ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries July/August 1 9 9 4 /4 2 3 In fo rm atio n lite ra c y g o es in te rn a tio n a l By B arb ara J . F ord Worldwide programs address users’ needs I nformation literacy is one o f the areas in which librarians around the world are shar­ ing their expertise and learning from one an­ other. As countries like South Africa, Australia, and the Netherlands gear up to be competitive in a global information age, issues related to information access and use becom e o f increas­ ing concern, and concepts o f user education and information literacy are being incorporated into their school and higher education curricu- lums. Australia The first issue of Inform aSA , the newsletter of the South Australian Forum for Information Lit­ eracy (SAFIL), was published in Septem ber 1992. SAFIL was established to bring together community groups, professional associations, educators, and people from business and in­ dustry, all with the common goal o f enhancing the information skills of the community. In Decem ber 1992 a conference focusing on strategies for promoting information literacy as a means of personal and national empower­ ment in today’s information-dependent society was held in South Australia. Patricia Senn Breivik (Towson State University), one o f the most prominent writers and speakers on infor­ mation literacy, was the keynote speaker. Recommendations from the event included: expanding training for library staff and educa­ tors; conducting more research to provide evi­ dence of the impact o f information literacy pro­ grams; establishing partnerships and networks among librarians, educators, and businesses to improve information skills; and developing strategies to increase information literacy for specific groups. The important role o f informa­ tion literacy in econom ic development means that the education system should encourage learning and critical analysis and that informa­ tion use in companies should be investigated. In 1990 the Commonwealth’s Report on li­ brary provision in higher education institutions examined the role of higher education librar­ ies in preparing those training for the profes­ sions in information literacy. The report con­ cluded that higher education has a critical role in the acquisition by adults o f information lit­ eracy, but this form o f literacy is part o f a con­ tinuum that should begin with school educa­ tion. At the University of South Australia there is a specific requirement that the university li­ brarian ensure that students achieve informa­ tion literacy. A Centre for Teaching and Learn­ ing is being established to promote awareness o f the issues and to facilitate cooperation to address them. At the tertiary level, most schools are ex­ pected to empower their own students by giv­ ing them the basic skills that will make them information literate. The concept o f informa­ tion literacy as an integral part o f the whole notion o f literacy has been furthered by recent training and development programs. In schools o f library and information science, lecturers are concerned about the issue o f link­ ing information literacy to the future well-be- ing o f the profession. At the University o f South Australia, students enrolled in user education courses provide personalized assistance to poli­ ticians by developing pathfinders on topics of concern to them. At the School o f Information B a r b a ra J. F ord is d irector o f university library services a t Virginia C omm onwealth University, R ichm ond; e-m ail: bjford@vcuvax.Bitnet 4 2 4 /C&RL News Studies at the University o f Technology in Sydney, information literacy is part o f the teach­ ing and research programs and extension ac­ tivities. Faculty are researching the specific in­ formation skills needed by beginning tertiary students in a range of disciplines and how to integrate information skills into the curriculum by collaborative plan­ ning and teaching. B e­ If access to in ginning in 1993 a two- d ay p ro g ram on increased wit inform ation skills for support struct tertiary students is be­ ing offered to all new ables people students enrolling at the there will like University o f Technol­ ogy. and frustratio South Africa In South Africa there are challenges and op­ portunities with the changing government and the large number of people who are seeking educational opportunities. If access to institu­ tions is increased without creating a support structure enabling people to succeed, there will likely be anger and frustration. In such an en­ vironment, academic leaders and librarians rec­ ognize that there is a need to modify the learn­ ing process to encourage information literacy abilities and lifelong learning. A report prepared for the Ford Foundation on the W estern Cape Library Cooperative Project by a consulting team o f U.S. librarians recommended an Information Literacy Pilot Project. The vision of the Cooperative Project is to promote information literacy and economic development for the area by providing infor­ mation to users in a form they want, when and where they need it. Enhancing cooperative ef­ forts among the libraries at Cape Technikon, Peninsula Technikon, the University o f Cape Town, the University o f Stellenbosch, and the University of the Western Cape to enhance in­ structional and research efforts among the fac­ ulty and students at these campuses is the first undertaking. During the first year they recom­ mend creating joint faculty/librarian task forces to initiate planning necessary for information literacy and remedial education pilot projects. The Ford Foundation report asserts that: ac­ cess to a variety o f information resources in many formats is necessary to move away from the traditional lecture and textbook teaching approach; assignments that develop students’ information accessing and evaluation skills will stitu hou ure to s ly b n. prepare them for life-long learning; coopera­ n between faculty and librarians is essential. Faculty from education and library and in­ mation science at the University o f South rolina are working with the Teacher Oppor­ ity Programme to develop library and infor­ tion services for teacher education programs in Sou th A frica. An tions is agreem ent with ERIC and DIALOG allows the t creating a University o f Durbin- which en­ W e stfie ld (th e on ly nonwhite school in the ucceed, area with the service) e anger to use ERIC. This access is especially important b eca u se o f the e c o ­ nomic crisis and geo­ aphic isolation from other world information nters. Such programs help universities play leadership role in education and economic velopment. The importance of information literacy was monstrated by Wieland Gevers (vice-rector, iversity of Cape Town) who visited the U.S. t winter and traveled to a number o f univer­ ies to learn more about programs and activi­ s relating to information literacy and resource- sed learning. He attended the Decem ber eeting of the National Forum on Information eracy and viewed a television newscast which ed in Cape Town in fall 1992 and documented e importance of information resources and rvices made available through public librar­ in two shantytowns. Gevers’s visit was one the first such international visits focusing on formation literacy. rope Europe there is considerable interest in user staiction. Some countries are more interested user instruction in schools and others in in­ tutions o f higher education. In England the ajority of the literature focuses on user edu­ tio n in th e s c h o o l e n v iro n m e n t. In andinavia, literature relating to user educa­ n and higher education is now common. In e Netherlands the Advisory Committee for ucation and Information Technology, which s formed in 1981, recommended in 1982 that rning about information technology be part general secondary education. By the 1990s information and computer literacy course s taught in nearly all secondary schools in e Netherlands. The course covers both manual tio for Ca tun ma gr ce a de de Un las sit tie ba m Lit air th se ies o f in Eu In in in sti m c a Sc tio th Ed wa lea o f an wa th July/August 1994 / 42 5 and computerized data gathering and use. While slanted toward com puter applications, the course has shifted since the 1980s toward gen­ eral information handling knowledge and skills with emphasis on problem solving by finding relevant information. France has a government body to coordi­ nate functional literacy. The best programs have been found to be those that integrate literacy with job and vocational training. Taking a glo­ bal approach o f how the skills can be used seems to b e the most effective. A library and information science faculty member at the Uni­ versity o f California, Los Angeles, is research­ ing in this area. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions At the 1993 International Federation o f Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) conference in Barcelona, Spain, the working group on user education proposed that a roundtable be es­ tablished. This working group attracts a sig­ nificant number o f participants to its programs. This proposal will be considered by the IFLA Professional Board at its fall meeting. While the phrase “information literacy” is not used, the resolution for establishing the roundtable recognizes the importance to all members of society the developm ent o f information re­ trieval, selection, use, and evaluation skills. The objectives o f the proposed roundtable on user education include fostering interna­ tional cooperation in the development o f user education, promoting research into the devel­ opment o f information skills and user educa­ tion, promoting the establishment and devel­ opment o f user education programs in librar­ ies, developing guidelines for user education programs and for their integration into educa­ tion curricula at all levels, disseminating infor­ mation on the development o f curricula and teaching methodologies, encouraging the de­ velopment and dissemination o f appropriate teaching materials, and encouraging the devel­ opment o f education and training for librarians in user education. Papers at the 1993 IFLA conference focused on evaluation o f user education at the Helsinki University of Technology Library in Finland and on U.S. experiences with instruction for net­ worked resources presented by librarians from Rutgers University’s Library o f Science and Medicine. For the 1994 IFLA conference in Havana, Cuba, the working group is planning a program and is organizing a workshop on teaching. Conclusion The ERIC Clearinghouse on Information and Technology at Syracuse University works with the National Forum on Information Literacy to collect materials on information literacy activi­ ties around the world. Information literacy is being interpreted and applied in various locations around the world. The proposed IFLA roundtable will provide an established forum for librarians from around the world to share expertise on user education and information literacy. Such efforts should reinforce and expand current efforts to bring about future generations o f information-liter­ ate people who are well equipped for effec­ tive decision-making and lifelong learning. ■