Narratives of information literacy in south african township schools

Abstract

This paper explores and reports on narratives of information literacy in two high-poverty primary schools in an urban South African setting. The study forms part of an initiative by the Academic Literacy Research Unit (ALRU) at the University of South Africa that consisted of integrated longitudinal reading and literacy projects in schools in a deprived community. The authors are currently involved in a post-project phase that involves monitoring two of the school libraries (School X and School Y). Information literacy issues and the lack of school libraries remain critical issues that must be dealt with. The paper highlights the importance of delivering information literacy in innovative ways in the South African primary school system and furthermore points out features that should be included in an informal training programme for school librarians.