Teaching African Studies Bibliography–Information Literacy for 21st Century Scholars

Integrating print reference materials, curated digital collections, and information needs

“…Although bibliographies remain an important reference source for many librarians, the topic is often not emphasized in university research instruction. Frank-Wilson (2004: 99) notes that, “with few exceptions, bibliography classes are not usually offered in the students’ main disciplines and generally students are not familiar with systematic bibliographic research.” One of the exceptions to this observation is Slavic studies, a field that enjoys a long-standing bibliographic tradition, including materials published in the countries of Russia, eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, among others. Furthermore, Frank-Wilson describes a semester-long bibliography course that aims to increase students’ ability to conduct systematic research in African studies—a task that has evolved from providing students with a list of materials to exploring print, digital, and oral materials in order to build students’ research competencies.…”

“…Information overload presents a paradox in which mass information becomes more available but the process of searching and locating useful information remains problematic and even stressful for users (Bawden and Robinson, 2009). Frank- Wilson's (2004) review of the changes to the African studies bibliography course curriculum at Indiana University provides an example of how the evolving information landscape has created an abundance of types of information and modes to seek it within a matter of decades. Given the availability of a wide range of convenient sources, one can understand why a user would prefer readily available materials online over a bibliography, even if the bibliography may provide titles that are unavailable on the Web or in published secondary material.…”