Information literacy - understanding how to access and use information - is the cornerstone of learning and absolutely essential in this digital age. It supports learning and decision making in all areas of human activity: education from early years through school to higher education, the workplace, adult and lifelong learning and skills development. It helps people make informed choices about health care and gives people the information they need to cope with long term medical conditions. It helps people to develop new skills and make them more employable. Perhaps most important of all, in a period of political change, it gives citizens the information they need to make informed decisions about the future of their country.

Information Skills for a 21st Century Scotland is an online community of practice which is open to everyone both within and outside the information profession, primarily in Scotland but also elsewhere. It is for anyone who is interested in information literacy and associated skills and competencies.

Hosted by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), Information Skills for a 21st Century Scotland also includes the Scottish Information Literacy Framework, information about the Scottish Information Literacy Project (formerly based at Glasgow Caledonian University 2004 - 2010) and a valuable archive of material, including the Project blog, built up over several years.

The community is open to everyone who is interested in information literacy (IL) and associated skills and competencies: join the community, share practice, contribute to the communities; knowledge of IL activities, case studies, news, conferences and events, new research etc. We are also looking for individuals and groups across the LIS sectors/community to work with us to update the framework with new case studies.

Come and join us and contribute to what is a vibrant community working towards the common goal of creating an information literate Scotland.

>> join the community and help develop an information literate Scotland.

>> read the community blog.

>> read more about the Scottish Information Literacy Project and information literacy.

>> join the working groups Knowledge Hub group. 

"To prosper in the Digital Age, people must become masters of information."

Dr. Carolyn M. Stern for the NFIL/NCLIS/UNESCO 2003 Prague meeting of information literacy experts - Information Literacy "Unplugged": Teaching Information Literacy Without Technology.(p.3)

Christine Irving & Dr John Crawford

June 2012