Information Literacy (IL), “the ability to find and use information ethically, has been on the agenda of academic librarians for a very long time now. The driving force behind the” e-journal article on library philosophy and practice by Moyo and Okemwa (2022, p. 1) was determining what students’ perceptions were of information literacy at two South African universities.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) had become prevalent in academia and has had a significant impact in tuition models within Open distance learning environment. This is especially evident in student assessment (Naidu & Sevnarayan, 2023) and the application of emerging trends related to these technologies (Kim, Merrill, Xu, & Sellnow, 2020).
Information literacy instruction in academic libraries had been provided using different pedagogies, methodologies, standards and beliefs all over the world. In some contexts, information literacy instruction had been presented formally in a standalone format, embedded in a program or informally with the aim of developing students’ information and research skills. The term information literacy in itself has been a subject of debate with various new terms being proposed by different researchers. In describing the Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL) approach as applicable to information literacy and academic libraries in e.g., the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland, Bainton (2001, p. 2) indicated that both information skills and Information Technology (IT) “skills are essential parts of a wider concept of information literacy.” A broadly-based definition “of information skills in higher education reflects twin dimensions of the ‘competent student’ and the ‘information literate’ person.” In addition, there had been changes to how students learn, with a shift from physical interactions to online or hybrid learning and the introduction of disruptive technologies, such as artificial intelligence and ChatGPT, which requires a radical transformation of information literacy pedagogy. Therefore, it is important to understand how information literacy is taught and how it can be enhanced at various levels of study in universities. In the fields of information studies, information systems, knowledge management, etc., there exists a need for an edited collection of original research in this area of information literacy in academic libraries. Students, whether born digital or not, mostly lack information literacy skills and are often ill-prepared at the time they enter higher education. This could manifest in academic malpractices, such as plagiarism.