Information literacy: perceptions of Brazilian HIV/AIDS researchers

Abstract

Background: Information literacy has evolved with changes in lifelong learning. Can Brazilian health researchers search for and use updated scientific information? Objectives: To describe researchers' information literacy based on their perceptions of their abilities to search for and use scientific information and on their interactions with libraries. Methods: Semi-structured interviews and focus group conducted with six Brazilian HIV/AIDS researchers. Analyses comprised the assessment of researchers as disseminators, their interactions with librarians, their use of information and communication technology and language. Results: Interviewees believed they were partially qualified to use databases. They used words and phrases that indicated their knowledge of technology and terminology. They acted as disseminators for students during information searches. Researchers' abilities to interact with librarians are key skills, especially in a renewed context where libraries have, to a large extent, changed from physical spaces to digital environments. Discussion: Great amounts of information have been made available, and researchers' participation in courses does not automatically translate into adequate information literacy. Librarians must help research groups, and as such, librarians' information literacy-related responsibilities in Brazil should be redefined and expanded. Conclusions: Students must develop the ability to learn quickly, and librarians should help them in their efforts. Librarians and researchers can act as gatekeepers for research groups and as information coaches to improve others' search abilities.

Evidence-based information needs of public health workers: a systematized review

“…Eight quantitative and 2 qualitative studies did not use data analysis [14, 26, 29, 30–36]. Most qualitative studies used thematic analysis and coding, but 40% of quantitative studies did not use any statistical analysis methods.…”

“…Twenty studies were devoted to examining the information needs of public health workers [11–14, 26–28, 30–33, 35–37, 42, 44–47]. Participants self-reported these needs, usually from a list of items in a survey.…”

“…Twenty studies discussed current information-seeking behavior and the use of information [11–13, 24, 26–28, 30, 32–37, 41–43, 46–48]. Data were collected by asking which information sources public health workers used in their work, usually in the form of a list.…”

“…An inability to access information because of technical issues or lack of funding that led to the unavailability of full-text articles was also reported [10, 11, 36–38, 42, 47, 49–51]. The political climate, including local agendas that did not prioritize EBDM, was a common external barrier [10, 30, 34, 38, 39, 45, 50]. The need for organizational change and managerial support was cited as another significant barrier to using EBDM as this lack of support influenced internal factors like funding, training, and time [10, 11, 38, 45, 47, 50, 51].…”

“…Importantly, there was a distinct disconnect in the identification of needs and the awareness that librarians could assist with these needs. For example, many public health workers expressed the need to learn more about identifying and evaluating relevant articles when dealing with large amounts of information, but none acknowledged that this was a service that librarians could provide [12, 13, 27, 30, 36, 44, 45, 47, 49]. …”