Presented at LILAC 2007

1. The development of a National
Information Literacy Framework
(Scotland)
Christine Irving
Glasgow Caledonian University
LILAC 2007

2. Recognition of need
To develop a national overarching
framework of information literacy skills and
competencies which all sectors of
education can recognise and develop or
which can be applied to the world of work,
equipping learners with skills needed for
the 21st
century.

3. Research findings
• Schools - information literacy skills were generally taught
in first and second year (aged 12 / 13) but not
subsequently reinforced within the curriculum resulting in
fragmented levels of knowledge and usage for their
remaining years at school.
• HE - students arriving at university have generally either
poor or limited information literacy skills, for some these
skills will be enhanced but many will leave as they
arrived.
• The workplace - indication that although employers do
not explicitly ask for information literacy it is implicitly
expected, seen as important at work but not included in
workplace training.

4. In other words

5. Project deliverables
• Draft framework developed in conjunction
with partners
• Evaluation exercise of draft framework
• Identification of barriers and constraints
• Contribution to curriculum development
• Contribution to the IL agenda on a national
and international basis.

6. Funding
Problematic due to:
• Lack of recognition and understanding of
information literacy as a concept
• Funding bodies are often sector specific
Success – summer 2006
Eduserv Information Literacy Initiatives

7. Developing the framework
• Lots of thinking, agonising, reflecting
• Looked at other frameworks – at home
and abroad
• Discussions with relevant bodies and
individuals
• Not reinventing the wheel
– incorporate what is being used
– look for common themes from existing models
and definitions

8. Common
Themes
planning
locating
organising
representing
evaluating
E X P LOR E
a) A topic is selec ted and a range of
techniques is us ed to define it clearly.
b) A s uitable strategy is adopted to
identify appropriate keywords.
c) The different stages of the planning
process are identified correctly.
d) A n appropriate action plan is
prepared.
planning and organis ing
a) The broad categories/formats of
information sources are identified
correctly, together with one advantage
and one disadvantage of each.
b) A range of suitable information
s ources is identified.
c) The selected inform ation sources
are searched effectively to find
relevant inform ation on the chos en
topic.
identific ation of suitable
inform ation sources
a) The criteria used to evaluate
information are identified correctly.
b) The criteria are used correctly to
evaluate the relevant inform ation.
evaluating inform ation
a) The action plan, selec ted
keywords, inform ation s ources and
search strat egy used are reviewed in
light of the results produced.
b) A ppropriate changes for a sim ilar
future search are identified.
review ing
IH S
rec ognise a need for inform ation
knowledge of appropriate kinds of
resources, both print and non-print
the selection of resources with 'best
fit' for task at hand
the ability to understand the issues
affecting access ibility of s ources
distinguish w ays in whic h the
inform ation 'gap' m ay be
addressed
to articulate inform ation need to
m atch against resources
to develope a system atic m ethod
appropriate for the need
to understand the principles of
construc tion and generation of
databses
construct s trategies for loc ating
inform ation
to develop appropriate searching
techniques (e.g. use of Boolean)
to us e comm unication and inform ation
technologies, including term s
international academic net works
to use appropriate indexing and
abstracting services, citation indexes
and databases
to use current awareness m ethods to
keep up to date
loc ate and ac cess inform ation
awareness of bias and authority
issues
awareness of the peer review process
of scholarly publishing
appropriate extraction of inform ation
m atching the inform ation need
com pare and evaluate inform ation
obtained from different sources
to cite bibliographic referenc es in
project reports and theses
to construct a personal bibliographic
system
to apply inform ation to the problem at
hand
to com m unicate effectively using
appropriate medium
to understand issues of copyright and
plagiarism
organise, apply and com m unicate
inform ation to others in ways
appropriate to the situation
synthesise and build upon
existing inform ation, contributing
to the c reation of new know ledge
S CON AL
Recognising that inform ation is
needed; understanding why
inform ation is needed, what (and how
m uch; what kind of) inform ation is
required, as well as any associated
constraint s (e.g. tim e, form at ,
currency, access); recognising that
inform ation is available in a wide
range of form ats in various
geographical and virtual locations. The
ability to articulate a ques tion and so
develop a focus for the research is an
im portant skill.
unders tanding a need
B e able to identify what resources are
available for ex ploitation, where they
are available, how to access them ,
the m erits of individual resource
types, and when it is appropriate to
use them .
unders tanding availability
A n ability to search appropriate
resources effectively and identify
relevant inform ation.
unders tanding how to find
inform ation
B e able to evaluate information for its
authenticity, accuracy, currency,
value and bias. A lso, be able to
evaluate the m eans by which the
results were obtained in order to
ensure that y our approach did not
produce m isleading or incomplete
results.
unders tanding the need to
evaluate res ults
A nalyse and work with the inform ation
to provide accurate, presentable
research results, or to develop new
knowledge and understanding.
unders tanding how to work w ith
or exploit res ults
Know why information should be used
in a responsible, culturally sensitive
and ethical (professional, business,
personal ethics ) m anner. Respect
confidentiality and always give credit
to other people’s work. Understand
the nature and uses of bias, in order
to report appropriately. W here
appropriate, provide a balanced
(unbiased) report.
unders tanding ethics and
respons ibility of use
The ability to com m unicate/share
inform ation in a m anner or format that
is appropriate to the inform ation, the
intended audience and s ituation.
understanding how to
com m unicate or s hare your
findings
K now how to s tore and m anage the
information you have acquired using
the m ost effective m ethods available.
Reflect critically on the process and
achievem ent as well as on the
sources found in order to learn from
the experience of finding and using
inform ation.
unders tand how to m anage your
findings
C ILIP IL D efinitionInform ation Literacy

9. Draft Framework
planning
locating
organis ing
representing
evaluating
EXPLOR E
Schools (P3 - P7)
defining the topic
identific ation of key words
planning and organising
identification of suitable inform ation
sources
effective searching
evaluating inform ation
understanding ethic s and
responsibility of use
understanding how to com m unicate or
share your findings
C ILIP Inform ation Literacy
D efinition
reviewing
Inform ation H andling Skills
SC QF Levels 1 - 7
Further Education & Schools
recognise a need for inform ation
distinguish ways in which the
information 'gap' m ay be addres sed
construct strategies for locating
inform ation
locate and access inform ation
com pare and evaluate inform ation
obtained from different sources
synthesise and build upon existing
inform ation, contributing to the
creation of new k nowledge
SC ON U L
SC QF Level 8 - 12
Higher Education & Further
Education
understanding a need
understanding availability
understanding how to find inform ation
understanding the need to evaluate
results
understanding how to work with or
exploit results
understanding ethics and
respons ibility of use
understanding how to com m unicate or
share your findings
understand how to m anage your
findings
C ILIP Information Literacy
D efinition
Lifelong learning including all
inform ation using com m unitities e.g.
com m unity learning and in the
w orkplace
Inform ation Literacy Fram ework

10. Still a long way to go
• Piloting
– Funding
– Need for practical examples to demonstrate
how each level can be used within different
sectors and for different subjects
• Advocacy
– Recognition of framework
– Uptake of framework

11. For more information
Christine Irving
Project Officer (part-time)
National Information Literacy Framework
Learner Support
Glasgow Caledonian University
Room RS305, (3rd Floor)
6 Rose Street
Glasgow G3 6RB
Tel: 0141 273 1249
e-mail: christine.irving@gcal.ac.uk
project website: www.caledonian.ac.uk/ils/
framework website www.caledonian.ac.uk/ils/framework.html

12. Questions?