Information Literacy
Social media provides libraries with tools that can be applied to information literacy and
library instruction. One example that stands out best is Pinterest: it is a quick and simple way to
find and use public domain images. Pinterest boards can be customized to fit the needs of student
groups and discipline specific collections. When used to teach information literacy concepts,
Pinterest demonstrates how students excel when the concepts they are learning relate directly to
their own interests; the social media tool they use as a form of entertainment in spare time is
transformed into a medium for critical thinking, classroom discourse, and an understanding of
copyright and fair use. Principles for using images ethically are not an abstract concept, but
instead become a concrete practice that Pinterest supports (Dudenhoffer, 2012). The site engages
students through visual and tactile exercises, and it empowers learners through these multiple
learning styles. This in turn promotes more effective classroom discussion and research. In
Dudenhoffer’s (2012) example,
Students create a Pinterest account and are asked to select images that
related to the term satire. Each student is responsible for his or her own
pinboard, and is asked to share the board via the course management software…
Students are then asked to explain why they chose those images to represent
satire, either by in-class presentation or, in the on-line class environment, as a
discussion board post. In the next step, students craft their own definition of
satire, which is the focus of the first assignment in a scaffolded set of papers
completed throughout the semester. (pp.330-331)
Clearly, this social media tool is a powerful, relevant way to reach students. However, with
Pinterest, students are working with existing online materials.