Introduction

Business information literacy represents a complex ecosystem of information—generating sources, interconnected markets, segments and facets, and a plethora of resources and databases. The breadth and depth of business information is unlike any other subject area. It is an information literacy that cuts across other areas of study through the development and implementation of entrepreneurial endeavors and strategic decision-making. Academic business librarians are challenged by the complexity of business information to develop effective instruction to create informed business students who will become future business leaders. By developing problem-based, business-focused pedagogy they position themselves to connect business information with the study of business practice. The complicated layers of business information are perceived within the context of business and market ecosystems which have gained recent traction in understanding a business environment (Kelly et al., 2015) for effective analysis and decision-making.

Project Information Literacy and business educators have found that while employers expect graduates to possess searching skills, graduates lack skills to solve complex information problems in an increasingly interdisciplinary, dynamic, team-based environment (Clarke, Bajada, & Trayler, 2013; Head, 2012). An analysis of management education notes that corporate “recruiters increasingly require higher level candidates who possess complex interactive skills (i.e. the ability to link things together and frame complex problems) involving an enhanced judgment mindset” (Thomas, 2007, p. 13). The challenge is for business schools to “produce students who have the skills, flexibility and training to compete in the new economy defined by globalization and technological change” (Thomas, 2007, p. 13). At the same time, business school curricula look nearly identical to those in 1959 when the Ford and Carnegie Foundations Reports were published (Herrington & Arnold, 2013).

How can business schools teach students to make more nuanced decisions? The gap between theory and practice has led many to call for more interdisciplinary, contextual, and applied business curricula at the MBA and undergraduate level. In 2003, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business adopted standards that MBA education be “developed in a more integrative, interdisciplinary fashion” (AACSB, 2003, p. 74). Those not working towards integrative curriculums may also increasingly value experiential learning experience where students also need to connect dots in ways previously impossible in the discipline-driven academy (McCarthy & McCarthy, 2006).

Business librarians care about complex interactive skills like framing complex problems and connecting the dots. Information literacy, from its inception, has been focused on improving problem solving and decision making, especially in complex environments like those in the modern workplace. The 1989 Presidential Committee on Information Literacy observed that businesses' and citizens' modern information problems were more difficult to solve “when people lack access to meaningful information vital to good decision making” (1989, para. 5). Integrative business education curricula require deep levels of contextual searching linked to real world problems and real world results. Business librarians, comfortable in this dynamic information environment, possess specialized skills needed for improved decision making and problem solving.

Business information literacy as a viable concept has not yet made the leap from academia into the workplace. As discussed in an article on business information literacy and corporate librarians (Natt, 2013), the majority of publications that mention business information literacy are predominantly library-focused journals with articles written by academic librarians. There exists a disconnect in responsibilities and language between corporate librarians and academic business librarians. However, with the continuing growth of information literacy instruction within business libraries coupled with the growth in problem-based learning and experiential learning initiatives it seems that the gap between these two groups of professionals is not nearly as wide as it may seem.

The articles within this issue focus on related facets of teaching business information. In “Business information literacy integration into a freshman summer bridge course for underrepresented minorities,” Hal Kirkwood and Roy Dejoie present a case study of the collaboration between a business professor and librarian that teaches basic computing skills in conjunction with life lessons, decision-making, and business information literacy. “How information literate are you? A self-assessment by students enrolled in a competitive intelligence elective” by Barbie E. Keiser provides the results of a student self-assessment within a competitive intelligence course. In “Toward informed leadership: Teaching students to make better decisions using information,” Ilana Stonebraker delves into the concept of reframing information literacy as decision management by using evidence-based management in an informed leadership approach. Barbara A. Pietraszewski presents a case study of a junior-level course titled “Foresight in Business and Society” in which the librarians participate in supporting the students as they delve into critical analysis within a specific foresight framework in “Developing future scenarios: Business students and librarians employing foresight techniques in tandem during course support.” Andy Spackman, in his article “Client-based experiential learning and the librarian: Information literacy for the real world,” takes an environmental scan of experiential learning programs across the country and the implications for student information needs within these real-world problem-based initiatives. This article includes an interview with two directors of experiential learning programs. Finally, Laura Leavitt presents on the development and student assessment of a for-credit semester-long business information literacy course that encouraged critical thinking and reflection in “Taking the plunge! A case study in teaching a credit-bearing information literacy course to business undergraduate students.”