ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


770

Our raison d’ etre: Teaching 
information competencies

Co n feren ce 

Circuit

By Gabriela Sonntag

Conference addresses needs of 
libraries in Mexico

I nf o rm ació n  es educatí on  ” read the satch­els given to som e 80 librarians from 
throughout Mexico who came together on Oc­
tober 9– 11 to focus on the role of the library 
in teaching information competencies to us­
ers. The National Meeting on Programs 
for Developing Information Competencies 
(E ncuentro N a c io n a l Sobre P rogram as d e  T
D esarrollo d e  H a b ilid a d es In form ativas: t
regreso a  la razon  d e s e r  d e  las bibliotecas), 
was held at the Universidad Autónoma i
de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ) in the Mexican 
state of Chihuahua. Spearheaded by Jesus Lau, 
director of Academic Support Services who 
oversees the library, this conference was the 
undertaking of an enthusiastic and hard work­
ing team of ten librarians. Most sessions were 
held in the modern library building opened in 
March 1995, which is now dwarfed by the large 
addition that is under construction.

A n ew  approach
Recognizing that Mexican librarians do not 
have academic status, Nancy A. Cunningham, 
St. Mary’s University in Texas, set the tone for 
the first day with her keynote speech, which 
stressed the need to collaborate with teaching 
faculty and develop an understanding that the 
role of librarians as teachers is an integral part 
of the educational process. Discussions after­
wards emphasized the need to change not just 
attitudes toward librarians but educational or 
study methods. Research is generally left to 
specialized institutes but is much less com­
mon in Mexican four-year institutions, where

faculty should be encouraged to require stu­
dents to do more than just use the books placed 
on reserve or the quiet study area.

There were only two other presentations 
by U.S. librarians, including one by Donna 
Jurena and Ceri Daniels from Doane College 
in Nebraska in which they discussed and dem­
onstrated the team-teaching approach used in 
their research course. Ed Erazo, from the Uni­
versity of New Mexico, discussed the contents

e role of the librarian is to 
ach the concept that having 
formation is having pow er.

of a teaching portfolio and the importance of 
having one. The bulk of the panel presenta­
tions the workshops featured librarians from 
Mexico.

Preparing the w orkforce
An excellent paper, entitled “In stru ction  d e 
U suariosy ‘A lfa b etiz a ció n  In form ativa (User 
instruction and inform ation literacy ), by 
Guadalupe Vega from the Colegio de Mexico 
called for Mexican academic institutions to as­
sume their role as a major force in moderniz­
ing the country. Information literacy skills are 
essential in everyday life on social, economic, 
and civic levels. The workforce will become 
information-illiterate if technology develops 
and they do not keep up. Acknowledging this, 
the Colegio de Mexico is developing programs 
to meet the needs of its students and faculty. 
The term generally used throughout the ses­
sions was f o r m a t i ó n d e  usuario, or user for­
mation, which many agree is a better descrip­
tio n  o f th e im p a ct th at in fo rm a tio n

h
e
n

G a b riela  Sonntag is coord in ator, in form ation  literacy p ro g ra m  a t  C a liforn ia State University San  M arcos; 
e-m ail: gsg@ coyote.csusm .edu

mailto:gsg@coyote.csusm.edu


771

com petencies can have on a student. Vega 
stated, “It’s not just skills, it’s a way o f life that 
we are imparting.”

This theme was reiterated and expanded 
in the keynote speech by Costa Rican librar­
ian Saray Córdoba. She stressed the importance 
o f active, participatory learning in teaching in­
formation competencies. She identified a cycle 
o f information use that begins with young chil­
dren learning to read but not developing a 
habit o f reading. Deficient libraries that do not 
support the educational process are coupled 
with teachers who do not promote resource-
based learning, library/information use, or 
reading. This leads to a lack of knowledge 
about the importance of information. Leaders 
in all areas o f society make important deci­
sions without adequate information, and we 
see in society a lack o f understanding or cul­
ture of information use, which reinforces the 
lack of reading habits in society as a whole, 
both in adults and children. The lack o f read­
ing habits returns us to the beginning of this 
cycle, which may be more or less evident de­
pending on the country being discussed but 
which is unmistakably universal. The role of 
the librarian is to teach the concept that hav­
ing information is having power.

Recognizing that not much research has 
been done in Mexico on the topic of user edu­
cation, Patricia Hernandez, o f the Centro 
Universitario de Investigación Bibliotecológica, 
also noted the need to change the “culture of 
study.” To do this, three important changes 
must take place: students must learn to do re­
search not just study by rote; professors must 
also develop research skills, something not al­
ways required in Mexican faculty; and librar­
ies must be developed to support the educa­
tional level and academic programs of the 
university. Hernandez elaborated on several 
research projects that are underway.

Brainstorm ing solutions
Perhaps the most significant part o f the con­
ference was the evening brainstorming session. 
All participants were asked to identify three 
problems and three possible solutions to reach­
ing the goal of developing programs for teach­
ing information competencies. The animated 
discussion that followed generated lists, which 
included many concerns we share with our 
Mexican colleagues. These were then com ­
piled, and a committee was chosen to draft a 
declaration. This statement, demanding action

to address the needs o f libraries in Mexico and 
support for information competency programs, 
was reviewed on the following evening and 
adopted by the participants. It will be sent to 
numerous public agencies and university ad­
ministrators and posted on the UACJ Web site.

Sessions aimed at sharing experiences in­
cluded discussions o f specific libraries, recent 
developments, and programs they are imple­
menting. These included descriptions of addi­
tions to the library collection, Internet work­
stations, CD ROM’s, and additions or renova­
tions to library buildings. Many cited the need 
to provide continuing education opportunities 
to their library staff. Worth noting is the pro­
gram developed at the Universidad Autónoma 
de Quintana Roo, which includes strong and 
active learning with hands-on components. Re­
inforcing the concept of team teaching, an ex­
cellent presentation on how to prepare and 
implement a quality instructional session was 
one o f the five sessions explaining the impres­
sive UACJ instruction program.

Of special interest were the exhibits that 
displayed instructional programs, handouts and 
pamphlets, and videos produced by the vari­
ous institutions represented at the conference. 
On Saturday, participants were taken on li­
brary tours at the University of Texas at El Paso 
and the University o f New Mexico, Las Cruces 
libraries. More information about the univer­
sity, the library, and this conference can be 
found at the Web site: http://www.uacj.mx/ 
dirinfo. ■

Letter

To the editor:
Cynthia Coccaro’s article on Career Development 
CC&RL News, Nov. 1997) is a very nice overview, 
but I was disappointed to see that she missed 
one very important site: mine!

My career and job-hunting site has many great 
features, including expert advice on writing dy­
namic cover letters; writing powerful resumes; 
links to other expert advice on topics such as 
interviewing; a “Marketability Test”; the “Domino 
Effect”; and links to many job sites.

The name: Quintessential Career and Jo b -
H u nting R e so u rce s G u id e. A c c e s s: http:// 
w w w .s te ts o n .e d u / ~ r h a n s e n / c a r e e r s .h tm l. 
— R a n d a ll S. H ansen, Stetson University; e-m ail: 
R a n d a ll.H an sen @stetson .ed u

http://www.uacj.mx/
http://www.stetson.edu/~rhansen/careers.html


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