The Scottish Information Literacy Project: working with partners to create an information literate Scotland A Project review Dr John Crawford & Christine Irving Sheffield University 12 th March 2009

Information Literacy "Information literacy is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner." CILIP (2004) Information Literacy DefinitionInformation Literacy Definition “Information Literacy was defined as the ability to identify, locate, evaluate, organize and effectively create, use and communicate information to address an issue or problem.” Prague Declaration

ICT / Drumchapel Project An exploratory project – initially ICT skills orientated Community ICT facilities little used - Library and Cybercafés – implications only now being addressed School and School Library are main focus for IT use in deprived areas Little integration of information literacy into the curriculum Levels of ICT ‘deprivation’ did not seem to be high Basic IT skills exist- WP, , Internet Pupil evaluation of websites poor An asylum seeking issue An information literacy/transition skills agenda emerged

The Scottish Information Literacy Project - objectives to develop an information literacy framework, linking primary, secondary and tertiary education to lifelong learning including workplace and adult literacies agendas Advocacy on behalf of information literacy for education and the wider community Working with information literacy champions both UK and worldwide Researching and promoting information literacy in the workplace Identifying and working with partners, both in education and the wider community Researching the role of information literacy in continuing professional development Researching the health and media literacies agenda

Progress to date First draft of Framework produced and piloted Information literacy in the workplace study Promoting international contacts 2007 onwards Contacts developed and strengthened with NGOs Extensive communications programme Website further developed and blog added Contact established with Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Initial health and media literacies contacts made Creation of an information literacy network Stimulated unprecedented level of activity in the schools sector in Scotland

Partnerships and contacts Schools mainly with librarians FE/HE Dept. Educational Foundations, University of Wisconsin- Whitewater Delegation from Finland US National Forum for Information Literacy Workplace – Scottish Government; Glasgow Chamber of Commerce; Scottish Trades Union Congress, Skills Development Scotland Learning and Teaching Scotland / Curriculum for Excellence (Literacy Team)

Our friends in the North

Current key objectives (Esmee Fairbairn Foundation) To develop the Framework to extend the early years, workplace, wider access and lifelong learning components to make it a genuine lifelong learning policy documents To research and progress the information literacy in the workplace agenda

A National Information Literacy Framework (Scotland) – outline

A National Information Literacy Framework (Scotland) –contents Back ground information and provenance Acknowledgements Information literacy – what it is Information literacy and lifelong learning Information literacy education Use of the Information Literacy framework The framework levels Information literacy and assessment Appendices

The Framework – current development Draft pdf to Weblog (work in progress) –static pages (background information, different sectors, levels etc.) – postings (current activities, developments etc.) to facilitate interactivity National Information Literacy Framework Scotland) Still to be further developed –case studies (education, workplace) –link to work related learning, skills strategy

Information literacy in the workplace study Dec Jan.2008 – key findings The traditional ‘library’ view of information as deriving from electronic and printed sources only is invalid in the workplace and must include people as sources of information The public enterprise with its emphasis on skills and qualifications is a fertile area for further investigation and developmental work Advanced Internet training extends employees’ information horizons A skill and qualifications based agenda is an important pre-condition Most interviewees viewed public libraries as irrelevant for anything other than recreational purposes Information literacy training programmes must be highly focused on the target audience  An understanding of what constitutes information literacy is widespread in the workplace but is often implicit rather than explicit and is based on qualifications, experience, and networking activities  Organizations which access a wide range of information, of high quality, including sources outwith their organization, will make the best informed decisions

Contacts should be established with chambers of commerce, skills agencies and other organizations involved in workplace training Organizations’ information polices which are largely implicit should be made explicit and should include accessing a wide range of information, of high quality, including sources outwith their organization Preliminary skills audits should be carried out within organizations to determine staff information literacy skills and the organization’s information literacy policy The viability of developing information literacy training programmes should be further researched Information literacy training programmes should initially target sympathetic organizations Advanced Internet training programmes should be offered to all workplace employees The private sector should be researched further The provision of information literacy training programmes by public libraries should be investigated Developmental work should be undertaken with Adult Literacies agencies NHS contacts should be expanded to progress the health literacies agenda Recommendations

Some outcomes (1) Glasgow Chamber of Commerce – couple of meetings. Agreed to progress by sending out a questionnaire devised by us to all Glasgow Chamber of Commerce members about their information skills training needs. Article written for their magazine CBI Scotland – one meeting to identify companies who might want to incorporate IL training into their CPD programmes but no takers Scottish Trades Union Congress – presentation to Everyday Skills Committee of STUC (composed of TU learning representatives – well received – further action pending Skills Development Scotland (Careers Division – old Careers Scotland) – meetings led to identification of IL as a career choice, progression CPD and employability skill - symposium to be held on 27 th March Employability and Skills Division, Lifelong Learning Directorate – meeting which validated our strategy of targeting employers’ and skills organisation

Some outcomes (2) Public library services – contacts with three services including Inverclyde Libraries who are currently running employability training courses (10 weeks). IL has been incorporated in the courses at our suggestion. (Basic skills courses run by public libraries have IT/Internet training from which IL training can be developed) Aberdeen Business School – secured £400,000 + EU funding to run ‘bite sized courses’ for local SMEs (up to 12 modules). 20 businesses and 70 learners so far – hope for 175. Exchanged information and role of IL – employers’ don’t know what training they need (RGU finding) Royal Society of Arts - Opening Minds Curriculum running in 200 schools in England – includes an IL component – Managing information – also strong focus on skills acquisition in education and the workplace Scottish Government Information Service – have set up advanced Internet searching skills courses for staff; developed an information strategy for the Scottish Government. Now on Scottish Government website – Education and Training (Information Literacies) – a first? strategy/progress/sg/supportingindividuals/InformationLiteracies/Q/forceupdate/onhttp:// strategy/progress/sg/supportingindividuals/InformationLiteracies/Q/forceupdate/on

What we have learned Different groups of people constantly reinterpret IL in the light of their own qualifications, training, experience and needs IL is a key career choice, progression, CPD, employability and workplace skill IL is not recognised in any government document produced since 2005 which recognises IL as an independent skill. It is rolled up with IT – this much change! But Scottish Government case study a start Target skills and employers’/employee organisations IL skills training in the workplace is feasible but must be carefully planned and targeted The public library can offer IL training, developed from IT training but again it but must be carefully planned and targeted. Public librarians must be involved in IL skills development Need to think cross sectorally - Govan High School’s ‘Future Skills’ framework of about 70 skills in association with local employers and involving the pupils. Includes IL. Blane (2008) Findings of workplace study have been validated

Skills utilisation ? 'Skills utilisation is about ensuring the most effective application of skills in the workplace to maximise performance through the interplay of a number of key agents (e.g. employers, employees, learning providers and the state) and the use of a range of HR, management and working practices. Effective skills utilisation seeks to match the use of skills to business demands/needs.' (p.2) Skills utilisation literature review, a report by CFE for the Education Analytical Services, Lifelong Learning Research, Scottish Government (Executive summary and full text available at

Some further information Crawford, John and Irving (2008) Going beyond the ‘library’: the current work of the Scottish Information Literacy Project. Library and information research, (32) 102, pp Crawford, John and Irving (2009) Information literacy in the workplace: a qualitative exploratory study, JOLIS, (41) McDonald, Natalie and Keenan, Peter (2009) The ‘stuff beyond Google: information literacy in a corporate setting. online.com.au/sb_clients/iog/bin/iog_programme_you_may_be_right_C1.cfm?vm_ke y=8EDF7462-D5A6-FFAA-AB89D511D74817DAhttp:// online.com.au/sb_clients/iog/bin/iog_programme_you_may_be_right_C1.cfm?vm_ke y=8EDF7462-D5A6-FFAA-AB89D511D74817DA Crawford, John et al. (2008) Use of information in the Scottish Government, Library & information update, Dec., pp Interview with Philip Pothen, formerly of JISC, about the work of the Project ving.aspx ving.aspx

Contact details Dr. John Crawford,Christine Irving Library Research Officer, Researcher / Project OfficerMilton Street Building MS004, (ground floor) MS005, (ground floor)Glasgow Caledonian UniversityCowcaddens Road Glasgow, G4 0BA Tel: Tel: Project website Project blog

Questions?