Building Information Resilient Workers: The Critical Ground of Workplace Information Literacy. What Have We Learnt?

Abstract

Work-related research has produced an understanding of information literacy that may sit uncomfortably with educational interpretations. Information literate workers draw from a wide range of information sources and engage with information related activities that enable them to know the information landscape of the workplace, to understand how information is situated within it, and, how to connect with the performances of work as it happens. This way of knowing about how work happens leads to challenges for the educational sector. In particular, practitioners need to know how best to support the development of work readiness in the transition from education to work. The critical ground of work-related information literacy will be described through lessons learnt. A people-on-practice approach will also be described; this approach represents the drawing together of previous conceptualizations of workplace information literacy by the author. Finally the challenges for IL educators will be considered. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2013.