Information literacy in the digital workplace : The employee’s perception and the importance of promoting information literacy in the digital era

Abstract

The digitalization of information has contributed to the expansion of information availability, and technology is frequently used in the workplace to support the management of large amounts of information. However, employees need more than mere technology to manage information successfully. In the digital workplace, employees need to develop and refine the technical skills that will enable them to support organizations in remaining competitive in the digital era. Nevertheless, because of the belief that technology alone facilitates the management of information, the development of information literacy of the employee is often ignored in the workplace. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how the employees perceive information literacy, and whether organizations are supporting the development of information literacy skills in the digital workplace. The study examines a variety of theories, including SCONUL's seven pillars of information literacy, Lloyd’s information literacy in the workplace context, Bruce’s seven faces of information literacy, and Hobbs’ digital and media literacy to form a theoretical framework. The data studied were collected using an online questionnaire sent through social media to the employees of diverse organizations. The results of the study indicate that the employees perceive information literacy as an important set of skills to have in the digital workplace. However, the results show that context may influence the way the employees perceive information literacy. Furthermore, the results indicate that some organizations support the development of the employee’s information literacy skills, but information technology receives the most attention in the digital workplace. Moreover, the results reveal that not enough effort is spend in facilitating the discoverability and access of digital information and facilitating the development of critical thinking and communications skills among the employees. Additionally, the results show that some of the employees have not fully developed the skills required to manage information effectively. Therefore, challenging organizations to do more to promote the development of information literacy skills in the digital workplace to improve employees’ ability to cope with the vast amounts of information in the digital era. Furthermore, organizations could implement an information management strategy in order to ensure the complete development of information management skills in a variety of workplaces.