French Military Victories? Jonathan Douglas Museums, Libraries & Archives Council

“Good School Libraries Making a Difference to Learning” “High-level colloquium on information literacy and lifelong learning” Alexandria Colloquium.pdf

It is time to move from “Information for All” to “Information Literacy for All.” Information literacy abilities are essential for social inclusion in today’s information-driven world. Information literacy and lifelong learning are of the same essence. Information literacy is not a technology issue but a learning issue. Information Literacy is more than a library or education issue. It is crucial to issues of economic development, health, citizenship and quality of life. Information literacy is part of a continuum of literacies that includes oralcy. Information literacy is context specific to particular cultures and societies.

Inspectors observed a great deal of teaching of information literacy (IL) skills. The best schools had introduced imaginative and effective programmes that attempted to develop skills progressively from year to year and across the curriculum.

often unsatisfactory and not underpinned sufficiently by whole-school agreement on what was to be taught at each stage. In general, there were too few opportunities for pupils to carry out research or work independently to prepare them for further education or the workplace The survey found many weaknesses overall in pupils’ understanding and use of information and research skills. This limited their achievement in reading and, more generally, in learning across subjects.

Information literacy …is inseparable from learning …is a lifelong literacy …is a positive statement of the values of society

Information Literacy and Learning 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.

What do we mean by learning? “Learning is a process of active engagement with experience. It is what people do when they want to make sense of the world. It may involve the development or deepening of skills, knowledge, understanding, awareness, values, ideas and feelings, or an increase in the capacity to reflect. Effective learning leads to change, development and the desire to learn more.” MLA definition adapted from Campaign for Learning

Knowledge, Skills, understanding, awareness, values, Ideas and feelings, or an increase in the capacity to reflect

Learning & information literacy continuum Informal Formal

The continuum in libraries 79% ranked libraries in their top 3 learning locations 45% of adult learners interviewed mentioned libraries in their re- engagement with learning Courses held in libraries had a learner retention rate of 71%

The continuums interact to produce a lifelong activity by Creating the skills Creating the habit Creating the dynamic Creating the culture

“There are ways of teaching the elders, teachers and the children to become information literate about the HIV-AIDS issue. It is a difficult model, because everyone recognises the urgency, and yet the dynamics have not been worked out thoroughly--except in the case of improving the children’s understanding of who they are and fostering the feeling of belonging to someone whose own parents have died. “

Information literacy and the disposition to learn

Information literacy is context specific to particular cultures and societies.

Lutheranism and Libraries: 1989

Society 1 Authority devolved to the lowest possible level Citizens equipped with information and skills and freedoms Dispersed government Popular engagement with government Society 2 Central authority Choices made for citizens Hierarchical patterns of government Popular disengagement with government

Outcome for society cohesion and active communities

Where we are “…IL lessons were not planned carefully enough and not informed by any whole school policy or scheme, leading to repetition, for instance, reminders about the organisation of the Dewey classification system…”

Where do we sit?

4 priority areas Education and Learning Health and Human Services Business and Economic Development Governance and Citizenship

Our role to push further: Going with the flow Miliband’s reforms of local democracy NHS patient choice agenda Adult basic skills work and the LSCs Active citizenship Asylum seekers and refugees QCA and curriculum reform

2007