The Welsh Information Literacy Project and the Public Library Service in Wales Gina Maddison Welsh Information Literacy Project Erica Sheppard Macmillan in Monmouthshire Philomena Vaughan Tutor and Assessor

Aims and Objectives of the project To map good practice in Information Literacy in public library services in Wales To exchange examples of good practice To set up a network of Information Literacy Champions in public library services To ensure local frameworks are mapped to the national framework

Information Literacy – general public and staff training To promote the accredited Agored qualifications in Information Literacy To assist public library staff who undertake these formal qualifications To assist the general public, formally or informally, in working through the framework

Accredited Units in Information Literacy Developed in partnership with Agored Cymru Units – now being piloted. All units have a credit value of 3 credits (1 credit = 10 learning hours). Tutor assessment about 15 hrs. Levels – Entry Level/Level 8 (2 = GCSE, 3 ‘A’ Level) Credits - (30 learning hours at Level 3)

SCONUL Seven Pillars Identify Scope Plan Gather Evaluate Manage Present

Pilot Cases – Staff Training We have worked with Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil and Monmouthshire Public Libraries Staff have worked on Level 2 and Level 3 accredited units in Information Literacy

Staff Training In each case the project ran a half day in training in partnership with the library authority Bilingual Workshop based on actual enquiries handled by staff

Brainstorm What Information Literacy skills help us to assist the general public? How can we embed it into the work we do with the general public? In which fields might it be useful? Why is it important for library staff? Why is it important for the public?

Types of Enquiries 1 Health information Financial information Family and local history Jobseekers’ and benefits information Helping students of any age Personal interests and hobbies Study and research skills – avoiding plagiarism

Types of Enquiries 2 Navigating e resources E safety Business Information Citizenship E commerce Financial Literacy Problem Solving E shopping

Sample Enquiries Dyslexia and Irlens’ Syndrome Senile dementia and care options The artist Kyffin Williams/the poet R. S. Thomas Reading options for clients with a visual impairment Local History (eg the castles of North Wales) Jobseekers’ information Family History The poet Dylan Thomas Recycling Manchester United Football Club! The Universal Credit System

The Monmouthshire Experience “ As we know, Information Literacy is increasingly important in a world of infinite amounts of accessible information. Library staff are information specialists who know how to locate information from a wide range of resources, evluate it and present it. In Monmouthshire we see the Agored information literacy units as a training opportunity for some staff, a way of giving other staff confidence in their abilities, and as a way to gain a wider recognition for the information literacy skills possessed by library staff”.

Monmouthshire Experience 2 All staff will be undertaking a formal accredited qualification in Information Literacy Three Information Literacy Champions have already gained Level 3 They will now mentor all the other staff through Level 2, to be completed by March 2014

The Process They chose a suitable enquiry They gathered evidence They completed logbook They sent draft completed logbook to assessor They revised logbook based on feedback They submit completed logbook with product evidence Staff mentoring throughout the process

Assessment and Verifying Professional staff assessed logbooks completed by front line staff All staff who complete logbooks register with Agored Logbooks must meet Learning Outcomes Sample of completed logbooks are then Internally Verified (IVed) for Quality Assessment Gwynedd are registered via the college; Monmouthshire and Merthyr Tydfil are working with their internal IVers Agored recommends award of credit

Learning Outcomes achieved in Monmouthshire at Level 3 1. Candidates understood the preparation necessary when choosing information to meet a specific purpose 2. They understood the advantages and limitations of a range of information sources. 3. They knew how to gather required information and assess its relevance. 4. They were able to communicate information gained according to purpose and audience.

Logbooks and Units literacy/cqfw-units/resources/ literacy/cqfw-units/resources/

Diolch yn Fawr – Many thanks ! Monmouthshire Public Library Service staff– particularly Sally Bradford! The Information Literacy Champions – Erica Sheppard, Natasha Harron Edwards and Julie Warburton The Assessment and Internal Verifying Service, Monmouthshire County Council – particularly Philomena Vaughan