Students’ perceptions of librarians as teachers of information literacy at a large African university

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to determine the students’ perceptions of librarians as teachers of information literacy at the North-West University in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach – The study used a survey research method in which online questionnaires were used to gather data from students who would have attended information literacy classes. Findings – Students found librarians to be effective teachers of information literacy, and they found the subject to be very useful. However, some of the surveyed students felt that a lot of the subject was presented in a short period, which could easily result in exhaustion and information overload. The use of local or vernacular languages was also indicated as an area requiring the librarians’ attention for the teachers to be more effective. Practical implications – The results of this study support the assessment of librarians as teachers by students to assist them (librarians) to refine their teaching methods and to make the conduct of information literacy worthwhile for the students. Social implications – The outcomes of this study may be used to advocate for more information literacy (IL) contact time with the students by librarians when negotiating with faculty. Further, these results may be used to showcase the value placed by students to IL. Originality/value – This study is a welcome addition to the scant literature on the quality of teaching delivered by the librarians and the assessment mechanisms used to provide feedback on students’ learning of IL. This study is a first of its kind comparing the perceptions of librarians’ teaching abilities by postgraduate and undergraduate students.