Another fascinating day here in Bergen! We returned to the Arts and Humanities library this morning for a day of presentations and discussions on information literacy (IL). Rune Kyrkjebø, Head of Special Collections and the User Education Group, started the proceedings by telling the group about IL at the University of Bergen Library. The IL programme is built on looking at how librarians can support a student’s learning process and how to intervene in this process. Rune outlined the challenges a student meets when they are faced with carrying out research, for example, evaluating information analytically and critically and using this information creatively by turning it into their own knowledge. As well as the search process itself, there is also the psychological dimension of the student, who will often approach searching for information with feelings of uncertainty or frustration, which can then hinder the search process. This is where the library needs to step in and help the student overcome this uncertainty.

IL at the University of Bergen is built on the Didactic Relation Model (Torras & Sætre, 2004), which can be used when planning a teaching session. The model says the IL teacher needs to look at the content of the workshop, how its effectiveness is assessed, the didactic conditions (the room to be used for teaching, etc.), the activities to take place and what the goals of the course are. It is a holistic approach, but the most important aspect is the setting of learning goals, or outcomes, for each workshop.

Aiming to embed IL into the curriculum for each degree programme, the library set up a Library Teaching Committee which provides an online catalogue of available courses which academics are encouraged to browse so they can then identify suitable classes for their students. The committee also oversee the dialogue and collaboration with the academic departments and the continuing professional development of their staff who teach IL.

After we had heard about IL at Bergen, each participant gave a presentation on IL in their own libraries, and it was fascinating to hear about the different methods used but equally interesting to hear about the similarities between the challenges faced by each library.

In the afternoon we learnt about three University of Bergen library projects based on IL: Search and Write, an online tool for students (and library staff) on how to conduct a search strategy and how to write assignments http://www.sokogskriv.no; MedLibTrain, a collaborative project between Norwegian and Polish librarians to provide a handbook on how librarians can become better teachers http://tinyurl.com/medlibtrain; and The PhD Project – Information Management for Knowledge Creation, a joint project between five libraries in Norway which carried out research into IL for PhD candidates and their more complex information needs.

I stayed on after the timetabled sessions to talk to Regina Küfner Lein and Brita Bjorøy Hekland, who both work in the Medical Library, about the university’s electronic resources. We had a really interesting discussion, and it was great being able to discuss MetaLib and SFX with Regina and Brita, as Bergen use these services as well. Bergen have very recently acquired Primo Central, which is made available as a search function on the library’s homepage http://www.uib.no/ub/en. Primo Central does not search the OPAC and repository as Primo does, but it does search the Primo database of e-resources and connects to full text journals by using the SFX data. It also provides one access point for the e-resources (those in the Primo database) meaning only one login is necessary, rather than having to log into different databases in different ways.

We are going up Mount Floyen, which overlooks Bergen, on the funicular railway tonight for dinner at the top of the mountain. The rain from this morning has passed and the skies are clear so we should have some great views of the city from the top. It’s my last night in Bergen tonight, and I can’t believe it has come around so fast. It really has been a fascinating week and I have learnt so much! It has also been wonderful to make friends with librarians from Bergen and other European cities – I think we will definitely be keeping in touch.