1.
Strategic
Models
for
Information
Literacy
Authors:
Sabina
Cisek,
Maria
Próchnicka
This
project
has
been
funded
with
support
from
the
European
Commission

2.
Empower Autonomous Learning through Information Competencies
Stategic
Models
for
Information
Literacy
Authors:
Sabina
Cisek,
Maria
Próchnicka
Date: January 2011
This
project
has
been
funded
with
support
from
the
European
Commission

3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. 2
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS ......................................................................................... 3
SCOPE AND PURPOSE ................................................................................................. 4
METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................... 5
THE STRATEGY FOR INFORMATION LITERACY DEVELOPMENT – A POSSIBLE
FRAMEWORK WITH SOME TENTATIVE CONTENT ........................................................ 7
CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................................... 13
Page 2 of 15

4. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
The present text constitutes Deliverable 4.1 of the Work Package 4 of the EMPATIC
project.
As this report is one part of the larger work, it should be read together with the
previous EMPATIC’s products, in particular – the Deliverable 1.1, entitled Report on
current state and best practices in Information Literacy, where the concept of
Information Literacy (IL) itself has been discussed and defined. Also, in Deliverable
1.1, various aspects, dimensions and levels of IL have been meticulously
characterized on the basis of an extensive literature research.
In addition, this paper is directly related to the Deliverable 4.2 of the Work Package 4,
Illustrative Case Studies, where the selected examples of the IL “good practices” in
Europe have been described and analyzed.
The EMPATIC project is funded under the EU Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) and
has a transversal nature. Consequently, the present document exposes the
educational side1 of Information Literacy development and takes into account four
learning sectors encompassed by LLP, related to the four ongoing sectoral
programmes, that is school (Comenius), higher education (Erasmus), vocational
(Leonardo da Vinci) and adult (Grundtvig).
1
This has to be underlined, because there are other aspects of Information Literacy development, such as
information content, resources or ICT connectivity building.
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5. SCOPE AND PURPOSE
The aim of this paper is to create a conceptual, generic and tentative framework for the
strategy/strategic model of Information Literacy development, so that subsequent, more specific IL
models could be “deduced”. It is intended to set the ground and provide a starting point for further
discussion on the “sectoral” sub-strategies of Information Literacy development.
The two fundamental features of the proposed framework are as follows:
─ the model of IL development takes a strategic approach. It is based on the assumption that
Information Literacy is critically important for well-being and success of today’s individuals,
societies and nations, so has to be a matter of an organized, planned and rational action on
the European and national levels;
─ this is not a model of Information Literacy itself, but a strategy for Information Literacy
development, mainly, but not only, by teaching/learning, in different contexts and on various
levels.
Building a strategy for Information Literacy development is an effortful enterprise, for a number of
reasons:
─ first of all, the notion AND practice of Information Literacy themselves – as the desk
research has shown (see Deliverable 1.1) – are multi-dimensional, have various aspects
and contexts;
─ secondly, there is no established or commonly agreed-on methodology for working out the
Information Literacy strategies. Sheila Corrall, a well-known researcher in the field, states:
“Further research is needed to review existing strategy models, tools and techniques and
assess their suitability for IL strategy development (…)” and continues “Other areas
suggested for future research include the investigation of relationships between IL
strategies and other organizational strategies (…); and comparative studies of IL strategy
development in different sectors (…)” (Corrall 2008, p. 35);
─ thirdly, although there are some formal strategic documents related to Information Literacy
development in existence they are of narrow scope and constrained to one organization, in
particular – a university. Moreover, those strategies are usually not “proper” ones, that is –
do not encompass all required elements and issues (Corrall 2008) (for an example see
IFLA Information Literacy Section Strategic Plans at
http://www.ifla.org/en/publications/information-literacy-section-strategic-plan).
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6. METHODOLOGY
When creating a strategic model for Information Literacy development one has to take
into account the two following aspects:
─ the formal structure of a strategy – what should any strategic document include
– e.g. components, frame, length, appendices, etc.;
─ the subject content – related to a particular area of Information Literacy,
learning sector, etc..
At the moment, as has been mentioned earlier, there are no ready tools or techniques
for creating Information Literacy development strategies. The appropriate knowledge
and methods coming from the Management Sciences achievements may be used
here. Protzko, reviewing already cited Corral (2008) paper, notices: “One or more
strategic management models or tools available could improve IL strategy
development, consistency, and coherency. (…) Conforming to strategic planning
norms could strengthen IL strategy. Elements of models from the public or private
sectors might be tailored to meet the specific needs of IL strategies. Further research
could identify suitable strategy models for IL development. The process of
implementing IL strategy should also be considered in future research” (Protzko
2008).
Valuable guidelines for the content and structure of Information Literacy development
strategies – in the teaching/learning environments – are given in the Characteristics
of Programs of Information Literacy that Illustrate Best Practices: A Guideline by the
American Library Association / Association of College and Research Libraries
(ALA/ACRL 2003). Although the terms “strategy” or “strategic model” are not used in
that document, the elements proposed there are relevant to strategic thinking, and
include:
─ Mission
─ Goals and Objectives
─ Planning
─ Administrative and Institutional Support
─ Articulation with the Curriculum
─ Collaboration
─ Pedagogy
─ Staffing
─ Outreach
─ Assessment/Evaluation
Page 5 of 15

7. To conclude, any strategy should embrace at least the following parts:
─ Context – accepted values, assumptions, background, definitions, environment,
situation analysis
─ Mission/vision statement
─ Aims/Goals/Objectives
─ Actions – action plans, responsibilities, targets, timescales
─ Standards
─ Stakeholders
─ Outcomes, performance measures
─ References
─ Appendices, e.g. illustrative best practice cases
In the next section of this document the above listed structural elements are used to
build the framework for the proposed Information Literacy development strategy.
Page 6 of 15

8. THE STRATEGY FOR INFORMATION LITERACY DEVELOPMENT – A POSSIBLE FRAMEWORK WITH
SOME TENTATIVE CONTENT
1. Context with elements of situational analysis
1.1. What is Information Literacy?
As already noted, the meanings of the term “Information Literacy” are described in
detail in the Deliverable 1.1 of the EMPATIC project. So, here we cite only one, but
very influential definition of “Information Literacy” by American Library Association /
Association of College and Research Libraries:
“People – as individuals and as a nation – must be information literate. To be information
literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to
locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information” (ALA/ACRL 1989).
and
“Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning. It is common to all disciplines, to all
learning environments, and to all levels of education. It enables learners to master content and
extend their investigations, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their
own learning. An information literate individual is able to:
─ determine the extent of information needed;
─ access the needed information effectively and efficiently;
─ evaluate information and its sources critically;
─ incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base;
─ use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose;
─ understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information,
and access and use information ethically and legally” (ALA/ACRL 2011).
1.2. Information Literacy is important
Information literacy is widely recognized as an essential competence for participation
in general and higher education, the workplace and society. In UNESCO’s Alexandria
Proclamation on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning we read:
“Information Literacy (…) is crucial to the competitive advantage of individuals, enterprises
(especially small and medium enterprises), regions and nations; provides the key to effective
access, use and creation of content to support economic development, education, health and
human services, and all other aspects of contemporary societies (…)”. And also: “Information
Literacy lies at the core of lifelong learning. It empowers people in all walks of life to seek,
evaluate, use and create information effectively to achieve their personal, social, occupational
and educational goals. It is a basic human right in a digital world and promotes social inclusion
of all nations” (Alexandria Proclamation, 2005).
In Europe Information Literacy is unappreciated, its role is undervalued, and it has
been frequently equated with the Digital Literacy (Basili 2008a). For example – in the
official EU document Key Competences for Lifelong Learning – A European Framework
– there is a separate part on Digital Competence, defined as “the confident and critical
use of Information Society Technology (IST) for work, leisure and communication”,
but not on Information Literacy.
Page 7 of 15

9. Information Literacy development ought to be a matter of strategic thinking, not left
to library and information community only, and ad hoc actions. The strategy should be
prepared by the key stakeholders in the process, working collaboratively.
1.3. Information Literacy “environment”
The Information Literacy contexts, making a background for the IL development
strategy are presented by Figures 1 and 2.
Figure 1. Contexts and dimensions of Information Literacy
Page 8 of 15

10. Figure 2. IL-related competencies
2. Mission
─ Mainstreaming of Information Literacy at the national and European Union
levels
3. Vision
─ Information literate – at least at the basic level (see Deliverable 1.1, p. 66) –
citizens, business, government, societies in Europe
4. Goals
─ Raising society-wide Information Literacy awareness
─ “Institutionalization” of Information Literacy
─ Integrating Information Literacy in curricula in all levels and sectors of the
educational systems in Europe
Page 9 of 15

11. 5. Actions (examples)
─ Within the goal “Raising society-wide Information Literacy awareness”
o To organize IL-oriented “events” (conferences, meetings, happenings,
etc.) addressed to different professional and social groups
o To provide targeted marketing to the IL stakeholders and potential
“support groups”
o To utilize the Internet power and influence, e.g. to create IL-oriented
websites, to promote IL concept in the social media
─ Within the goal “Institutionalization of Information Literacy”
o To establish official bodies responsible for Information Literacy
o To produce formal documents, establishing the legal ground for the IL
development at national and European levels
─ Within the goal “Integrating Information Literacy in curricula in all levels and
sectors of the educational systems in Europe”
o To embed IL content into existing curricula of different kind
o To advance knowledge and understanding of Information Literacy among
school teachers and universities’ faculty, e.g. by “training of trainers”
6. Stakeholders
Information Literacy (potential) stakeholders are both organizations (formal or
informal) and individuals, listed here in the alphabetical order:
─ Business organizations
─ Citizens (“everybody”) themselves
─ European Union agencies, in particular those connected with the education,
lifelong learning and information society areas, e.g. EACEA (the Education,
Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency)
─ Interested researchers, scientists
─ Libraries and the library and information science (LIS) communities and
associations
─ Local authorities
─ National governments, including appropriate ministries (of education,
information society, regional development etc.)
─ NGO – nongovernmental organizations
─ Other interested individuals, e.g. Information Literacy bloggers, activists
─ School authorities, schools of different level and type, headmasters and
teachers
─ Universities and other higher education bodies
The division of IL development responsibilities and areas of action amongst potential
stakeholders should be a matter of further diagnosis and decisions.
Page 10 of 15

12. 7. Information Literacy standards and performance indicators
One can find in the literature a number of Information Literacy standards, or
standard-like statements, fully or partly related to the four learning sectors, i.e.
school, higher education, vocational and adult ones. But, it has to be emphasised that
the most-known, elaborated and recognized standards, frequently embracing also the
IL performance measures, are connected predominantly with the higher education
sector. In particular, there do not exist “ready-to-use”, fully developed Information
Literacy standards for the adult/lifelong learning sector.
The examples of IL standards or proto-standards that may be of use at least as
“starting points” for further discussion, are collected in Table 1.
Table 1: Selected Information Literacy standards and “proto-standards”
Learning Related LLP
Information Literacy standards
sector programme
A fragment on Information Literacy in
Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2009). Framework
Grundtvig –
Adult for 21st Century Learning.
Adult
sector http://www.p21.org/documents/P21_Framework_Definit
learning
ions.pdf
by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills
SCONUL Advisory Committee on Information Literacy
(1999). Information skills in higher education.
http://www.sconul.ac.uk/groups/information_literacy/pa
pers/Seven_pillars2.pdf
by the Society of College, National and University
HE –
Erasmus – Libraries SCONUL
Higher
Higher or
Education
education ALA/ACRL (2000). Information Literacy Competency
sector
Standards for Higher Education.
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/infor
mationliteracycompetency.cfm
by the Association of College and Research Libraries
ACRL, a division of the American Library Association ALA
Page 11 of 15

13. ALA/AASL (2007). Standards for the 21st-Century
Learner.
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandst
andards/learningstandards/AASL_LearningStandards.pdf
Comenius – by the American Association of School Librarians AASL
School
Action for (a division of the American Library Association ALA)
sector
school or – as an example of “detailed” approach –
Nevada Department of Education (2003). Nevada
Information literacy Standards. Information Literacy
Content Standards for K-12 grades.
http://www.doe.nv.gov/Standards/IL/infolit.pdf
U.S. Department of Labor (1991). What Work Requires
of Schools. A SCANS Report for America 2000.
VET
http://wdr.doleta.gov/SCANS/whatwork/whatwork.pdf
Vocational Leonardo
Education da Vinci – or
and Vocational Bruce, Christine Susan (1999). Workplace experiences
Training training of information literacy. International Journal of
sector Information Management Volume 19, p. 33-47.
(“Seven Faces” of Information Literacy in the workplace)
In addition, it is reasonable to connect the IL standards and performance measures –
seen in the context of creating the Europe-wide Information Literacy development
strategy – with the other EU actions and conceptual frames, particularly those
pertaining to lifelong learning and education.
At the moment, the most important enterprise in this regard seems to be EQF – the
European Qualification Framework for Lifelong Learning. In the European Commission
document we read: “As an instrument for the promotion of lifelong learning, the EQF
encompasses all levels of qualifications acquired in general, vocational as well as
academic education and training. Additionally, the framework addresses qualifications
acquired in initial and continuing education and training. The eight reference levels are
described in terms of learning outcomes. (…) In the EQF a learning outcome is defined
as a statement of what a learner knows, understands and is able to do on completion
of a learning process. The EQF therefore emphasizes the results of learning rather
than focusing on inputs such as length of study. Learning outcomes are specified in
three categories – as knowledge, skills and competence” (European Commission
2008, p. 3).
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14. CONCLUSIONS
To create functional, detailed, and – what is most important – practically
implementable strategic models for Information Literacy development in Europe
further work is needed, particularly in two directions:
─ working out the proper formal structure of strategic documents, adequate for
the Information Literacy area
─ working out the specific, learning sector oriented IL strategies content.
This further work can only be achieved by the team-work of co-operating IL
stakeholders of various backgrounds.
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15. REFERENCES AND SELECTED LITERATURE
• ALA/AASL (2007). Standards for the 21st-Century Learner.
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards
/AASL_LearningStandards.pdf
• ALA/ACRL (2000). Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher
Education.
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.
cfm
• ALA/ACRL (2003). Characteristics of Programs of Information Literacy that
Illustrate Best Practices: A Guideline.
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/characteristics.cfm
• Basili, Carla (2008a). Information and education policies in Europe: key factors
influencing Information Literacy academic policies in Europe. In: Information
Literacy at the crossroads of Education and Information Policies in Europe. Ed.
Carla Basili. Roma: Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, p. 18-32.
• Basili, Carla (2008b). Theorems of Information Literacy. A mathematical-like
approach to the discourse of Information Literacy. In: Seria III: ePublikacje
Instytutu INiB UJ. Red. Maria Kocójowa. Nr 5. Biblioteka: klucz do sukcesu
użytkowników. Kraków: Instytut Informacji Naukowej i Bibliotekoznawstwa UJ.
http://www-old.inib.uj.edu.pl/wyd_iinb/s3_z5/basili-n.pdf
• Bruce, Christine Susan (1999). Workplace experiences of information literacy.
International Journal of Information Management Volume 19, p. 33-47.
• Catts, Ralph; Lau, Jesus (2008). Towards Information Literacy Indicators. Paris:
UNESCO. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001587/158723e.pdf
• Corrall, Sheila (2008). Information literacy strategy development in higher
education: an exploratory study. International Journal of Information Management
Volume 28, p. 26-37.
• European Communities (2007). Key Competences for Lifelong Learning – A
European Framework. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/education_culture/publ/pdf/ll-
learning/keycomp_en.pdf
• European Communities (2008). The European Qualification Framework for Lifelong
Learning (EQF). http://ec.europa.eu/education/pub/pdf/general/eqf/broch_en.pdf
• IFLA (2011a). InfoLit Global. http://www.infolitglobal.info/en/
• IFLA (2011b). Information Literacy Section Strategic Plan.
http://www.ifla.org/en/publications/information-literacy-section-strategic-plan
• Information Literacy Website. http://www.informationliteracy.org.uk/
• Library of the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia (2011).
Information Literacy Strategy.
http://www.usc.edu.au/University/Library/About/InformationLiteracy/
• Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2009). Framework for 21st Century Learning.
http://www.p21.org/documents/P21_Framework_Definitions.pdf
• Protzko, Shandra (2008). Information Literacy Strategy Development: Study
Prescribes Strategic Management Framework for Academic Institutions. Evidence
Based Library and Information Practice Volume 3 Number 4.
http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/4149
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16. • SCONUL Advisory Committee on Information Literacy (1999). Information skills in
higher education.
http://www.sconul.ac.uk/groups/information_literacy/papers/Seven_pillars2.pdf
• U.S. Department of Labor (1991). What Work Requires of Schools. A SCANS
Report for America 2000. http://wdr.doleta.gov/SCANS/whatwork/whatwork.pdf
• UNESCO (2005). Beacons of the Information Society. The Alexandria Proclamation
on Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning.
http://archive.ifla.org/III/wsis/BeaconInfSoc.html
• UNESCO (2011). Information Literacy. UNESCO’s action to provide people with the
skills and abilities for critical reception, assessment and use of information and
media in their professional and personal lives.
http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-
URL_ID=15886&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
• Webber, Sheila; Johnson, Bill (2006). Information Literacy: Standards and
statements. http://dis.shef.ac.uk/literacy/standards.htm
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17. http://empat-ic.eu/eng/
Project funded by the European Commission
under the Lifelong Learning Programme
This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be
held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
1