Media Literacy in the UK

An open-access article: Polizzi, G., D’Arcy, J., Harris, R., Yates, S., & Yeoman, F. (2025). Media literacy provision from the perspective of policymakers and civil society organisations in five areas of the UK: a case study approach. Learning, Media and Technology, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2025.2572624 
This was an Ofcom-funded research project: "media literacy is here understood as incorporating not just functional digital skills and knowledge but also, as captured by the concept of critical digital literacy, the ability to critically evaluate online content and the broader digital environment" (i.e. it overlaps with information literacy, though the authors don't say that). 
They interviewed "policymakers and representatives of civil society organisations tasked with media literacy provision" in Birmingham and the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Scotland, and Wales (I think describing Scotland and Wales as "areas" was rather broad, given the very different situations in different parts of those home nations!). 
One of the notable findings was that "all [initiatives were] primarily concerned with digital inclusion, with media literacy piggybacking on them" and there is also the "limited, short-term, and often prescriptive" nature of Government funding. Some examples of successful strategies are identified.
Photo by Sheila Webber: bandstand and tower of arts, Sheffield, November, 2025

Digital empowerment for lifelong learning and transformative andragogy (DELTA) for adult educators

In October 2025 the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), in partnership with Shanghai Open University (SOU) published the DELTA (Digital Empowerment for Lifelong Learning and Transformative Andragogy) Framework which "aims to enhance adult educators’ digital competencies and foster inclusive, lifelong learning opportunities for all."
It is "a dynamic set of competencies and capacity building resources designed to strengthen digital practice across four key domains: Instructional practice; Digital empowerment; Media and information literacy; Transformative practice"
"The DELTA Framework is the result of a two-year, collaborative process involving international experts and technical working groups from nine countries." (quoted from here).

UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning & Shanghai Open University. (2025). Digital empowerment for lifelong learning and transformative andragogy (DELTA) for adult educators: introduction to the DELTA framework and resources. Document code: 978-92-820-1260-4 https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000396041
UIL and SOU have also developed "a suite of capacity-building resources and self-learning modules, available as Open Educational Resources (OERs)" which you can access on the UIL Learning Hub (you have to register). https://learninghub.uil.unesco.org/enrol/index.php?id=74
Photo by Sheila Webber: a jumbled windowsill, October 2025

New report: Family and intergenerational literacy and learning

UNESCO has published a substantial (360 page) report with thoughtful and detailed accounts of literacy projects in different regions of the world. For the Western countries there is emphasis on projects engaging underserved populations. There is not a focus on information literacy specifically, but certainly some relevant material and initiatives. 

Prins, E., & Zholdoshalieva, R. (Eds.) (2025) Family and intergenerational literacy and learning: international perspectives. UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. ISBN: 978-92-820-1259-8.
Go to https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000393131
Photo by Sheila Webber: rhododendron in the park, May 2025

New articles: infolit beyond school; epistemological development; teaching about bias; Generative AI; Marketing IL; Source evaluation

The latest issue of the open access journal Communications in Information Literacy (Volume 19, Issue 1, 2025) includes the following tasty reading
- From Novice to Expert: Exploring the Relationship between Information Literacy Threshold Concepts and Epistemological Development by Amanda L. Folk
- "Some Level of Skill for Life": Secondary Teacher Librarians Supporting Student Information Literacy Skill Transfer Beyond Secondary School by Kasey L. Garrison and Kay Oddone
- What Language Are We Speaking?: Marketing Information Literacy on University Library Websites by Aleksandar Golijanin
- From Cynicism to Trust: Strategies for Teaching Students Source Evaluation Skills by Mandi Goodsett and Melanie Gagich
- Visual Literacy Instruction at Scale: Developing Asynchronous Learning Objects for First-Year Art and Design Students by Jacqueline Huddle and Sarah Carter
- Generative AI for College Students: A Collaboratively Developed Online Microcourse on GenAI in the College Classroom by Amber Willenborg and Tessa Withorn
- Exploring Positional Knowledge: Using Theory To Teach Bias by Thomas C. Weeks and Melissa Johnson
Go to https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/comminfolit/vol19/iss1/
Photo by Sheila Webber: June roses, 2025

Making lifelong learning a reality: a handbook

I don't think I covered this 2022 UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning publication Making lifelong learning a reality: a handbook  https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000381857 (this is the English version, it also links to the French and Spanish versions).
It starts by defining LLL and explaining why it is important (including its relevance to Sustainable Development Goals) and then has chapters on creating LLL policy, implementing a LLL strategy and finally an example of LLL implemented at city level.
Since one of the UNESCO declarations has declared that information literacy is part of "the basic human right of lifelong learning" I think this handbook is relevant to IL. However, frustratingly, the term information literacy" is (from a quick search) only used once, in passing.
Nevertheless, examples are given where IL is relevant e.g. the example of knowledge sharing - "Lifelong learning villages in Mali" (p96). Certainly the statement at the start of the book seems to me intertwined with IL: "Lifelong learning is rooted in the integration of learning and living, covering learning activities for people of all ages, in all life-wide contexts and through a variety of modalities that, together, meet a range of learning needs and demands." (p17).
Photo by Sheila Webber: tree that thinks it's a sculpture, Gothenburg, June 2023

Poscast: Why is Spectrum not a Learning Organistion? @pedagodzilla

My 2nd contribution to the podcast that combines pedagogy and pop culture, Pedagodzilla, is Why is Spectrum not a Learning Organistion? (Ft. Captain Scarlet) Pedagodzilla (Pedagogy = Godzilla!) is run by Mike Collins (The Open University) and Mark Childs (Durham University). In this case I was drawing on my understanding of the learning organisation and applying it to the problematic working culture that pervades the series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (spoiler alert, due to the complete inability of Scarlet's employer organisation, Spectrum, to learn anything ever, the result of most episodes is Spectrum nil, The Mysterons 10). To listen to the podcast go to https://www.pedagodzilla.com/why-is-spectrum-not-a-learning-organistion-ft-captain-scarlet/
Photo taken by Sheila Webber in the 3D virtual world Second Life, at the Second Life Sci-Fi Convention, April 2023

Recent books from ALA: Strategies for Teaching Adult Learners; Scholarly Communications Cookbook

These links are to the e-book versions.
- Miller, M.L. (2021). Mind, Motivation, and Meaningful Learning: Strategies for Teaching Adult Learners. American Library Association, ACRL. ISBN 978-0-8389-3895-9. Cost US $64.00; ALA Member $57.60. https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/mind-motivation-and-meaningful-learning-strategies-teaching-adult-learners%E2%80%94eeditions-pdf-e
- Buljung, B. & Bongiovanni, E. (Eds) (2021). The Scholarly Communications Cookbook. American Library Association, ACRL. ISBN 978-0-8389-3848-5. Cost US $62.00; ALA Member $55.80. https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/scholarly-communications-cookbook%E2%80%94eeditions-pdf-e-book
Photo by Sheila Webber: Greenwich Park, December 2021

2nd edition of the UNESCO Model Media and Information Literacy Curriculum for Educators and Learners

Today was the launch of Media and Information Literate Citizens: Think critically, Click Wisely (Second Edition of the UNESCO Model Media and Information Literacy Curriculum for Educators and Learners) It was launched by Audrey Azoulay, Director-General, UNESCO; Mr Xing Qu, Deputy Director-General, UNESCO; Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia; Vera Jourova, Vice President and Commissioner, European Commission; and H.E. Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission. 

They all stressed the problem of disinformation and misinformation, and how this had become a graver problem during the pandemic, and also how disinformation could threaten democracy. There was also a little discussion about implementation of the curriculum from Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO & Gordana Čomić, Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, Republic of Serbia, which touched on points such as: the need for capacity building for educators etc.; the sensitivity of some issues and how this needed to be taken account of when implementing the curriculum; the need to incorporate in formal education, and also informally (like the campaign with health messages on cigarette packets "educate with simple message").

I thought the webinar would come to the end without mentioning libraries, but in fact the very last question that was posed to Stefania Giannini asked about them, and she did say that they were vital (though I'm not sure she was considering the role of libraries in formal education). The video of the launch (81 minutes) is here https://youtu.be/3EuHe2BaYrI

The page https://en.unesco.org/news/media-and-information-literate-citizens-think-critically-click-wisely already has a summary of the curriculum, but the full curriculum document is just "coming soon" and they didn't say when it would be released -I will blog again and discuss the curriculum when that happens (I would guess, next week). This is an important publication, especially with this high level support. I think it is up to the information literacy community to make sure that they take part in discussion and implentation, since otherwise (as noted above) there is a tendency to forget both the role of libarians and the "information" part of media and information literacy.

New articles: infolit and lifelong learning; trends in LIS research

The latest issue of open-access IFLA Journal (volume 46 no. 3) can now be downloaded from the IFLA website (the whole issue in a pdf). It includes: 

- The effect of information literacy instruction on lifelong learning readiness Leili Seifi, Maryam Habibi and Mohsen Ayati 

- National and international trends in library and information science research: A comparative review of the literature Mallikarjun Dora and H. Anil Kumar 

Go to https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/hq/publications/ifla-journal/ifla-journal-46-3_2020.pdf  

Photo by Sheila Webber: path on the heath, December 2020

Lifelong learning and democracy

A podcast (21 minutes) just posted, with Dr Jay Derrick of the Centre for Post-14 Education and Work, UCL, on Lifelong learning and democracy, talking about the need for adult education, and the way in which it has declined in the UK:  "Adults are facing issues of access to lifelong learning opportunities ... Arguing about the importance of informal learning and adult education: the latter has unfortunately has been suffering a decline in support over the past years in the UK, making it more difficult for people to engage with." https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/news/2020/jan/lifelong-learning-and-democracy - it is an episode in the podcast FE News podcast https://soundcloud.com/fenews

Recording of: Transformational Media and Information Literacy learning for adult citizens: “this street is full of heroes” #GlobalMILweek

A recording is available of the webinar in which I (Sheila Webber, Information School, University of Sheffield) was presenting a talk, Transformational Media and Information Literacy learning for adult citizens: “this street is full of heroes”, coauthored with Bill Johnston, Honorary Research Fellow, Strathclyde University, on 29th October 2019. The session was chaired by my colleague Dr Pamela McKinney, and it was part of the Information School's celebration of Global Media and Information Literacy Week. I was outlining use of theories from adult education and information science to address the challenge of engaging adult citizens critically and transformationally with media and Information Literacy. As the Media and Information Literacy (MIL) concept matures, it is important to expand the MIL focus to the majority of the population who are not in formal education. The title quotation is from a poem by Benjamin Zephaniah (transformed to street art in Sheffield) which inspires us to think of each citizen as a potential MIL hero.
The slides are here: https://www.slideshare.net/sheilawebber/transformational-media-and-information-literacy-learning-for-adult-citizens-this-street-is-full-of-heroes
The link to the webinar recording is here: https://eu-lti.bbcollab.com/recording/0284c699a3784b1a9da5a632291dc8d8
Here is the embedded webinar recording (31 minutes)

Wiki University; Postdigital Critical Pedagogy

A site I came across recently, though it has been around for years, is Wiki University, a wiki for sites/pages that aim to deliver learning. I was alerted because of a new page Wikilearning and Postdigital Critical Pedagogy, which represents a keynote delivered by Juha Suoranta at the Network Learning Conference 2018, held in Zagreb on May 15, 2018: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikilearning_and_Postdigital_Critical_Pedagogy
The Wiki University includes some learning units/sites on media literacy, though mostly a few years old: the home page is at https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Main_Page
"Wikiversity is a site for the creation and use of free learning materials and activities. The mission of Wikiversity is to empower people to achieve their educational goals using resources produced by the free culture movement. The goal is to create a community of people on Wikiversity who support each other in their educational endeavors. " (source: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Wikiversity)
Photo by Sheila Webber:Spring flowers, May 2018

New articles on teaching and #lifelonglearning

Open access journal Teaching in Lifelong Learning has new articles (2017, Volume 8, Issue 1) http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/view/journal_till/2017/8/1.html: I noticed
- Tait, V. (2017). Teacher Educator and Teachers in Training: A Case-Study Charting the Development of Professional Identities. Teaching in lifelong learning, 8 (1). DOI: 10.5920/till.2017.03 (these are school teachers, but I think some of the discussion about teacher identity would be interesting for teacher-librarians)
- Kerr, H. (2017). Overcoming People’s Perception of Education in a Community Learning Setting. Strategies to Help Learners Engage in Their Own Learning. Teaching in lifelong learning, 8 (1). DOI: 10.5920/till.2017.04 (Again, this isn't about information literacy or libraries, but would be relevant to those in public libraries or other areas were there is a diverse community).
Photo by Sheila Webber: winter skyline, Greenwich, December 2017

Media and Information Literacy through the lifecourse #2ndEURMIL

This is the presentation that I gave at the first plenary session at the 2nd European Media and Information Literacy Forum, in Riga, Latvia, on Monday 27 June.

Media and Information Literacy through the lifecourse from Sheila Webber

Recent theses: Information Literacy in an Irish Higher Education; Minecraft and IL; Critical literacy; IL and serious leisure

Delaney, M. (2014) Concept, Ownership and Impact of Information Literacy in an Irish Higher Education Setting. EdD thesis, University of Sheffield. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/8563/1/Mary%20Delaney%20thesis.doc (Education School)

Bebbington, S. (2014) A Case Study of the Use of the Game Minecraft and Its Affinity Spaces for Information Literacy Development in Teen Gamers. Masters thesis, School of Information Studies, University of Ottawa. http://www.ruor.uottawa.ca/bitstream/10393/31699/1/Bebbington_Sandra_2014_Thesis.pdf

Alford, J. (2015) Conceptualisation and enactment of critical literacy for senior high school EAL learners in Queensland, Australia : commitments, constraints and contradictions. PhD thesis, Queensland University of Technology. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/79931/ (Education School)


Demasson, A.. (2014) Information literacy and the serious leisure participant : variation in the experience of using information to learn. PhD thesis, Queensland University of Technology. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/78615/

Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn anemone, September 2015

Literacy as a foundation for lifelong learning #wlic2015

A final post about the Literacy session at the World Library and Information (IFLA) Conference yesterday. Lisa Krolak (UNESCO Institute of Lifelong Learning) talked about Literacy Matters! Literacy as a foundation for lifelong learning. The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning is at http://www.uil.unesco.org/home/ and this is an interesting initiative: I only came across it recently, but it should have relevance for lifelong information literacy initiatives. They have a "Literacy and basic skills" section on the website which notes that "The right to literacy is an inherent part of the right to education. Yet adult literacy is one of the most neglected of the Education for All (EFA) goals".

To turn to Krolak's presentation, she explored definitions of lifelong learning and literacy, including UNESCO's 2003 definition of literacy (shown in the photo above). The reference to a "continuum of learning" makes a particular link with lifelong learning. Krolak said that "Literacy, as a human right, lies at the heart of basic education and is the foundation for future learning opportunities". She saw literacy as a continuous life-wide and lifelong process and identified the need for development on five fronts. These were: laying down strong foundations through early childhood care and education; universal good quality basic education for all children; "scaling up and reaching out with relevant literacy provision for all young people and adults"; developing literacy-rich environments and a literate culture; dealing with root causes of illiteracy (e.g. poverty). She mentioned a programme at Vancouver City Libraries, but I haven't been able to track down a link for that yet.

Krolak highlighted a just-published special issue of the International Review of Education: Journal of Lifelong Learning focusing on lifelong literacy: volume 61 issue 3 at http://link.springer.com/journal/11159/61/3/page/1 (priced publication). It includes articles on Literacy in the 21st century: Towards a dynamic nexus of social relations; Lifelong literacy: Some trends and issues in conceptualising and operationalising literacy from a lifelong learning perspective; Learning and literacy: A research agenda for post-2015; and (coauthored by Krolak) The potential of community libraries in supporting literate environments and sustaining literacy skills.
During her presentation, Krolak showed this nice video, on the Power of Literacy. She identified it as demonstrating some of the characteristics of literacy learning, for example that it takes place in various life contexts, and that emotional engagement is important.

The relationship between ESOL learning and information literacy

One of my PhD students, Jessica Elmore, has put the presentation she did for her first year confirmation report on Slideshare: it gives the context and methods and thoughts from her pilot study. It is entitled An exploration of the relationship between English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) learning, the information literacy of participants, and its impact on their everyday lives
 

PhD Confirmation Review: Information literacy experiences of ESOL Learners from elmorejelmore

Adult literacy and learning

ALADIN, the international Adult Learning Documentation and Information Network, "has been established to support networking and capacity building between documentation centres and libraries in the area of adult learning and literacy." http://www.unesco.org/education/aladin/?menuitem=1 They started a bulletin with links to reports and articles this year and just published the fourth one http://bit.ly/1Ay0bIy
Photo by Sheila Webber: daisies in the grass, photoshopped

New articles; Bibliography of 2013; EFL; Faculty roles

The latest issue of Reference Services Review (priced journal) includes their annual annotated information literacy bibliography (the first item referenced below). Although with some bias to North America, it is still a very valuable resource every year: the 2013 version includes 501 items, 313 of those covering the academic sector (which always has the largest number of articles). At the moment it is the preprint version which is available on the website, so the articles listed below do not have page numbers.
- Detmering R. et al. (2014). Library Instruction and Information Literacy 2013. Reference Services Review, 42 (4).
- Jumonville, A. (2014) The Role of Faculty Autonomy in a Course-Integrated Information Literacy Program. Reference Services Review, 42 (4).
- Johnston, N., Partridge, H. and Hughes, H. (2014). Understanding the Information Literacy Experiences of EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Students. Reference Services Review, 42 (4).
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/toc/rsr/42/4
Photo by Sheila Webber: Farewell tall ships, Greenwich, September 2014.

Lifewide magazine and e-book

Thanks to Bill Johnston for alerting me to the Lifewide magazine, which is a product of the Lifewide community "a social enterprise formed in 2011 to develop and support a community of interest formed around the ideas and educational practices that promote and support lifewide learning and personal development." In particular they encourage initiatives in universities that are extra- and co-curricular and develop understanding and skills relating to outside formal education. The magazine includes some short and interesting articles related to a conference they held. For example, Professor Marcia Baxter Magolda talks about The journey to self-authorship and a more meaningful life: "self authorship" refers to someone (in a longitudinal study she is engaging in) learning to work out what he really wants out of life and listen to his own voice, after having made initial choices about study and employment without thinking critically about them. Other examples are a student's account of how her approach to learning changed at university, and a summary of a major European Union project on Open Learning. The magazine is at http://www.calameo.com/read/003290434f7da3d703fed
The e-book is Lifewide Learning & Education in Universities and Colleges and its purpose is "to recognise and celebrate the many different ways in which universities are encouraging, supporting and recognising lifewide learning and personal development". There are freely downloadable chapters describing initiatives at various universities, in particular where there are awards for extra curricular activities e.g. "The Ulster EDGE Award: Supporting the Development of Student Employability" and (about Sheffield Hallam University) "Towards the Devolution of Lifewide Learning Awards through Verifiable Digital Badges". The e-book is at http://www.learninglives.co.uk/e-book.html
Photo taken from the webcam operated by Sheffield University: the peregrines are nesting again at Sheffield! 2 eggs so far: http://efm.dept.shef.ac.uk/peregrine/