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Tackling Meta-Illiteracy
Public
Libraries Online: 11.29.2019 by Nadine Kramarz
Public libraries provide Wi-Fi so that individuals
in need can utilize technology such as a laptop or a smartphone. But do they
know how to use it? Do they know what services are available to them? Do they
know how to navigate a website? In my last post, I discussed reasons why
librarians should not handle patrons’ personal devices. As a continuation, I want
to look at how much help a librarian can provide for a patron with multiple
illiteracies and how this affects said patrons.
Metaliteracy has been a hot topic in the library
world. In their paper “Proposing a
Metaliteracy Model to Redefine Information Literacy,” Jacobson and Mackey
define metaliteracy as a “comprehensive model for information literacy to
advance critical thinking and reflection…” In fact, this paper examines how
metaliteracy is dependent upon many similar literacies interacting together in
order to succeed with 21st century learning. Accepting this thinking leads me
to believe that if being literate in multiple, inter-connected ways is
necessary to succeed in the 21st century; then multiple-interconnected
illiteracies will also stack making success more difficult for individuals.
Being computer illiterate creates challenges that
public librarians are very familiar with. Basic illiteracy creates challenges
that public librarians are very familiar with. Dealing with patrons who suffer
from both is exponentially challenging. Most directions are written out and low
literacy and reading comprehension can render a person unable to follow basic
steps. Being computer illiterate means the patron is unaware of the different
tools available online and the way that they interconnect. Printing out a form
becomes more challenging when the person does not know the many, many different
ways to copy and paste, download files, or the various formats documents can
come in.
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