2

Conceptual orientation

Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to orientate the reader to the concept of information literacy as a socio-cultural practice. It introduces a number of ideas and theories that influence my understanding of information literacy, which can be considered here as constructionist. Constructionism focuses on collective reality whereby meaning is produced and organized through ‘shared understandings, practices and language’ (Schwandt, 2003, p. 305).

This chapter is divided into a number of sections; the first section will briefly introduce the concepts of landscapes, information and literacy; concepts that may already be familiar to many readers. This orientation will also serve to introduce the central concepts ...

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