Information literacy around the world

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Information literacy around the world

• Sheila Webber
• University of Sheffield, s.webber_at_sheffield.ac.uk
• Online 2002, December 2002

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Outline

• Definitions influences
• Policy politics
• Library information activity
• Research

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Definitions More than information skills
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Information literacy is the adoption of
appropriate information behaviour to identify,
through whatever channel or medium, information
well fitted to information needs, leading to wise
and ethical use of information in society
(Johnston Webber 2002)
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Seven pillars of information literacy
Source SCONUL. (1999) Information skills in
higher education a SCONUL Position Paper.
London SCONUL. http//www.sconul.ac.uk/publicatio
ns/99104Rev1.doc
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Ethical concerns
Info rich/ poor
Internet foregrounding issues to do evaluation
etc.ICTs
Lifelong learning not job for life
Influences for Information literacy
Information economy changes in media, law,
pricing etc.
Educational trends
Information society
Global competitiveness
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The information literate person in a changing
information society

• Information economy
• Law
• Changes in media
• Pricing etc

Personal goals, habits, special needs
Technical changes
Information literate person
Local national culture society

• Organisational culture
• Mission Values Norms
• Management style
• Information strategy

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Policy politics
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http//www.itu.int/wsis/index.html
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World Summit on the Information Society

• The anticipated outcome of the Summit is to
  develop and foster a clear statement of political
  will and a concrete plan of action for achieving
  the goals of the Information Society, while fully
  reflecting all the different interests at stake.
• Who? Governments Private Sector Civil Society
  United Nations family

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Pre-WSIS

• PrepCom-2 in Geneva from 17-28 Feb 2003
• Pan European Regional Conference Bucharest
  Declaration Nov 2002 http//www.itu.int/wsis/docs/
  bucharest/final_declaration.doc
• UNESCO Website inc. Discussion Forum opening 9
  Dec. 2002 http//portal.unesco.org/ci/ev.php?URL_I
  D1543URL_DODO_TOPICURL_SECTION201

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WSIS and IL?

• John Lindsay (lindsay_at_king.ac.uk) organising
  meeting, probably on 12 December 2002

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21st century literacies summit

• March 2002
• AOL Time Warner Bertelsmann
• IL one of a number of literacies (e.g. Literacy
  with responsibility)
• Relevance to Education, workplace and civic
  engagement
• http//www.21stcenturyliteracy.org/

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Germany Ministry for education research

• 2002 position paper
• Focused on information for research
• Anytime anywhere vision of information
• Restructuring of physical electronic networks,
  new business models, standards, metadata etc.

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Informationkompetenz (IL) as vital

• Das BMBF setzt sich fuer die Integration der
  Vermittlung von Informationskompetenz als festen
  Bestandteil aller Ebenen der Aus-, Fort- und
  Weiterbildung ein. (p8)
• Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
  (2002) Information vernetzen Wissen aktivieren.
  Berlin BBF. http//www.bmbf.de/pub/information_v
  ernetzen-wissen_aktivieren.pdf

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UNESCO IL meeting

• April-ish 2003
• Interesting website with review/ position papers
  that can be downloaded e.g. Caroline Sterns
  paper on Information literacy unplugged

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http//www.nclis.gov/libinter/infolitconfmeet/inf
olitconfmeet.html
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Library information professionals activities
activism
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International Federation of Library Associations

• New (renamed) Information Literacy Section,
• Interested in international IL standards
• http//www.ifla.org/VII/s42/sil.htm
• Emerged as a sub-theme in the Presidents core
  values brainstorming at the Glasgow IFLA
  conference

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Nordic countries.

• Nordic Information Literacy Institute
• Creating Knowledge conferences no. 3 in
  September 2003 in Iceland http//web.bit.mah.se/ko
  nferens/ck3/index.html (also links to reports
  etc. from 2nd conference)
• Work on standards/ guidelines. Seminar on
  information literacy, February 2003
  Informationskompetens som utbildningsmål

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Australia
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Australia

• National conferences
• Australian Library and Information Association
  Information Literacy Forum
• Australia New Zealand Institute for IL
• Information literacy standards
• Statement for all Australians
• Progress to the information literate university

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• Information literacy is a prerequisite for
• participative citizenship
• social inclusion
• the creation of new knowledge
• personal, vocational, corporate and
  organisational empowerment
• learning for life.
• Library and information services professionals
  therefore embrace a responsibility to develop the
  information literacy of their clients.
• Australian Library and Information Association,
  Information Literacy Forum. (2001) . Statement on
  information literacy for all Australians.
  Kingston Australian Library and Information
  Association.http//www.alia.org.au/groups/infolit
  /information.literacy.html

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http//www.library.qut.edu.au/elearn/ILFS/
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UK

• SCONUL work Advisory Committee on Information
  Literacy (was Information skills Task Force)
• 7 pillars model
• Critical success factors (SCONUL Briefing paper,
  early Spring)
• Collaboration on Open University module
• Discussions with UCISA on place of IT skills
  (Ivy up the pillars)

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http//sorbus.open.ac.uk/safari_guests/start.htm
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http//www.open.ac.uk/mosaic/index.cfm
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UK 2

• IT Information Literacy conference in Glasgow,
  March 2002 (next in June 2003?)
• Book in early 2003 Allan Martin and Hannelore
  Rader (Eds). Information and literacy enabling
  learning in the 21st century Facet Publishing.
  ISBN 1-85604-463-7. 39.95.
• Some presentations on the site
  http//www.iteu.gla.ac.uk/elit/itilit2002/
• My write-up in Octobers Update

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http//dis.shef.ac.uk/literacy/itilreview.htm
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Given the centrality of information literacy to
society's aspirations for social inclusion and
cohesion, lifelong learning and educational
attainment, economic competitiveness and
regeneration, and informed and engaged
citizenship, CILIP seeks to work for the public
good to promote the highest standards of
professional practice and service delivery in the
library and information domain.CILIP Corporate
Plan http//www.cilip.org.uk/about/corporateplan/c
orplan.pdf
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Research
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Australia
Students - higher further ed
Academics
UK
Canada
Students - school
Ireland
Business
etc.
Teachers
Citizens
Observe
LIS people
Question
Compare
Analyse
Understanding
Greater inclusion
Theory
Consultancies
More effective practice
Practitioners
Academics
Better learning teaching
Students
etc.
etc. etc.
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Relevant projects have been funded by Joint
Information Systems Committee (JISC)
Survey of Information Skills Training for
students in Higher and Further Education. Funded
by the Joint Information Systems Committee,
managed by Manchester Metropolitan University
Library and Leeds University Library Finished
this year report toolkit
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http//www.leeds.ac.uk/bigblue/
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http//skillstoolkit.tfpl.com/
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Research at Sheffield I

• UK Academics conceptions, and practice of,
  information literacy
• Awarded to me and Bill Johnston (Strathclyde
  University). Just started!
• Stuart Boon is researcher (has worked in similar
  project in Canada) s.j.boon_at_shef.ac.uk
• Study 4 disciplines analyse in-depth interviews
  follow with wider questionnaire in 3rd year

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Research at Sheffield II

• Education for evidence-based citizenship
  improving pupils' information seeking skills
• What role does the Internet play in supporting
  information seeking by school students?
• What is current practice in teaching of
  Internet-based information-seeking?
• Like my project, funded by Arts Humanities
  Research Board for 3 years

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Research at Sheffield II

• Sheffield City School some wider research
• Andrew Madden is researcher a.d.madden_at_shef.ac.uk
  awarded to Nigel Ford and Dave Miller
• Started in 2001
• Some early results include information on types
  of sources used in homework (collected using PDAs)

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Conclusions

• Snowballing activity
• Information overload
• Still a need to lobby at high levels
  (Governments, management) to get it onto the
  agenda
• Plenty to learn from but still plenty to do

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the information literacy place http/dis.shef.ac.
uk/literacy/