Information Literacy Through Site-Specific Installation: The Library Project

Abstract

This article describes how a collaborative, multifaceted, site-specific installation helped to develop information literacy in studio art students. Through the process of planning, creating, and installing the project, students learned to find and evaluate many different kinds of information, from design ideas to historical precedents, site plans, and business plans. As a public installation within a library, students learned to consider the economic, social, and legal issues involved with the context of their audience and location. Finally, the conceptual framework of the installation encouraged students to think critically about the role of libraries in today’s information and technology-saturated society.