In Buffy Hamilton’s article (2009) “Transforming Information Literacy for NowGen Students,” she makes the argument that the concept of authority is changing. In the past, authority was clear-cut and as librarians, we focused on teaching students the difference between peer reviewed journals and popular magazines; how to evaluate websites; the difference between book sources, newspapers, and other forms of reference. However, how do we as librarians chose to deal with the overabundance of web 2.0 sources?
As I work with teachers (most in rural Colorado), I am always hearing statements like this, “I never let my students go to Wikipedia.” But, I see a few issues with totally discounting these sources because they lack authority. First, our students use them and how can we teach them to use the properly if they are simply banned. However, more intriguing is the idea that many experts are starting to use wikis and blogs to open dialog with the world.
For example, the other day, I dropped into visit a faculty member whose specialty is ethics. She is the editor of a published book on the subject. She was sitting there in Wikipedia entering in information on ethics – not sure of the exact page she was working on or term. So, here you have an expert, adding free knowledge to the community of Wikipedia.
Authority must also be taken one step further in the new read/write world of web 2.0. Consider how to work with students and creating and representing their own information. If we just cut out these tools based on a presumed lack of authority, we miss out on encouraging them to add to the information. Knowledge does not have to be a one way street, students can engage back. This is a great way to connect our students to a world of knowledge that, particularly those in a rural area, would not otherwise have.
Hamilton, B. J. (2009). Transforming information literacy for NowGen students. Knowledge Quest, 37(5), 48-53.
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