The Scottish Information Literacy Project: working with partners to create an information literate Scotland Skills for everyone SCURL 24 August 07

Information literacy: definition 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. The skills (or competencies) that are required to be information literate require an understanding of: a need for information the resources available how to find information the need to evaluate results how to work with or exploit results ethics and responsibility of use how to communicate or share your findings how to manage your findings.

The Drumchapel Project 2003 §An exploratory project – initially ICT skills orientated §Community ICT facilities little used - Library and Cybercafés §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 §School disproportionately important in deprived areas

LIRG/SCONUL Value and Impact Project 2 Questionnaires to students (electronically) and alumni – (administered by post, Spring 2004) Respondents included middle/senior management Considerable change in attitude/usage between university and work Strong link between IL and employability Scholarly methods spreading in the workplace Work greatly sharpens perceptions about value of IL Good match between databases introduced at University and used at work Information literacy linked with the exercise of initiative in the workplace and ‘getting on’ Varied attitude to IL among employers Sparse replies from the unemployed

Issues identified There should be a seamless progression from school to work (via HE or directly into work) The employability agenda is a key issue which we must focus on We need to know more about how the skills we impart extend to the workplace We need to know more about the workplace and attitudes of employers Making the case - Advocacy

Project objectives 2007 To develop an information literacy framework, linking secondary and tertiary education Advocacy on behalf of information literacy for education and 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

Activities undertaken Comprehensive desk research exercise Partners recruited, initially from secondary and HE Advisory Group formed Contact with relevant organisations – e.g. LTS, SCQF, SQA, learndirect Scotland. Focus groups with school pupils, students, subject librarians and employees Regular reporting of activities Website Conference presentations Petition to the Scottish Parliament Scottish ‘Node' of International Alliance for Information Literacy National Information Literacy Framework Recruitment of workplace, adult literacies partners Project rebranded as the Scottish Information Literacy Project

Research findings Schools - information literacy skills were generally taught in first and second year (aged 12 / 13) but not subsequently reinforced within the curriculum resulting in fragmented levels of knowledge and usage for their remaining years at school. HE - students arriving at university have generally either poor or limited information literacy skills, for some these skills will be enhanced but many will leave as they arrived. The workplace - indication that although employers do not explicitly ask for information literacy it is implicitly expected, seen as important at work but not included in workplace training.

Developing the framework Lots of thinking, agonising, reflecting Looked at other frameworks – at home and abroad Discussions with relevant bodies and individuals Not reinventing the wheel –incorporate what is being used –look for common themes from existing models and definitions

Common Themes

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

Examples of information literacy material Existing skills definitions, frameworks and models used to inform the development of this national framework SQA National Unit Qualification - Information Handling Skills DF9J 11 (Intermediate level 2) Mind map of models, qualification and skills definition used in draft national framework University of Abertay Dundee: Information Literacy Framework Loughborough University Library Information Literacy: IL competencies

Sectors Schools Schools / Further Education Further / Higher Education Higher Education lifelong learning including all information- using communities e.g. community learning and in the workplace

Draft Framework

Piloting Partners from different sectors working at different levels within different subjects to provide Examples of information tasks within different sectors at different levels and with different subjects and courses: –existing learning that is taking place –new activities that have been specifically created Exemplars of how the skills, knowledge and understanding at different levels can be mapped into specific subjects or course design.

Comments / discussion points from meeting with partners and advisory group Needs to be enriched with exemplars of good practice Quite large so may need to be repurposed Link to new curriculum (Curriculum for Excellence) Link to higher level complex skills – problem solving, innovation Missing links primary -> secondary and secondary -> tertiary Involvement of others pupil support, involving teachers, lecturers in the integration of learning the development of skills throughout a University career …, indicating in some way a progression from skills developed in first year to a deeper level of understanding by the time of postgraduate study

Comments / discussion points from meeting with partners and advisory group (cont.) Advocacy issues QAA enhancement, SQA, embedding IL in teaching certificates, involve Learning and Teaching Scotland, target Learning and Teaching champions Advocacy needs to be bottom up as well as top down – all levels need to be involved Advocacy toolkit – CILIPS Information Literacy Task and Finish Group Need to create a vision as to how IL will look over the next couple of years Educational development strategies may be viewed as analogues to the framework Link to employability and transitions to work

Progress so far First draft of Framework achieved Work with learndirect Scotland Workplace pilot study - LTS funding (2006) Advocacy focus – Petition to the Scottish Parliament and digital inclusion consultation evidence Promoting international contacts Contacts developed with NGOs Extensive communications programme Website established Workplace/Adult literacies partners recruited

And to the future A bigger issue than we thought Lack of understanding of the concept of information literacy still an issue Funding – a cross sectoral issue Piloting the Framework Further workplace studies Target decision makers in L&T Expand national and international contacts Review role of information literacy in CPD

A quotable quote ‘Disciplines which provide the sort of cognitive weaponry by which individuals can self reflect on their situation, challenge validity claims and, potentially, change their lives are often treated as suspect and denied institutional validity, funding, status and so on… Information literacy falls into this category’. Whitworth (2006)

Some references McLelland, D. and Crawford, J. (2004) ‘The Drumchapel Project: a study of ICT usage by school pupils and teachers in a secondary school in a deprived area of Glasgow’, Journal of librarianship and information science, Vol. 36, no.2, pp Crawford, John (2006) ‘The use of electronic information services and information literacy: a Glasgow Caledonian University study’, Journal of librarianship and information science, Vol.38, no 1. pp Crawford, John and Christine Irving (2007) Information literacy, the link between secondary and tertiary education project and its wider implications, Journal of librarianship and information science, vol. 39, no. 1, pp Crawford, J. (2007). New partners for IL project, Information Scotland, 5(3) p6 Irving, C. & Crawford, J., (2007) Information literacy: a framework for life, Library + information update, 6 (7-8) pp.52-53

Contact details Dr. John Crawford,Christine Irving Library Research Officer, Research Assistant / Project OfficerRoom 302, (3rd floor)6 Rose Street,Glasgow, G3 6RB Tel: Tel: Project website

Questions?