INFORUM 2006 - 12. Annual Conference On Professional Information Resources

RefWorks - Helping Raise Information Literacy Competency Standards in Higher Education Through New Based Tools

Author: Nick Barber,  RefWorks, United Kingdom

Fulltexts

Abstract

In today’s information saturated world it is no longer acceptable for publishers to just provide quality content to our users. Technology has driven users to require more from us, translating into "A New Generation of Information Services" where the tools, in which this content can be delivered, accessed, searched, manipulated, managed and shared are essential.

The necessity to recognize which information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed information is an important challenge in the academic and scientific world.

With new information technology with the likes of Wikis, Blogs, RSS and E-Learning setting new trends, the ability to have an easy to use tool to select, manage use and share chosen data is a major fact in contributing to further raising the standard of information literacy.

As such a tool, RefWorks provides academics, researchers, faculty members and students the means to collect, organize, manage and to publish papers and articles effectively.

Major institutions worldwide already use RefWorks to post reading lists and course work for students on multiple campuses; collect data for creation of Institutional repositories; generate collaborative research in real time on the Web or simply help with the process of information literacy and scientific integrity through the intuitive design of the service.

About the author

Nick BARBER has been with RefWorks since January 2005 as Manager of Europe and has been in the electronic information industry for more than 20 years with a variety of different publishers, information providers and research organisations. Based in France but of English origin, he has worked in a development capacity for INIST, the National Institute of Science and Technology linked to the French National research Council (CNRS) , and spent 6 years at SilverPlatter as Director of Southern Europe managing the Developping Countries markets.