Institutionalizing information literacy in tertiary education: lessons learned from South African programs

Library Trends, Fall, 2002 by Karin de Jager, Mary Nassimbeni

INTRODUCTION

The concept of "information literacy," which first appeared in the literature during the 1970s and which was comprehensively discussed in a major review paper (Behrens, 1994), developed in response to the growing recognition that finding, selecting, and using information was becoming increasingly complex (p. 311). During the 1980s this term gradually started to replace the concepts of user education and library skills, which essentially emphasized library as opposed to information usage (Behrens, 1993, p. 124).

In the 1990s, at least partly as a result of the increasing importance of information literacy in response to rapid technological developments, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) published a set of five "Information Literacy Competency Standards" for the U.S. (2000). Similarly, the Society of College, National, and University Libraries (SCONUL) in the UK published a Seven Pillars Model of Information Literacy, which details the seven major information skills required by all students (1999). Essentially, there seems to be agreement that the information literate person is one who can:

* Recognize the need for information;

* Access information efficiently and effectively;

* 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;

* Access and use information ethically and legally.

Implicit in such an understanding of the concept of information literacy is the recognition that a logical progression is implied and that certain skills have to be mastered before a person can perform all the functions as outlined above. Recognizing a need for information has to precede the process of access, which in turn requires a number of different skills such as familiarity with information resources, with the library and with various means of accessing resources in different media. Evaluating and using information are "higher order" cognitive skills (Sayed, 1998, p. 13), which may be employed to develop new ideas and knowledge. Charles McClure (1994) expressed this in an early model of information literacy which relates information literacy to other literacies:

   At one level, an individual must be able to read and write--the traditional
   notion of literacy. At another level, the person must be technically
   literate, e.g., be able to operate computer, telecommunication, and related
   information technologies. At a third level, people need media literacy, and
   at yet another level they need network literacy. All of these types of
   literacies can be cast in the context of information problemsolving skills.
   (p. 118)

McClure therefore places information literacy at the center of the overlapping literacies as outlined; in his view it is the skill in which the others are subsumed.

INFORMATION LITERACY IN SOUTH AFRICA: POLICY ISSUES

The interest in information literacy has been spurred by systemic transformation of education at all levels, and the increasing adoption of ICTs in South African society. The policy framework for information literacy in tertiary institutions is derived from three policy domains:

* Education policies;

* Information communication technology (ICT) policies;

* Library and information services policies.

Government Approaches

The responses of the different sectors to information literacy issues vary according to their primary concerns. For example, departments such as that of communications and trade and industry stress economic participation, citizenship, and the broad aims of government's agenda for the information society. While there is no single document setting out the government's policy on the information society, it is possible to discern the importance attached to it by the government and its belief that ICTs can be used to facilitate and accelerate economic, educational, and social development. The documents and statements resonate with government's keen awareness of the knowledge-based economy and its desire to raise awareness of the benefits for citizens of becoming an information society.

The government has placed much emphasis on the link between development and ICTs and is engaged in a number of national and global projects to promote the rollout of ICTs and their use. Explicit commitment to various conceptions of information literacy is apparent in many of the associated policy statements and documents. So, for example, South Africa participated in the Okinawa IT Charter adopted at the G8 Kyushu Summit of 2000. This represented collaboration between the world's richest countries and a number of developing countries to help bridge the digital divide. One of the clauses reads:

   The policies for the advancement of the Information Society must be
   underpinned by the development of human resources capable of responding to
   the demands of the information age. We are committed to provide all our
   citizens with an opportunity to nurture IT literacy and skills through
   education, lifelong learning and training. We will continue to work toward
   this ambitious goal by getting schools, classrooms and libraries online.
   (Okinawa Charter on Global Information Society, 2000, No. 11)