Dimensions of Information Competence in the Library Science Curricula of UFF and UNAM: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Information Competency (CoInfo), within the scope of Information Science, encompasses the interaction between sources and users, aiming to foster autonomy in the processes of searching for, using, and reusing information, grounded in ethics and responsibility. Authors such as Vitorino (2011) indicate that CoInfo comprises four dimensions—technical, aesthetic, ethical, and political—which should be in harmony. The technical dimension concerns practical competencies for defined tasks. The aesthetic dimension involves each individual’s unique perception of information, expressed through creativity, imagination, and shared self‑knowledge. The political dimension relates to participation in decisions and transformations affecting social life and citizenship. The ethical dimension is characterized by one’s capacity to adopt a critical stance toward information; that is, to use information responsibly for the common good.

This study investigated the following question: Along which dimensions are the disciplines related to Information Competency delineated in the curricula of the Library Science programs at the Federal Fluminense University (UFF) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)?

These universities were chosen for the following reasons: UFF, because the Archival Science and Library Science programs are housed in the same department and because it is the authors’ home institution; and UNAM, because it offers the programs Licenciatura en Administración de Archivos y Gestión Documental and Bibliotecología y Estudios de la Información, and because its Library Science program is long‑standing.