An Information Literacy Strategy for Wales

A couple of weeks ago (November 30^th- 1st December) I attended an invitation only conference in Wales on the theme of ‘An Information Literacy Strategy for Wales?’  which was held at the attractively situated if geographically inconvenient University of Wales conference centre at Gregynog House.

All LIS sectors and Welsh education were represented and I was particularly impressed by the willingness of all sectors to work together and learn from each other.

The initial presentations were devoted to reviewing the various sectors and the familiar theme emerged of pockets of excellent good practice which were not being supported by an overarching strategy. I spoke about the work of the Scottish Information Literacy Project and the lessons which Wales can learn from it. After dinner there were sectoral discussion groups and I joined the public librarians and was impressed by their grasp of the role which public libraries can play in informal learning and the good work they are already doing.

The following morning Gareth Evans from Caerphilly Public Library spoke about the work he has been doing with the Open College network which could well be replicated elsewhere.

The conference concluded with a list of action points which included:

• The production of an overview/vision statement (urgent)


• The development of a strategy and Framework


• Making cross sectoral/partnership contacts including outside the LIS sector


• Developing a National Forum for Information Literacy in Wales


• Appointing an Information Literacy Development Officer for Wales


• Accrediting library staff information literacy training skills


• Include IL concepts in teacher training


• School librarian posts should be a statutory responsibility


• Pursue media literacy issues through Ofcom

However if these objectives are to be achieved funding will be a key requirement

Ofcom Scotland Communications Market report 2009

Recently I attended the launch of the Ofcom Scotland Communications Market report, published on August 6^th 2009. http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/features/cmrscot.  Ofcom staff presented the report and much of the discussion centred round the decline in spending by BBC Scotland and STV and there was concern about low Broadband take-up in Glasgow. There is really only one page (p.99, Figure 5.25) detailing Internet use in Scotland and does not give comparative figures for other parts of the UK.  The two highest categories: Any and General surfing/ browsing don’t really mean much. Although sending and receiving email is the largest meaningful category (77%) there is no breakdown between work and leisure. Finding/downloading info for work   comes in quite high at 28% for a serious activity and there is clearly possible further work here.

Ofcom’s commitment to media literacy is not in doubt as it is specified in Section 11 of the Communications Act 2003 which requires it to promote media literacy. Ofcom also has a definition of media literacy:

‘the ability to  access, understand and create communications in a variety of content’

which must take its place alongside the CILIP definition of information literacy.

However Ofcom (UK) has recently produced a range of information reports in a Digital lifestyles series including:

Digital lifestyles: adults aged 60 and over   

Digital lifestyles:  young adults aged 16-24

Digital lifestyles:  parents of children under 16

Digital lifestyles:  hesitants, resistors and economisers

These reports, although not usually containing regional breakdowns, give a lot of information, useful to the IL specialist. For example the 16-24 report Figure 4 p. 9 give a list of Internet activity carried out at least once a week.  This rates Work/studies information second (48% all; 60% 16-24) which shows a high level of purposeful activity. On p.14; Figure 8 lists Interest and confidence in using Internet functions. Joining in debates come out lowest. The research was done in 2007. Would the same question asked now produce different results? Figure 18 on p.24 lists checks made when visiting websites and has a strong IL ‘feel’ as it includes questions like: How up to date the information is and Who has created the page and why.

The parents of children under 16 report contains the worrying statistic (p.23) that only a fifth of parents are very confident in being able to tell if a website is truthful and reliable.

Food for thought obviously.

 

Digital Britain report

I have been reading the Digital Britain report www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/digital_britain_interimreportjan09.pdf

which is certainly to be welcomed. It takes a ‘whole population’ approach rather than specific sectors and has things to say about media literacy and also copyright which is not surprising as Andrew Gowers, the author of the Gowers report on copyright,  is a member of the Steering Board which produced it. Although an interim report it offers definite actions.

There are a number of welcome quotations:

p.5 ‘ The necessary education, skills and media literacy programmes to allow everyone in society to benefit will be from the digital revolution will be a central part of the Digital Britain work and will be a key to our success’

p.5 ‘Five objectives for a Digital Britain’ include:

• Fairness and access for all: universal availability coupled with the skills and digital literacy to enable near universal participation in the digital economy and digital society 


• Developing the infrastructure, skills and take-up to enable the widespread online delivery of public services and business interface with Government.

An encouraging emphasis on skills development there.

p.11 Actions 11-12 proposes a Rights Agency to bring industry together to agree how to provide incentives for legal use of copyright material. The need for copyright education for consumers is also advocated. I wonder how it can be done. Is there a role for public libraries here?

p.13 Action 22. ‘We will ask Ofcom to make an assessment of its current responsibilities in media literacy’. The need for a national Media Literacy plan is also mentioned.

p.16 calls for an ‘information rich interaction between the citizen and the provider – health and education are good examples’.

p.63 tackles the  education and skills agenda by identifying three categories of skill:

• Digital Life Skills – needed by all


• Digital work skills – needed by most


• Digital Economy Skills – needed by some

While on page 64 the need to start education and training for digital life skills at a young age is emphasised, together with appropriate teacher training which fits in rather well with the early years work which we will be doing with Learning and Teaching Scotland. The needs of socially disadvantaged young people need special attention. There is also a section on media literacy which draws heavily on the Byron report.