The Millennials go to the library: or do they?

Abstract:

This chapter begins with a concise examination of several generational research studies which take today's Millennial students as their focus. The conclusions from several studies are then applied within the context of most first-year students' lack of academic research preparedness. This chapter also attempts to provide a definition for the oft-deliberated phrase information literacy as well as a rationale for why contemporary undergraduates urgently require greatly improved research proficiencies. Finally, this chapter focuses briefly on the value of collaboration between librarians and teaching faculty as a means of fostering information literacy work that is especially relevant and meaningful to contemporary undergraduates.

Key words

Millennials

first-year students

undergraduates

generational studies

information literacy

Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education

information competency

teaching faculty

librarians

collaboration(s)

Introducing the Millennials

The cohort of students currently entering American colleges and universities seems to have truly captured the imaginations of educators, researchers and pundits from a wide array of disciplines and backgrounds. The result has been an extensive body of literature which documents the unique cultural and social significance of this group of youngsters. A host of works have recently been written which document the major influences this generation has already exerted and will continue to have on the American economy, political arena, workplace, religious communities and other societal institutions (Alsop, 2008; Bauerlein, 2009; Buckingham, 2008; Howe and Strauss, 2007; Ito, 2010; Montgomery, 2007; Pletka, 2007; Tapscott, 2009, etc.). Alternately labeled 'Gen Y,' 'Generation Next,' the 'Digital Generation,' the 'Net Generation,' 'Echo Boomers,' or 'Millennials,' these students have had a tremendous effect on the organizations and individuals with whom they have come into contact, especially those of us working in higher education. While generalizations about entire groups (especially a group as diverse and seemingly eclectic as new college students) are always inexact, there is a general sense among academics that this group of students does require new ways of thinking about and utilizing a host of pedagogical strategies.

For some, the broad generational analyses of this particular group have resulted in decidedly optimistic portrayals. Neil Howe and William Strauss believe that the Millennials are 'recasting the youth mood in America' and that they are 'unlike any other youths in living memory' (2007: 7, 13). According to their recent book Millennials Go to College, Howe and Strauss consider this group 'more numerous, more affluent, better educated, and more ethnically diverse' than any prior generation. Indeed, for these two authors, Millennial students appear to have exceptionally 'positive social habits,' such as a belief in teamwork, achievement, modesty, and good conduct (2007: 13-14). According to John Palfrey and Urs Gasser's book Born Digital, this population is going to 'move markets and transform industries, education, and global politics' (2008: 7). Don Tapscott gushes that 'these empowered young people are beginning to transform every institution of modern life' (2009: 6). According to these authors and others, we in higher education have nothing to fear from our Millennial students. While their habits of learning, cultural interests and modes of socializing may be dramatically different from ours, their basic values remain in line with those of us who have other (older) generational memberships. As such, there is great promise in the suggestion that we might still productively engage with Millennial students (Ito et al., 2010: 342, 344).

Yet, other investigators question such overwhelmingly glowing generational descriptions, calling them 'hyperbolic idealizations' made by 'pro-technology' adults trying to construct this cohort as somehow 'exotic' (Herring, 2008: 76). Mark Bauerlein, an especially vocal digital detractor, argues that despite their extraordinary confidence in and use of technology, 'The twenty-first-century teen, connected and multitasked, autonomous yet peer-mindful, marks no great leap forward in human intelligence, global thinking, or "netizen"-ship' (2009: 201). Interestingly, even Larry Sanger, co-creator of the famously popular online site Wikipedia, is worried about this generation and the future of American education. Sanger strongly advocates for his version of a 'liberal education,' the kind that is built around an 'effortful, careful development of the individual mind' (2010: para. 45). He fears that without this type of didactic exertion, sources such as Wikipedia will be exploited by 'a society of drones, enculturated by hive minds, who are able to work together online but who are largely innocent of the texts and habits of study that encourage deep and independent thought' (para. 47). Sonia Livingstone, yet another Internet critic, adds further credence to Sanger's concerns. Livingstone writes that 'young people's Internet literacy does not yet match the headline image of the intrepid pioneer' (2008: 110). She believes this is mainly because the vast majority of young people have not developed the critical thinking skills necessary to vigilantly evaluate the resources they discover on the Internet. According to her 2008 focus group study, 'most children and young people' are 'ignorant of the motives behind the Web sites they were using' and most never bother to consider the question (2008: 109). As such, Livingstone maintains that while these youngsters' 'newfound online skills' may be 'justifiably trumpeted,' by the adults with whom they live and work, these skills are far from being above 'critical scrutiny' (102).

Authors such as Bauerlein, Sanger and Livingstone send a rather less encouraging message about today's undergraduate population. Instead of viewing them as 'the smartest generation ever,' these authors tend to believe the Millennials are becoming 'bound by the prejudices of [their] "digital tribe," ripe for manipulation by whoever has the firmest grip on [their] dialogue' (Tapscott, 2009: 30; Sanger, 2010: para. 47). According to this darker view, Millennial students are hopelessly enmeshed with the Internet and, as a result, they suffer academically. They are so plugged into online social networks that they pay little or no attention to real-life interactions. Their attempts at multitasking have disastrously harmful results, and they could not care less about the quality, reliability or accuracy of the information they find online and then use in their daily lives. These youngsters base any research they do solely on speed and ease of use. According to these less generous descriptions, present-day students are disengaged, prone to attention deficits and extremely difficult to teach using traditionally proven methods.

In reality, most Millennial students demonstrate a remarkably complex combination of characteristics which probably lands them somewhere in the middle of being the next greatest generation or the world's worst generation. As Ron Alsop notes, many 'educators and employers have found that [the Millennials] exhibit a number of contradictory attitudes and behaviors':

'It's all about me' might seem to be the mantra of these self-absorbed young people . But, many millennials . also demonstrate strong concern about social and environmental issues and tend to be active in community service. In another interesting twist, they want structure and clear direction in their work assignments, but they also expect flexibility to decide when and where they complete the tasks. And although they crave individual praise and recognition, they can also be terrific team players, whether in sports, the classroom or the workplace. (Alsop, 2008: 6)

Whether you believe that the outlook for today's Millennials is primarily positive, overly negative or somewhere in between, it is impossible to escape the fact that this generation of students is different if for no other reason than they are more plugged in than past generations have ever been. As Kathryn Montgomery notes in her book Generation Digital, 'Never before has a generation been so defined in the public mind by its relationship to technology' (2007: 2). Ask any educator about working with today's Millennial students and almost without a doubt the conversation will turn to the impact of the Internet, social networking, cell phones, electronic book readers or any of a number of popular technological gadgets on student learning.

Characteristics of this new generation

While it is beyond the scope of this book to examine...