Google is not enough in Academic Studies
When studying at an institution of higher education, students must know how to search for information widely. Therefore, the libraries in Finnish institutions of higher education have created a joint recommendation for information literacy.
The Internet is full of data that the students are accustomed to look for with search engines of the Internet. However, more is required in the academic studies.
– Information literacy refers to the ability to recognize the need for information, to search and locate information and to evaluate and use information critically and ethically. The libraries in higher education institutions train students to search for vocational and scientific information in new ways and from new sources, says Library Director Riitta-Liisa Karjalainen from the University of Applied Sciences of Kajaani.
Information literacy has been taught in different ways in different institutions of higher education. In some institutions it is an important part of teaching and in some institutions only little attention is given to it. Therefore, the libraries of Finnish higher education institutions have jointly formulated recommendations about information literacy for academic studies in Finland.
The recommendation highlights that information retrieval skills will become one of the most important skills learned in higher education in all sectors of working life. Therefore, information literacy is seen as every citizen’s ability that must continue to be enforced in widespread collaboration.
–The joint national recommendation has awoken interest also outside Finland. We have translated our recommendations not only in Swedish but also in English so that the practice could be utilised also internationally, says Chief Information Specialist Leena Järveläinen from the University of Turku.
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