Information Literacy, the profession and CILIP

I recently participated in a Round Table discussion on

the growing importance of information literacy to the profession generally and CILIP’s policy and advocacy activities in particular.

The session was very ablly chaired by Biddy Fisher, Vice-President of CILIP and Chair of the Policy Forum.

This was

primarily a scoping exercise to identify the place of information literacy within professional practice and the body of professional knowledge, its potential to be a defining characteristic of the work of the profession and its contribution to society, the implications for the policy development and advocacy activities of CILIP and also to determine recommendations for a future strategy for the profession.

Taking part were representatives from different sectors and CILIP's Information Literacy Group (they organise LILAC - the Librarians’ Information Literacy Annual Conference). The project work is well known thus the invitation to attend and I (unfortunately John was not able to make it) shared our experiences of the work in Scotland - what has worked for us and the importance of advocacy, using your professional and personal contacts (they are after all invaluable sources of information), cross sector working plus working in collaboration with partners. 

The session was recorded and I'm looking forward to seeing the outcomes of the discussion and will share any news with you.

The minister's reply

 Last month, before the Scottish Learning Festival took place (23-24 September), attendees were invited to submit questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education for her to answer.  I submitted the question below but only a few were answered directly by the minister at the conference. The remainder were subsequently dealt with by email.  The minister’s answer is below. Only a relatively short part of it refers directly to information literacy and only to the schools sector. The wider agenda is ignored and there is no answer to the question - what strategic initiatives does she think the Scottish Government can engage in to promote it? I shall be enquiring further and also refer her to the US President’s greater commitment to information literacy. (See URL http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/2009literacy_prc_rel.pdf  

 Question to Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Education in the Scottish Government

 

My question to the minister is:

 The important skills of critical literacy / information literacy has been highlighted within the Curriculum for Excellence: Literacy across learning (finding and using information, understanding, analysing and evaluating) levels Early to Fourth. Does the minister agree that  information literacy  skills are essential in  independent learning at all educational levels, career choice and long term management, employability training, workplace decision making and lifelong learning and what strategic initiatives does she think the Scottish Government can engage in to promote it?

Answer from the minister

Thank you for submitting a question, please see below the response from the Education Secretary,

 The Scottish Government is determined to help our children and young people develop the literacy skills they will need to thrive in the 21st century. Skills in literacy unlock access to the wider curriculum, increase opportunities for the individual in all aspects of life and lay the foundations for lifelong learning and work. Curriculum for Excellence, the Scottish Government's major programme of reform for the education sector, emphasises the importance of literacy skills and makes clear that all teachers have responsibility to promote their development.

The Curriculum for Excellence principles and practice paper for literacy sets out the outcomes we want our young people to achieve as they progress through their education.  Young people will need to know about the fundamentals of reading and writing but also how these skills can be applied critically, across different media, to analyse and evaluate information and to work out what trust they may place in it and identify when and how people are aiming to persuade or influence them.

As our children and young people progress through learning they should develop increasing independence in applying these skills, and the ability to use them across a widening range of contexts in both learning and life. Glow, the world’s first national schools Intranet, provides learners with  a range of tools and rich learning materials which can be accessed at any time and anywhere there is an internet connection, offering a safe, accessible online environment which supports independent learning.

Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals

Partly with a view to promoting the value of information skills as an essential national resource but also with the wider concerns of the information profession very much in mind, I am standing for election to CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) Council. All information professionals, irrespective of those who they wish to vote for, should have have an interest in the election and its outcomes at a difficult time for public service professionals. Information about the candidates and the electronic hustings may be found below:

There are 6 candidates standing for the 4 available CILIP Council places.

.John Crawford

.Isabel Hood

.Emma McDonald

.Nick Poole

.Neil Simmons

.Steve Thornton

 

You can read the candidates' manifestos (and nominating statements) on the

CILIP website at

http://www.cilip.org.uk/aboutcilip/howcilipworks/elections/annualelections/annelect2010

=

 

...and learn more about them CILIP by asking questions and engaging them in

conversation at the eHustings at:

http://communities.cilip.org.uk/forums/p/9836/54278.aspx#54278

 

Note that these Hustings are NOT restricted to current CILIP members: if you

are a non-member, you might ask candidates what they would do to encourage

you to join (or you might tell them what it would take!)

 

Timescale for the elections themselves:

. 16 October - ballot papers despatched

. 5pm GMT, 23 November - deadline for return of ballot papers

. 24 November - count 

. 24 November - election results announced

 Best wishes

 

John

School Libraries news

There certainly seems to be a lot of news / activities regarding school libraries.

Back in June there were a couple of articles in CILIP's Library + Information gazette with the front page showing Into battle for school libraries  and School librarians: a role that deserves shouting about on page 4 & 19.

At this years Umbrela Conference CILIP Council were also talking about school libraries as Isabel Hood's Council Briefing Notes posted on LIS-LINK @JISCMAIL.AC.UK highlights: 

• CILIP Policy Forum is shortly to have an electronic debate, initiated by the School Libraries Group,  re the Campaign for the Book  initiative and the  online petition to campaign for statutory school libraries for England & Wales. 

I heard about this from several different quarters and have signed the campaign.

• At Westminster there’s a new Bill which includes the creation of a new national negotiating body for school support staff, CILIP is working with other bodies to develop role profiles for school library / LRC managers that could be used within this context.

Hadn't heard about this but would have thought that there was an existing  role profile for school library / LRC managers but maybe not or it may be that the current profile needs updated to emphasise the important role they play in learning and teaching and the curriculum.
 

• Latest Scottish developments re school libraries SLIC/CILIPS is bringing out self evaluation tools in the Autumn through HMIE to support school libraries there. 

Don't see anything on the SLIC / CILIPS website apart from the existing forms / guidance such as How Good is our School which was produced a few years ago now (in fact it was 1999 according to the website). Good to keep these things up to date and also to keep contacts / work with HMIE. HMIE are strong supporters of school libraries and the work they do.

June's edition of Information Scotland  contained an article by Elspeth Scott speaking about Glow, the Scottish Schools Digital Network - the first national education network of its kind. I have blogged about GLOW before but Elspeth a Dundee school librarian  has been heavily involved in GLOW and the article A glowing report is worth a read whether you are familiar with the network or not. Regardless of the sector you work in.

Librarians should get out there ... and start knocking on doors

Brilliant article about school librarians in TESS includes our very own Ian McCracken, Govan High who is a project partner and on our project advisory group. Article also includes quotes / case studies from other activists in the field: Duncan Wright, convener of the School Library Association (Scotland) and librarian at Stewart Melville's College; Wendy Pieroni, learning resource co-ordinator at Blairgowrie High in Perth and Kinross; Mary Sherriffs, Pitlochry High's librarian; and Ayr Academy librarian Heather Stewart.

Douglas Blane reports:
School libraries and the people who run them can play a central role in A Curriculum for Excellence, inspiring new initiatives and pulling various departments together.

I would certainly endorse that and have been saying so for quite some time. Advocacy at its best.

Read the full artilce 'Librarians should get out there ... and start knocking on doors'