Seven pillars and five minds: small business workplace information literacy.

Lockerbie, Hayley; Williams, Dorothy

Abstract

Purpose: To develop and test a theoretical framework for understanding information literacy (IL) within the context of a small business workplace environment. The theoretical framework developed related IL competencies to competencies for success as described by the psychologist Howard Gardner in his book “Five Minds for the Future”. Design: A theoretical framework was developed using the CILIP Seven Pillars for Information Literacy and Howard Gardner’s Five Minds theory. Indicative connections between the Seven Pillars and Five Minds were identified by the researchers. The framework was tested through analysis of transcripts from qualitative interviews conducted with four small business owners. Findings: Connections were found between the Seven Pillars and the Five Minds; some which had been projected by the researchers and others which had not. The theoretical framework aided description of and understanding of IL within small business workplace environments. Research limitations/implications: A small sample size limits the generalisability of the findings, and further testing of the framework is required. The findings do, however, suggest that the context in which IL manifests remains significant and should be further examined in wider and divergent contexts. Originality/value: Using theory from psychology paired with a well-known theory of IL to develop a new theoretical framework is novel. The framework developed offers a new way of understanding the role of IL within the context of small business workplaces.

Citation

LOCKERBIE, H. and WILLIAMS, D. 2019. Seven pillars and five minds: small business workplace information literacy. Journal of documentation [online], 75(5), pages 977-994. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-09-2018-0151

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 28, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Sep 9, 2019
• Publication Date: Oct 31, 2019
• Deposit Date: May 28, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 9, 2019
• Journal: Journal of Documentation
• Print ISSN: 0022-0418
• Electronic ISSN: 1758-7379
• Publisher: Emerald
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 75
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 977-994
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-09-2018-0151
• Keywords: Information literacy; Small to medium-sized enterprises; Theory; Competences; Workplace; Information research
• Public URL: https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/244746