The Big Blue: key findings from literature review

Overview

A key challenge of the information age is the need to develop an information literate population. One of the most comprehensive ways of achieving this is through the educational system.

While information skills is embedded within the primary and secondary curriculum, there is an imbalance in UK higher and Post-16 education.

Throughout the literature the link between lifelong learning and information literacy is made and reiterated as the workforce is required to re-skill.

While there are structures for the delivery of information skills and ICT in the primary and secondary curriculum in the UK, there is a lack of structure and focus in Post- 16 and higher education.

Library and information services need to be, and be seen to be, the driving force behind new and collaborative approaches to curriculum delivery in order to retain a key role in providing information skills training to students. They need to change attitudes towards the library and show that they have more to offer than bibliographic instruction.

The extensive work that has been carried out in the field of information literacy shows that its importance is not just confined to education but applies to the concept of lifelong learning and society as a whole. The UK needs a more developed approach in order to align itself with the rest of the western world.

USA and Australia

• The term 'information literacy predominates in the USA and Australia and the term was first used as early as 1974. There is little difference in meaning between 'information literacy' and 'information skills'.
• One of the most succinct definitions comes from Doyle who states that "Information literacy is the ability to access, evaluate and use information from a variety for sources" (cited in Bruce, 1995). Khaultahu's (1990) definition encompasses both computer and library skills "information skills combine a broader view of library skills with computer skills to develop competencies for the information age".
• The need for information skills to be integrated into subject teaching is stressed. The ALA states that "What is called for is not a new information studies curriculum, but rather, a restructuring of the learning process".
• The Information Literacy Institute, established by the ALA, provides staff development programmes for training librarians to become information literacy teachers. Thus, information literacy programmes can benefit library staff who wish to participate in continuing professional development.
• The ALA have also established a set of standards against which the success of information skills programmes can be measured. These standards have been adopted in both the USA and Australia.
• The Australian Higher Education Council established in 1992 the characteristics that all graduates should display, and these include " effective communications and related skills in identifying, accessing and managing information".
• The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) sees information literacy as a prerequisite participative citizenship in a liberal democracy. It is also seen that LIS professionals "share and embrace a responsibility for develop the information literacy of their clients.

Europe

• Important work in the field of information literacy has been carried out in Europe. Of particular note are the EDUCATE (End User Courses in Information Access through Communication Technology) and DEDICATE (Distance Education Information Courses with Access through Networks) projects funded by the European Union. EDUCATE aimed to develop an online course in "the selection and use of information tools". The DEDICATE project aimed to develop distance learning courses in 'Training for information literacy' aimed at library and academic staff.
• Another EU project, Project Verity, aimed to assist 13-19 year olds with internet searching, and included a self-evaluation form that allowed students to chart their progress.
• These projects highlight the increasing demand for facilities for learners at a distance from their institutions. These considerations are key at a time when Virtual Learning Environments are becoming increasingly common in Post- 16 and higher education institutions.

UK

• Developments in IS training within Post- 16 and HE sectors in the UK do reflect some similarities with other countries, but the drive to develop this kind of culture does not have the same momentum as in the USA and Australia.
• Currently in the UK there is no clear and agreed definition of what is meant by information literacy or information skills, although the latter phrase is most commonly used in the literature.
• In schools, the inclusion of key skills into all areas of the National Curriculum means that information and communication technology (ICT) permeates all levels and through this pupils are encouraged to develop information skills. Various teaching models have been devised which break down the process of acquiring and using information into succinct stages, making the process more easily memorable and transferable.
• The Key Skills Qualification, introduced in September 2000 is primarily aimed at the 16-19 age group, and while it is not mandatory, those wishing to enter higher education will be required to show evidence of having attained the first three skills or the equivalent. Although the term 'Information Skills' is not explicitly referred to in the key skills curriculum such skills are implicit within the ICT aspect of the qualification.
• The division of the Department of Education and Employment, and the renaming of the education constituent as the Department for Education and Skills signals a recognition at government level of the need for new kinds of skills for a new kind of employment market. The link between iteration of skills and lifelong learning is now being explicitly made.
• FEFC have reported that students are more likely to feel motivated and see the relevance of the skills when they are taught as part of a subject rather than as a separate element or course. For information skills programmes to be successful, close collaboration between teaching and learning resources staff is also essential.
• In HE, SCONUL have noted an increase in the amount of time higher education institutions are spending on orientation and post orientation activities with students. 'New Universities' spend more time that other institutions on this.
• The inclusion of information skills into HE is not universally welcomed as, though employers claim to be looking for transferable skills, some people in HE feel that it is not for them to dictate the HE curriculum. There is also a lack of agreement as to whether IS should be integrated into subject areas or taught as a discrete discipline.
• However, SCONUL has found that institutions are becoming aware of the need for IS training and are establishing the means of providing this for their students. SCONUL recognise the need for information skills training and the role of librarians. It is thought that this role will not automatically be recognised by all other parties in the academic community and that librarians will have to fight for their rights as partners in this process.

Recommendations for Good Practice

Some of the key issues are:

• the need for information skills training to be integrated into the curriculum, rather than be treated as a separate subject removed from the subject context
• the need to establish collaborative working partnerships with all those involved in the learning and teaching process
• the need to engage students in the process through such means as highlighting the transferability and attractiveness of skills both to themselves and to future employers, or by making courses credit bearing
• the need for library and information service staff to feel that they have a relevant role to play
• information skills programmes can provide opportunities for staff training and development activities

• Big Blue home

the big blue was funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee and managed jointly by Manchester Metropolitan University Library and Leeds University Library.