No graduation without information literacy? : A study of universitylibrarians’ perceptions of information literacy in relation tostudents and education

The purpose of this Bachelor’s thesis is to examine university librarians’ perceptions of information literacy, of students’ information literacy and of education in information literacy. The focus is on how they perceive the students’ information literacy development during their university studies. Also of interest in this study is how librarians think that their teaching in information literacy should be included in the students’ other courses. Three librarians at a Swedish university library were interviewed using qualitative interviews. The material from the interviews was then analyzed with Bruce’s model of different conceptions of information literacy and Limberg’s and Folkesson’s categories for methods and goals for education in information seeking. The results show that information literacy is of high importance for the students to be able to graduate. The students’ information literacy level differs amongst them, but it is clear that it actually develops during their university studies. The education in information literacy should be integrated gradually with the students’ other courses and there should also be a connection with what the students study at the time. To make this work, the teachers have to inform the librarians about the students’ tasks. This also shows that it is very important to have a working collaboration between teachers and librarians, between university departments and libraries. The responsibility for students’ developing in information literacy should be shared by librarians, teachers, the university and students themselves