“It is a skill everybody needs to learn”

Australian teacher librarians steering secondary schools through shifting information landscapes

Abstract

There is limited research available that investigates current information literacy (IL) needs of Australian secondary school students and teachers from the perspective of teacher librarians. This phenomenological research responds to this problem by exploring the perspectives of Australian secondary teacher librarians regarding the changing information landscape and its effects on supporting IL for students and teachers— “a skill everybody needs to learn” as our participant Mrs. M. highlighted. Data included from interviews with 19 secondary teacher librarians with varying years of teaching experience in different types of schools from across the country. Findings suggest the overwhelming amount of information available means users must develop better evaluation and selection skills in addition to an understanding of the differences among information sources like search engines, social media, and AI. The teacher librarians described similar issues for students and teachers, both struggling to keep up with the rate of changes and unaware of their knowledge gaps. At the same time, the shifting and expanding information environment presents opportunities for deeper discussion and engagement around issues like information ethics and copyright as well as the development of creative and critical thinking skills. This research contributes to a clearer understanding of the needs of secondary students and teachers as information users and demonstrates the diverse approaches teacher librarians employ to foster IL amid a rapidly shifting and unprecedented information context.