IFLA Media and Information Literacy Recommendations

Great statement from IFLA about the importance of media and information literary followed by some recommendations.

IFLA Media and Information Literacy Recommendations:

In order to survive and develop, make decisions, and solve problems in every facet of life – personal, social, educational, and professional, individuals, communities, and nations need information about themselves as well as their physical and their social environments. This information is available via three processes: observation and experimentation, conversation (with other persons), and consultation (with memory institutions). The competence to do this effectively and efficiently is called Media and Information Literacy.

Media and Information Literacy consists of the knowledge, the attitudes, and the sum of the skills needed to know when and what information is needed; where and how to obtain that information; how to evaluate it critically and organise it once it is found; and how to use it in an ethical way. The concept extends beyond communication and information technologies to encompass learning, critical thinking, and interpretative skills across and beyond professional and educational boundaries. Media and Information Literacy includes all types of information resources: oral, print, and digital.

Media and Information Literacy is a basic human right in an increasingly digital, interdependent, and global world, and promotes greater social inclusion. It can bridge the gap between the information rich and the information poor. Media and Information Literacy empowers and endows individuals with knowledge of the functions of the media and information systems and the conditions under which these functions are performed. Media and Information Literacy is closely related to Lifelong Learning. Lifelong Learning enables individuals, communities, and nations to attain their goals and to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the evolving global environment for the shared benefit of all individuals, not just a few. It assists them and their institutions and organisations to meet their technological, economic, and social challenges, to redress disadvantages, and to advance every individual’s well-being.

Under the umbrella of the developing information/knowledge society at all levels – local, regional, national, and international, we urge governments and intergovernmental organizations as well as private institutions and organisations to pursue policies and programs that advocate for and promote Media and Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning for all. In so doing, they will provide the vital foundation for fulfilling the goals of the United Nations Millennium Declaration and the World Summit on the Information Society.

In particular, IFLA recommends that governments and organisations to do the following:

• Commission research on the state of Media and Information Literacy and produce reports, using the Media and Information Literacy indicators as a base, so that experts, educators, and practitioners are able to design effective initiatives;
• Support professional development for education, library, information, archive, and health and human services personnel in the principles and practices of Media and Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning;
• Embed Media and Information Literacy education in all Lifelong Learning curricula;
• Recognise Media and Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning as key elements for the development of generic capabilities which must be demonstrated for accreditation of all education and training programs;
• Include Media and Information Literacy in the core and continuing education of information professionals, educators, economic and government policymakers and administrators, as well as in the practice of advisors to the business, industry and agriculture sectors;
• Implement Media and Information Literacy programs to increase the employability and entrepreneurial capacities of women and disadvantaged groups, including migrants, the underemployed and the unemployed; and,
• Support thematic meetings which will facilitate the acquisition of Media and Information and Lifelong Learning strategies within specific regions, sectors, and population groups.

Endorsed by the Governing Board of IFLA, at its meeting in Den Haag, The Netherlands, 7 December 2011

There is No Set of Skills for Transliteracy

One of the questions I am repeatedly asked about transliteracy is – what are the set of skills for transliteracy?  I understand where the asker is coming from – in a world where we base so much on standardized tests, having a list you can check off and mark complete is something we have been trained to expect. We need it for validation.

You don’t need me to tell you that the world is rapidly changing around us. That approaches to teaching and learning are changing and that the “old” way of doing things is no longer working.

There is no defined set of skills for transliteracy. That is not because Sue Thomas, or others researching, reading, writing and talking about transliteracy have not bothered to create one, it is because transliteracy is a moving target. It is fluid. As the world around us changes so must we change with it.  We must continually learn, unlearn and relearn. Transliteracy is more than a set of skills, it is a process and journey.

This is an older slideshow that attempts to illustrated all of the dimensions of transliteracy.

Questioning the Answer

In this short video, Dr. Gail Bush from National Louis University talks about information and literacy. She states we’ve moved beyond information literacy toward information transliteracy, where the format becomes “literally irrelevant.” Dr. Bush says that in the 20th Century we were taught to “answer the question” but now we must “question the answer”

She speaks of the great challenge teachers face when trying to move the model from cognitive authority toward a more open model where the student model the learning habits of instructors and it makes me think about how that happens – or doesn’t – in a public library.

Transliteracy, Customer Services and the Future of Reference

Last week I had the pleasure to speak to the LACONI Reference Services Section at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago.  I wanted to share my presentation here.

Digital Learning Day

February 1st was the first Digital Learning Day designed to encourage innovative use of tech in schools. Did your library participate today?

The initiative, sponsored by the Alliance for Excellent Education, was designed to encourage exploration of how digital learning can provide more students with the opportunities to get the skills they need to succeed in life and showcase innovative teaching practices that make learning more personalized and engaging.

While the project is aimed at school libraries, there certainly MANY possibilities for public libraries to have participated. Somehow I missed the promotion for the event having been off the grid for a while or I would have tried to get more activity planned at my own library. I came across it through @ Your Library where one can find tool kits and other resources (as well as a few typos). The Digital Learning Day website toolkits are much more robust including information on Instructional Strategies, which I found particularly helpful since I don’t have a background in education.

Curious to know if any libraries participated and what you did?