Partnership of Libraries, Research, and LIS Education in Information Literacy

Abstract

Partnership is crucial in achieving success in all sectors of life and this applies to information literacy (IL) as well. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of the partnership of libraries, research, and LIS education in shaping IL in the workplace. The paper applies a qualitative research approach through discourse, and the lived experience of the author in research and teaching in related areas in academic institutions for decades. The importance of frameworks, as well as the requirements and understanding of the challenges and opportunities inherent in IL, are discussed. The paper concludes by recognising the role of partnership and the development of IL as a multidisciplinary, dynamic, and technology-driven domain, in successfully enabling access to information, and concludes that this partnership is worth investing in for development. The paper has implications for research, teaching and learning in higher education, library services, and library and information science curricula. Keywords: Information literacy, libraries, partnerships, library and information science education, South Africa