competencia digital del alumnado de educación primaria en Galicia. La influencia sociofamiliar. Revista de Educación a Distancia, 19(61). https://doi.org/10.6018/red/61/01

PISA. Programme for International Student Assessment (2018). PISA 2018 results. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/pisa-2018-results.htm

Objectives

People all over the world are experiencing information overload (IO). Its definition has long focused on a large amount of information (Bawden and Robinson, 2009). Today, we can see that the problem is not only the quantity of information but also its reliability. The authors of the Information Overload Scale (IOS) defined it as “a distress associated with the perception that there is too much information” (Williamson, Eaker, and Lounsbury, 2012, p. 1). Due to the emotional burden of the situation, the emotional aspects of IO become more critical. Specifically, COVID-19 is the factor that increases the number of information and its evaluation (e.g., de Bruin, 2021) or fake news (Bermes, 2021). IO has also been the subject of research focusing on information literacy (e.g., Lauri and Virkus, 2018).

The aim of the study was to indicate the challenges and recommendations for information literacy, based on the results of national surveys on IO, providing an insight into different experiences, attitudes, emotions,, and/or education needs based on the specifics of demographic characteristics (such as age or level of education), or other potential correlation phenomena (e.g., problematic use of social media or FOMO).

Methodology

The Information Overload Scale (Williamson, Eaker, & Lounsbury, 2012) was used in two waves of representative surveys of Polish Internet users aged 15 and older. IOS focuses on emotional aspects and subjective perceptions of information overload, thus revealing individual perceptions of one’s information skills.

Outcomes

The results do not confirm the differences in IO perception between sexes. Instead, they show a reduction in perceived burdens between 2021 and 2022, which can be linked to a suspension of lockdowns and the termination of online work. The way to respond to the elements of perceived IO may be a tip for information literacy education that is tailored to a specific social group and reflects the challenges of time and circumstances.

References

Bawden, D., & Robinson, L. (2009). The dark side of information: Overload, anxiety, and other paradoxes and pathologies. Journal of Information Science, 35(2), 180–191.

Bermes, A. (2021). Information overload and fake news sharing: A transactional stress perspective exploring the mitigating role of consumers’ resilience during COVID-19. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 61, 102555.

de Bruin, K., de Haan, Y., Vliegenthart, R., Kruikemeier, S., & Boukes, M. (2021). News avoidance during the COVID-19 crisis: Understanding information overload. Digital Journalism, 9(9), 1286–1302.

Lauri, L., & Virkus, S. (2018). Information overload of academic staff in higher education institutions in Estonia. In S. Kurbanoğlu et al. (Eds.), Information Literacy in Everyday Life, The Sixth European Conference on Information Literacy, ECIL 2018, Oulu, Finland, September 24-27, 2018: Revised Selected Papers. Communications in Computer and Information Science (CCIS) 989 (pp. 347–356). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Williamson, J., Eaker, P. E., & Lounsbury, J. (2012). The information overload scale. Proceedings of the ASIST Annual Meeting, 49(1), 1–3.

Information literacy supports higher education learners in becoming conversant in scholarship, including “sources of evidence, methods, and modes of discourse” (ACRL, 2015, p. 20). Grounded in their own expert practices, academics often have difficulty identifying challenges faced by students (Riegler, 2020), including engaging with disciplinary information. Drawing from research on publishing practices, this paper identifies specific information challenges encountered by students studying the history of science and outlines learning activities that may enable them to successfully navigate history of science scholarship.

History of science, including history of medicine, and history of technology, are burgeoning subdisciplines of history. Engaging with these fields can present information challenges for students encountering publications in these scholarly specializations. Pursuing published research in history of science and its attendant specializations requires students to, among other things, ascertain the dualistic externalist and internalist approaches in history of science. An externalist approach is concerned with larger contexts, such as social, political, and cultural issues and phenomena, whereas the internalist approach is concerned less so with context outside of the phenomena itself (Shapin, 1982).

The externalist versus internalist debate among historians in these fields results in two overarching approaches in their publications (Shapin, 1992; Yturbe, 1995). Examining these approaches informed the development of an educational model that can be used with undergraduates to focus their attention on the interpretation of the externalist versus internalist debate. Novice students’ ability to navigate this problematic space is crucial for their learning in these specializations. Students understanding the difference between both approaches can inform their information seeking, interpretation, and efforts in producing responsive and valid history of science research projects.

Hypothetically, this model can be applied with undergraduates in an introductory history of science course by introducing students to both approaches theoretically, and critically, though an examination of scholarly articles from a spectrum of history journals, including humanities and social science journals not generally associated with historical scholarship per se, but publishing historical research. Historical Abstracts and America: History and Life databases provide target databases for information triage. Utilizing a template of questions, students would be asked to categorize journal articles according to the externalist/internalist paradigm. Students further embed their categorizations within the context of historiographic best practices explicating the choices they made. Knowledge of externalist and internalist approaches equips history of science students to identify critical information aspects necessary to assess the scholarship.

References

Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL). (2015). Framework for information literacy for higher education. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework

Riegler, P. (2020). Decoding the disciplines. A roundtrip from novice to expert back to novice. DiZ-Zentrum fur Hochschuldidaktik. Retrieved from https://diz-bayern.de/images/cwattachments/506_549cb112bb9684e079d3fb2f5ca21787.pdf

Shapen, S. (1992). Discipline and bounding: The history and sociology of science as seen through the externalist-internalist debate. History of Science, 30, 333–369.

Shapen, S. (1982). History of science and its sociological reconstructions. History of Science, 20, 157–211.

Yturbe, C. (1995). The history of science: Internal or external? In S. Ramirez, R. S. Cohen (Eds.), Mexican Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science (Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol. 172). Dordrecht: Springer.

Discussing the impacts of COVID19 pandemic requires both critical and reflective thinking. One approach is to introduce the idea of digital maturity (Dwivedi et al, 2020). This implies that a strategy must be developed in such a way to deal with complexity and a hybrid thinking. This approach might enable us to create the digital future of cultural institutions– (Levi et al, 2019). Our paper aims to synthesize international research and debates around the impact of the digital transition in two aspects:

• in competences, strategies and practices of information literacy in the area of digital convergence of libraries, archives, and museums; and

• in the forms of best practice and innovation in library and information science (LIS) Education by presenting the epistemological and pedagogical formats developed in new collaborative lines of action.

There is still little knowledge among the various stakeholders about the necessary changes needed to develop and update skills in information literacy for professionals employed or seeking employment in emerging markets in the cultural sector. It is up to the universities to promote the emergence of courses suitable for introducing digital skills that are needed in the redefinition of disciplinary boundaries. To meet these needs, the Lisbon Region Consortium of the Universities Portugal Project - Connecting Knowledge, the Open University and the Universidade Nova de Lisboa structured, in 2022/23, two different types of LLL courses:

• “Specialization Course in Culture and Digital Communication in Archives, Libraries and Museum (3 months); and

• “Post-graduation Degree in Digital Information Management for Libraries, Archives and Museums” (2 semesters).

The courses adopted the advantages of distance and online learning based on the methodological pillars and outcomes of the Virtual Pedagogical Model (VPM) of the Open University (Mendes et al, 2018). Thus, the courses incorportedstudent-centered learning, following the construction of the European Higher Education Area (Bologna Process); the primacy of flexibility, allowing the student to carry out his learning; the primacy of interaction, as the student is not understood as simple content receiver, but as an active element of a collaborative network of learning, where information literacy is the result; and the principle of digital literacy as a factor of social inclusion.

This cooperative experience in higher education, especially in the LIS scientific field, represents a strategical focus on the link between knowledge management and information and digital literacy in Portugal.

References

Dwivedi, Y. K., Hughes, D. L., Coombs, C., Constantiou, I., Duan, Y., Edwards, J. S., & Upadhyay, N. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on information management research and practice: Transforming education, work and life. International Journal of Information Management, 55, 10221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102211

Levi, H., Wally, S., Lenh, D., & Cooke, S. (2019). The Routledge international handbook of new digital practices in galleries, libraries, archives, museums and heritage sites. London: Routledge.

Mendes, A., Bastos, G., Amante, L., Aires, L., & Cardoso, T. (2018). Modelo pedagógico virtual. Cenários de desenvolvimento. Lisboa: Universidade Aberta. Retrieved from https://portal.uab.pt/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/MPV_01.pdf

The aim of this doctoral research is to explore in depth the information worlds (Jaeger & Burnett, 2010) of female undergraduate engineering students. Although the information behaviour of engineers has been extensively studied, with some studies focusing on students in particular (Mercer et al., 2019), the female perspective is under-researched. There is a lack of research on the impact of marginalised identities on information behaviour, including variables such as gender, race, and class (Julien, 2005).

The research will explore how female engineering students use information as part of their learning process, and how the gender balance and social norms in the learning environment affect the information behaviour of minoritized genders. The research will use a phenomenological approach (Denscombe, 2021) to explore, through in-depth interviews, research questions including: how women engineering students acquire information for their learning needs; the aims and motivations of female students when engaging with information; and the role of affect in women engineering students’ information behaviour.

This paper will present a critical review of the literature. It will outline some theoretical approaches currently being explored, in particular an intersectional feminist approach (Hill Collins & Bilge, 2020; Lennon & Alsop, 2020; Olesen, 2018), and the model of epistemological development among women known as Women’s Ways of Knowing (Belenky et al., 1997/1986).

Intersectional feminism will be used as an underpinning philosophy, to explore the ways in which women are structurally disadvantaged in the highly masculinised field of engineering education (Faulkner, 2005) and the impact this may have on their information behaviours. This paper will review relevant literature related to information behaviours of minoritised genders, particularly within STEM education.

Women’s Ways of Knowing (WWK) will be explored as a lens through which to examine women’s information behaviour. This paper will review how WWK has been applied in library and information science research, since being identified by Julien (2005) as having potential applications for researching information behaviour.

References

Belenky, M. F., Clinchy, B. M., Goldberger, N. R., & Tarule, J. M. (1997). Women’s ways of knowing: The development of self, voice, and mind. Basic Books.

Denscombe, M. (2021). The good research guide. McGraw Hill.

Faulkner, W. (2005). Becoming and belonging: Gendered processes in engineering. In J. Archibald, et al. (Eds.), The gender politics of ICT (pp. 15–25). Middlesex University Press.

Hill Collins, P., & Bilge, S. (2020). Intersectionality. Polity Press.

Jaeger, P. T., & Burnett, G. (2010). Information worlds: Social context, technology, and information behavior in the age of the Internet. Routledge.

Julien, H. (2005). Women’s ways of knowing. In K. E. Fisher, S. Erdelez, & L. McKechnie (Eds.), Theories of information behavior (pp. 387–391). ASIS&T.

Lennon, K., & Alsop, R. (2020). Gender theory in troubled times. Polity Press.

Mercer, K., Weaver, K., & Stables-Kennedy, A. (2019). Understanding undergraduate engineering student information access and needs: Results from a scoping review. In Proceedings of the 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition. American Society for Engineering Education. https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--33485

Olesen, V. (2018). Feminist qualitative research in the millennium’s first decade. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (pp. 151–175). Sage.

Background

Research details that our present ‘digital-by-default’ society structurally supports inequalities, where users without the requisite skills to enable meaningful engagement in the digital world are at an increasingly severe disadvantage (Eynon & Malmberg, 2021). These disparities are particularly felt by older adults, who while already challenged by structural issues related to their age cohort (e.g socioeconomic status, health problems, a mistrust of technology) see the quality of their tangible access to digital resources negatively impacted by such deficits (Hunsaker & Hargittai, 2018).

Scottish public policy currently focuses on developing digital literacies from economic and school-based educational perspectives (Scottish Government, 2021), despite research suggesting that around 22% of adults in the UK still lack the basic digital skills needed for everyday life (Lloyds Bank, 2022). Older adults are disproportionately affected herein, and there are no existing equivalent policies or actions that focus on developing their particular strategic needs.

Public libraries are uniquely placed to respond to these challenges, given their centrality in public life and the high levels of trust they enjoy (Barrie et al., 2021). Public libraries can also address the compound sociological issues faced by older adults in holistic, inclusive and participatory ways, and as ‘leaders in community digital skills training’ (Detlor et al., 2022) can be the vehicle to progress new user-led approaches to digital literacies.

Objectives

This project will utilise a Participatory Action Research methodology to examine the CILIP Information Literacy Model (CILIP, 2018) in developing user-led interventions aimed at improving digital literacies in older adults. It will do this through longitudinal engagement with an established 60-plus age group of older adults comprising around 40 participants from within the Scottish public library sector. The project will focus development on user-led principles to ensure that areas of relevant concern are addressed with sustainable and scalable solutions presented.

References

Barrie, H., la Rose, T., Detlor, B., Julien, H., & Serenko, A. (2021). “Because I’m old”: The role of ageism in older adults’ experiences of digital literacy training in public libraries. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 39(4), 379–404. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228835.2021.1962477

CILIP. (2018). CILIP information literacy model. Retrieved from https://ILdefinitionCILIP2018.pdf (infolit.org.uk)

Detlor, B., Julien, H., la Rose, T., & Serenko, A. (2022). Community-led digital literacy training: Toward a conceptual framework. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 73(10), 1387–1400. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24639

Eynon, R., & Malmberg, L. E. (2021). Lifelong learning and the Internet: Who benefits most from learning online? British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(2), 569–583. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13041

Hunsaker, A., & Hargittai, E. (2018). A review of Internet use among older adults. New Media and Society, 20(10), 3937–3954. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818787348

Lloyds Bank. (2022). Lloyds consumer digital index 2022. Retrieved from https://www.lloydsbank.com/assets/media/pdfs/banking_with_us/whats-happening/221103-lloyds-consumer-digital-index-2022-report.pdf

Scottish Government. (2021). A changing nation: How Scotland will thrive in a digital world. Retrieved from https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/strategy-plan/2021/03/a-changing-nation-how-scotland-will-thrive-in-a-digital-world/documents/a-changing-nation-pdf-version/a-changing-nation-pdf-version/govscot%3Adocument/DigiStrategy.FINAL.APR21.pdf

In this interactive workshop, participants will develop strategies rooted in informed learning for partnering with disciplinary instructors in higher education courses to advance students’ information practices and learning. Informed learning is an approach to information literacy that describes how students may use information in situation-specific ways to learn (Bruce, 2008). Highlighting how information-focused learning activities are an integral part of the learning process, informed learning emphasizes the need for students to learn about using information at the same time they are learning about subject content. A curriculum design model for developing instruction grounded in informed learning, informed learning design supports the development of curricular partnerships between librarians and classroom instructors that recognizes the vital role information plays in disciplinary learning (Maybee, Bruce, Lupton and Pang, 2019). This approach to embedding information literacy into curricula has been successful in a faculty development program–with research suggesting relationships between how students use information, academic success, and levels of motivation (Flierl, Bonem and Maybee, 2021).

Participants in this interactive workshop will be academic librarians interested in collaborating with classroom instructors to integrate informed learning into course curricula. Led by experienced facilitators, participants will work in small groups to uncover opportunities in their own contexts and compare ideas and practices with others. They will use the informed learning design model (Maybee et al.) to envision partnerships with instructors to develop information-rich learning activities reflective of their shared expertise. Examples of successful collaborations will be shared with participants from a grant-funded project in which 30 librarians and instructors at three large universities in the United States participated in a 4-week program in which they used informed learning design to develop information literacy coursework. Participants will learn strategies for collaborating with classroom instructors to teach students to use information to support disciplinary learning, including: 1) identifying opportunities within their institutional context for partnering with instructors; 2) recognizing how their own experiences of collaborating with instructors aligns with research-based conceptions of collaborative information literacy work; and 3) determining ways they can apply informed learning design to successfully partner with instructors and contribute to the development of information literacy in curricula.

References

Bruce, C. S. (2008). Informed learning. American Library Association.

Flierl, M., Bonem, E., & Maybee, C. (2021). Developing the informed learning scale: Measuring information literacy in higher education. College & Research Libraries, 82(7), 1004–1016. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.82.7.1004

Maybee, C., Bruce, C. S., Lupton, M., & Pang, M. F. (2019). Informed learning design: Teaching and learning through engagement with information. Higher education research & development, 38(3), 579–593. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2018.1545748

Objectives

The process of Design Thinking (DT) is widely used in various areas of human activity, including information activities. According to Rak (2022), there are three areas where DT processes can take place. The first and most general and universal applies to entities whose activities are related to broadly understood information activities and information management (institutional area). The next one refers to individual and group information management and includes tools supporting activities among participants of the DT process (operational area). The third and last area is related to the use of DT in the implementation of practical subjects in the field of information management and related fields (didactic area). The aim of the paper is to explore and capture the relationship between DT and information literacy (IL) in the context of the didactic process. In this perspective, DT can be understood as a manifestation of collective intelligence (Lévy, 1997) of great importance for didactic processes (Fisher, Oon & Benson, 2018), in which students undertake both practical activities of designers (Kimbell, 2011) and users of innovations (Kimbel, 2012). It is innovation design (Soukalová, 2017) that is the main core of activities undertaken by students in the didactic area where specific information competences are also needed. IL is understood as undertaking information behaviors that allow obtaining information tailored to information needs and their ethical use (Johnston & Webber, 2003).

Methodology & Outcomes

The main problem of the research study is to explore and capture the relationship between ILand Design Thinking processes in the context of didactic processes. The main research questions are: What information competences should students have in order to actively participate in the DT process? What information management tools do they use in the DT process? The study will be carried out in two groups of students who participated in classes where DT was used. The first group is represented by people studying at the first-cycle studies in the field of electronic information processing (humanities and information technology studies). Their curriculum does not include subjects directly related to IL. The second group consists of students from second-cycle studies in the field of information management (studies in the field of social sciences). The study program provides for participation in many subjects related to IL. In both groups, the author of the paper conducted classes and moderated the DT process. The study will be conducted using the survey method. Survey research will be supplemented by a critical analysis of the literature, comparative analysis, and statistical methods.

The expected outcomes of the research are to show what information skills are needed and preferred in the process of DT and what differences in IL exist among students in information-related fields of study.

References

Fisher, W. P., Oon, E., & Benson, S. (2018). Applying design thinking to systemic problems in educational assessment information management. Journal of Physics: Conf. Series, 1044(1).

Johnston, B., & Webber, S. (2003). Information literacy in higher education: A review and case study. Studies in Higher Education, 28(3), 335–352.

Kimbell, L. (2011). Rethinking Design Thinking: Part I. Design and Culture, 3(3), 285–306.

Kimbell, L. (2012). Rethinking Design Thinking: Part II. Design and Culture, 4(2), 129–148.

Lévy, P. (1997). Collective intelligence: mankind’s emerging world in cyberspace. Cambridge: Perseus Books.

Rak, D. (2022). Design thinking in information management – from the diagnosis of needs to the creation of solutions. In S. Cisek, & M. Wójcik (Eds.), Diagnostyka w zarządzaniu informacją: perspektywa nauk o komunikacji społecznej i mediach w kontekście rozwoju badań interdyscyplinarnych (pp. 83–97). Kraków: Uniwersytet Jagielloński, Biblioteka Jagiellońska.

Soukalová, R. (2017). Design thinking role in process of solving creative projects. In K. S. Soliman (Ed.), Proceedings of the 30th International Business Information Management Association Conference (pp. 5157–5169). Madrid: IBIMA.

According to Zotero Style Repository, one may choose from 10,377 different citation style languages (Zotero Style Repository, 2023). Although only a limited number of citation styles are widely used, especially in individual disciplines, authors may encounter a further expansion of the number of styles because some journals create their own or modified styles. Such a quantity represents a significant barrier for authors. They are not specialists in citation styles to create flawless entries in different citation styles themselves (many have trouble creating perfect references even in one style). Creating the references flawlessly (preferably in a citation style supported by databases and services such as Crossref) is essential to meet the requirements for publication and raise their usability and citation impact. Therefore, authors can use citation managers, so they do not have to manually rewrite references according to the templates, which, moreover, are not offered by every journal. In practice, that creates a set of challenges for authors: (1) to identify the correct citation style for the journal, (2) to try to find the style in their citation management system, (3) to create the references in the system or manually. It follows that a critical factor for referencing is which citation style the journal defines and how it facilitates the named challenges for authors by choosing a widely-used citation style that it describes appropriately.

The research aims to describe how scholarly journals define the required citation styles. We will analyze a sample of journals available in the Scopus database, thereby including only high-quality journals that meet the criteria for inclusion in this database (Content Policy and Selection, 2021). However, Scopus does not impose any requirements on citation styles. Therefore, they depend only on the journal’s policies. We will create the research dataset manually in early 2023. The sample size will be approximately 400 journals. Our task is to identify how widespread individual citation styles are; to which extent journals use the various procedures for defining citation style requirements (e.g., naming, citing examples, referencing the interpretation); and whether there are any errors in the requirements description. Scopus includes both open and closed-access journals, journals in different languages, from different countries, and various scientific fields. In the second part of our analysis, we will compare the journals according to their discipline (scientific domain), openness, and rank in Scopus. We also want to compare the country specifics of Lithuania and the Czech Republic, which are small countries with local languages, and a general international group (the three groups will be of comparable size). The potential influence of these factors will be discussed. Information literacy practitioners and educators can consider the research results in academic writing courses, guidance offered to academics and doctoral students, and in supporting scholarly journals in setting the publishing rules to amplify the impact of articles.

References

Elsevier. (2021). Content policy and selection. Retrieved January 4, 2023 from https://www.elsevier.com/solutions/scopus/how-scopus-works/content/content-policy-and-selection

Zotero. (2023). Zotero style repository. Retrieved January 4, 2023 from https://www.zotero.org/styles

When students first start their studies, they have much to learn. Even though the new environment can be a bit overwhelming, newcomers should learn about the services that help them cope with their studies (Reed, 2020). This is a situation in which we should find new ways to effectively encourage and support learning. Functional learning, playfulness and collaboration can enhance learner motivation and improve the chances of remembering what has been learned (Bai, 2019). Utilization of mobile game-based learning can be a powerful idea because “students feel more engaged in the learning process and are interested in following the educational strategy” (Troussas et. al., 2020). Players of a game are active collaborators instead of passive listeners.

The library introduction game in Metropolia UAS is basic level;, the aim is to introduce library services and facilities. Students play it in small groups with their own mobile devices. We use Seppo, which is a platform for gamified mobile learning and training, for the game. The game consists of ten map-based tasks, some of which are locked so that the players need to unlock them with a key hidden in the library. The idea is to make students move around the library premises. To motivate players we use goals, which are a basic feature of games (Walsh, 2018). The goal is to win and be rewarded a prize.

During spring and autumn 2023 we will study the students’ views on playing the library introduction game with a short questionnaire. The preliminary results suggest that students react positively to gamified library introduction. We will report the results at the workshop.

Workshop Outline and Objectives

The participants will play a short game specifically designed for the session. The participants will gain a good understanding of the game and how it can be used in a library setting. After playing we will discuss the game and the thoughts and ideas the participants have gained.

Target audience are those who are interested in using games for library introduction or information skills teaching. Participants need a mobile device that has an internet connection. The space needs to enable moving from one task point to another in groups of 2-3.

References

Bai, H. (2019). Pedagogical practices of mobile learning in K-12 and higher education settings. TechTrends, 63(5), 611–620. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-019-00419-w

Reed, K. N., & Miller, A. (2020). Applying gamification to the library orientation. A study of interactive user experience and engagement preferences. Information Technology and Libraries, 39(3), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v39i3.12209

Troussas, C., Krouska, A., & Sgouropoulou, C. (2020). Collaboration and fuzzy-modeled personalization for mobile gamebased learning in higher education. Computers and Education, 144, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103698

Walsh, A. (2018). The librarians’ book on teaching through games and play. Tallin: Innovative Libraries.