The Road To Information Literacy

Information literacy has been identified as a necessary skill for life, work and citizenship - as well as for academic study - for all of us living in today's information society. This international collection brings together practitioner and research papers from all sectors of information work. It includes case studies and good practice guides, including how librarians and information workers can facilitate information literacy from pre-school children to established researchers, digital literacy and information literacy for citizens.

This book brings together a group of internationally-reputed authors in the field of digital literacy. Their essays explore a diverse range of the concepts, policies and practices of digital literacy, and discuss how digital literacy is related to similar ideas: information literacy, computer literacy, media literacy, functional literacy and digital competence. It is argued that in light of this diversity and complexity, it is useful to think of digital literacies - the plural as well the singular. The first part of the book presents a rich mix of conceptual and policy perspectives; in the second part contributors explore social practices of digital remixing, blogging, online trading and social networking, and consider some legal issues associated with digital media.

Introduction to Information Literacy for Students presents a concise, practical guide to navigating information in the digital age. Features a unique step-by-step method that can be applied to any research project Includes research insights from professionals, along with review exercises, insiders' tips and tools, search screen images utilized by students, and more Encourages active inquiry-based learning through the inclusion of various study questions and exercises Provides students with effective research strategies to serve them through their academic years and professional careers Ensures accessibility and a strong instructional approach due to authorship by a librarian and award-winning English professor

What would a synthetic theory of Digital, Media and Information Literacy (DMIL) look like? Radical Information Literacy presents, for the first time, a theory of DMIL that synthesises the diversity of perspectives and positions on DMIL, both in the classroom and the workplace, and within the informal learning processes of society. This title is based on original analysis of how decisions are made about the relevance of information and the other resources used in learning, showing how society has privileged objective approaches (used in rule-based decision making) to the detriment of subjective and intersubjective perspectives which promote individual and community contexts. The book goes on to analyse the academic and popular DMIL literature, showing how the field may have been, consciously or unwittingly, complicit in the ‘objectification’ of learning and the disempowerment of individuals and communities. Alternative ways of conceiving the subject are then presented, towards a reversal of these trends. Synthesises key theorists of digital, media and information literacy and information behaviour Includes the field of ‘community informatics’ Conducts a bibliometric analysis of a broad spectrum of writings on digital, media and information literacy, analysing the connections between them and the frames of DMIL within which they are located

This book reviews the role of information literacy (IL) in developing employability skills, personal health management and informal learning from a variety of areas including: information policy issues, information usage and training needs and skills development. Early years education, lifelong learning and the role of IL in relevant organisations, including government departments, skills agencies, and professional bodies will also be considered. With a UK focus, this book also considers the leading role of the US in the development of information literacy policy. Case studies and examples of good practise are included and discussed, drawn primarily from Europe, North America and Australasia, also identified examples from other countries. Looks at value and impact and discusses policymaking and issues for the future. Conveniently brings together a usable text to which people can easily refer to for an overview of a diffuse area No existing book considers this subject area from a UK and European perspective Also aimed at a non-traditional readership including educationalists, lifelong learning activists and those involved with informal learning activities

It’s not hyperbole to conclude that in today’s world, information literacy is essential for survival and success; and also that, if left unchecked, the social consequences of widespread misinformation and information illiteracy will only continue to grow more dire. Thus its study must be at the core of every education. But while many books have been written on information literacy, this text is the first to examine information literacy from a cross-national, cross-cultural, and cross-institutional perspective. From this book, readers will learn about information literacy in a wide variety of contexts, including academic and school libraries, public libraries, special libraries, and archives, through research and literature that has previously been siloed in specialized publications; come to understand why information literacy is not just an issue of information and technology, but also a broader community and societal issue; get an historical overview of advertising, propaganda, disinformation, misinformation, and illiteracy; gain knowledge of both applied strategies for working with individuals and for addressing the issues in community contexts; find methods for combating urgent societal ills caused and exacerbated by misinformation; and get tools and techniques for advocacy, activism, and self-reflection throughout one’s career.

This book offers practical strategies for all library and information practitioners and policy makers with responsibility for developing and delivering information literacy programmes to their users. This new book picks up where the best-selling Information Literacy meets Library 2.0 left off. In the last three years the information environment has changed dramatically, becoming increasingly dominated by the social and the mobile. This new book asks where we are now, what is the same and what has changed, and, most crucially, how do we as information professionals respond to the new information literacy and become a central part of the revolution itself? The book is divided into three distinct sections. Part 1 explores the most recent trends in technology, consumption and literacy, while Part 2 is a resource bank of international case studies that demonstrate the key trends and their effect on information literacy and offer innovative ideas to put into practice. Part 3 assesses the impact of these changes on librarians and what skills and knowledge they must acquire to evolve alongside their users. Some of the key topics covered are: • the evolution of ‘online’ into the social web as mainstream • the use of social media tools in information literacy • the impact of mobile devices on information literacy delivery • shifting literacies, such as metaliteracy, transliteracy and media literacy, and their effect on information literacy. Readership: This is essential reading for all library and information practitioners and policy makers with responsibility for developing and delivering information literacy programmes to their users. It will also be of great interest to students of library and information studies particularly for modules relating to literacy, information behaviour and digital technologies.