The reference librarian’s new approach to coach information literacy skills for children: a new approach in reference and information services in the City of Cape Town

Abstract

Reference librarians in the City Of Cape Town have been experiencing difficulty in assisting children to use information resources especially with homework projects. The main route cause of the problem was that children did not have the skills to use information resources and to convert the information to address the information need. The educational system in the country does not teach children to use information and also schools do not have a school library, which can assist the children in doing their homework projects. The latter created the results that children is turning to the reference librarian in the public library to assist them with their homework projects. A working group was tasked to develop an information literacy programme to address the problem for both the Reference Librarian and the child. The paper will focus on the research conducted by the working group to establish the design principals to develop an information literacy programme for children. The paper will also reflect on the pilot test conducted to evaluate the programme and the roll-out of the information literacy programme to all 104 libraries in the City where Reference Librarians will coach children to use both printed and digital resources.