Literacy Matters! Literacy, libraries and building strong societies in Africa #wlic2015

This is the next liveblog from the World Library and Information (IFLA) Conference taking place in Cape Town, South Africa. Victoria Okojie (IFLA Chair, Africa Section, Nigeria) talked on Literacy Matters! Literacy, libraries and building strong societies in Africa. She started by highlighting that Africa is a diverse continent, with countries at different levels of development. Generally literacy levels are low for various reasons (e.g. political instability, poverty) and there is a poor reading culture with a high school drop-out rate. Libraries are poorly resourced.
The roll out of ICTs has been low in Africa, reflected in the lack of technology in schools and libraries. However, there are opportunities to leapfrog, as new mobile tecdhnologies come along: Africa has one of the fastest growing mobile penetration.
Libraries of course have a role for literacy development, aligning with government programmes, training community leaders and trainers etc. Libraries are also identified by IFLA as helping to build strong societies, for example giving access to lifelong learning and promoting equal opportunities. Thus they can, for example, provide an enabling environment for innovation.
Okojie picked out some examples of initiatives in Africa. Generally, they were aiming to support literacy anfd reading, help children with school work and ICT skills, and encourage the community to use the library. Challenges include the lack of local language materials, funding, inadequate skills, a lack of an enabling environment, a definition of literacy, and monitoring of impact. Some initiatives:
- Reading Clinics in Ghana: this is a partnership between school and the Ghana Library Association, designed for pre-school children. An example is http://mmofraghana.org/our-work/language-club/reading-clinics/
- Bring Back the Book programme in Nigeria. This was initiated by the President, so put reading on the agenda of local government. See http://www.bringbackthebook.org/
- Use of tablets: with the eKitabu project in Kenya and Opn Imo project in Nigeria.
- National Farmers Information Network in Kenya
- Center for the Book programmes and projects e.g. Funda Mzantsi in South Africa
- Mobile library services e.g. donkey carts in Zimbabwe; services to Internally Displaced Persons camps.
Okojie concluded by identifying the need to reprofile, reposition and restructure library services, for example to be able better to meet needs, to collaborate and to market services. There were already good examples and success, but there needed to be a lot more work to make libraries a pivot for development.

Literacy Matters! The literacy and reading needs of people with special needs #wlic2015

Further liveblogging from the World Library and Information (IFLA) Conference taking place in Cape Town. Helle Mortensen (IFLA Library Services to People with Special Needs, Denmark) talked on Literacy Matters! The literacy and reading needs of people with special needs. A paper is already online at http://library.ifla.org/1231/1/099-moretensen-en.pdf.
Mortensen talked about the work of the People With Special Needs IFLA section, which includes meeting the needs of those who cannot visit the library. Literacy matters because it is crucial for education and participation. Those with special needs have particular literacy and reading needs. Firstly, easy to read publications - appropriate to different age groups, and taking account of those with intellectual disabilities, dyslexia etc. (there are IFLA guidelines for easy to read materials). There also have to be alternative ways of reading: this involves a lot of reading tools and devices. The next thing that Mortensen mentioned were materials for raising memories e.g. memory boxes: again there are IFLA guidelines for library services to those with dementia.
Techniques included guided shared reading, which could be used with homeless people, those with dementia etc. Some librarians in Denmark have been trained as reading guides. It was important that library staff were unprejudiced and were aware of the different kinds of reading needs. Mortensen emphasised that these needs were diverse.
It was important to have a physically accessible library, with an inviting space and presentation, with outreach for those who cannot visit the library. The speaker recommended partnering with appropriate organisations, and also employing those with special needs.

Literacy Matters! Digital Literacies, Reading and Libraries #wlic2015

I'm liveblogging from the World Library and Information (IFLA) Conference taking place in Cape Town, South Africa. In the session on Literacy, a paper Literacy Matters! Digital Literacies, Reading and Libraries was given by Barbara Combes (Charles Sturt University, Secretary IFLA Literacy & Reading
Section, Australia). She started talking about the vast amount of information that isn't found by search engines. It is a dynamic information lanscape and can make information decontextualised, so that there are problems along with the many benefits and convenience of online information.Coombs highlighted the multipliocity of apps and technologies available.However, many people do not have physical or cognitive access to the web. Cognitive access means not being able to read or interpret the information, even if you physically have access.
Coombs went on to consider the word literacy. She wondered - had it been hijacked, when it has been tacked on to so many other words? She posed the question whether competency, rather than literacy, was meant. She showed some definitions of literacy that included critical thinking and reading, learning, and also being actively literate (e.g. "purposeful" reading). Thus it was more than just being able to read, and including understanding and reusing.
Turning to digital literacy, she saw it as including computer and ICT literacy, Web 2.0 literacy, network/internet literacy (including "knowing where you are" on the internet), multimedia literacy and information management. However she also saw digital literacy as about ethical use of information, cultural awareness, access for the disabled, privacy and safety, and applying information to your lives. Thus digital literacy was a complex and evolving concept, and it was affected not just by technology but by the people developing and using technology. A prerequisite is literacy: being able to read, write and understand.
Coombs concluded that although "literacy" did mean competency in the context of digital literacy, it was important to think about the deeper aspects.

MOOCs, Information Literacy and the role of the librarian at #wlic2015

I'm attending the World Library and Information (IFLA) Conference, taking place in Cape Town, South Africa http://conference.ifla.org/ifla81 I'm attending a section meeting of IFLA's Information Literacy Section committee (of which I'm a member) and also presenting a poster. This is the poster. The references are at http://tinyurl.com/qddrs33

MOOCs, Information Literacy and the role of the librarian from Sheila Webber

Saturday amusement: Harry Potter lawsuits

A thorough and and readable post which summarises and links to the highlights and lowlights of the law suits brought against J.K. Rowling and the ones she herself has pursued. There is a tenous link with information literacy, since obviously part of being information literate involves knowing how to avoid copyright infringement...
Kluft, D. (2015, 27 August). Harry Potter Lawsuits And Where To Find Them. Trademark and Copyright Law. http://www.trademarkandcopyrightlawblog.com/2015/07/harry-potter-lawsuits-and-where-to-find-them/
Photo by Sheila Webber: Dahlia and cosmos, Farmers Market, August 2015

Reflections on teaching and information behaviour in a Futurelearn MOOC

Professor Shailey Minocha invited me to give a presenation at the Open University on 23 July. I have been a bit late uploading it to slideshare, but now this is it: Reflections on teaching and information behaviour in a Futurelearn MOOC. The first part has a further elaboration on my ideas about MOOC teaching, and the last part identifies information behaviour within the Play MOOC (that I taught on), and implications for information literacy teaching.

Reflections on teaching and information behaviour in a Futurelearn MOOC from Sheila Webber

Call for chapters: Peer-Assisted Learning in Academic Libraries

There is a call for chapters for a forthcoming Libraries Unlimited book Peer-Assisted Learning in Academic Libraries. The editors seek "proposals from librarians who have utilized peer-assisted learning programs to enhance library services in the areas of reference, instruction, and/or co-curricular outreach." Proposal submission deadline is September 30 2015. More information at http://librarywriting.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/call-for-book-chapter-proposals-peer.html
Photo by Sheila Webber: cosmos and stattice, Farmers Market, August 2015

Game-Based Learning in Library Instruction

A four week asynchronous online course is: Game-Based Learning in Library Instruction, led by Scott Rice. It takes place September 7 to October 2, 2015 and costs US $175 http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/011-gaming.php

Registration opens for Augustana workshop

Registration for the 15th Augustana Information Literacy in Academic Libraries Workshop opens on Monday, August 17 2015. The workshop takes place 21-22 October 2015 at the University of Alberta, Canada. The theme is Considering Implementation Options for ACRL's Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education, led by Sharon Mader (ACRL's Visiting Program Officer for Information Literacy). The first day is a consultation day, and the second day includes short talks by partcipants using the new ACRL Framework. More information at https://www.library.ualberta.ca/augustana/infolit/workshop/
Photo by Sheila Webber: palms at the IFLA conference in Singapore, August 2013: soon I will be reporting from this year's conference!

Recent articles: Curriculum mapping; Engineering students; pre-university students; Ghanaian youth

Firstly, an open access version of
Archambault, S. and Masunaga, J. (2015) Curriculum Mapping as a Strategic Planning Tool (post-print proof) Journal of Library Administration. 55(6) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/susan_gardner/19
"Curriculum mapping is a procedure for documenting and visualizing student learning at the programmatic level. The process allows libraries the opportunity to record where information literacy skills are taught across the curriculum in order to locate gaps and redundancies within a library instruction program. It also allows for alignment of the library’s learning outcomes with the learning outcomes important to the institution. This paper presents a review of the history of curriculum mapping, followed by a case study of how Loyola Marymount University (LMU) used the process to support information literacy in a new core curriculum."

Secondly, recent items from the priced publication International Information and Library Review (2015, not yet allocated to an issue at time of writing)  http://www.tandfonline.com/action/showAxaArticles?journalCode=ulbr20#.Vb0j6kZOOZM
- Perceptions of Faculty about Information Literacy Skills of Postgraduate Engineering Students by Mamoona Kousar and Khalid Mahmood
- Perceptions and Knowledge-Sharing Behavior of Pre-University Students by Shaheen Majid and Chitra Panchapakesan
Abstract extracts: "Knowledge sharing is an essential element of a collaborative learning process. The purpose of this study was to investigate students' knowledge-sharing behavior with their classmates, frequency and type of knowledge shared, preferred communication channels, and the factors likely to motivate or inhibit knowledge sharing. A pre-tested questionnaire was used for data collection and 220 higher secondary students (equivalent to “A” levels) from India participated in this study. ... It was found that the top three sources for seeking study-related information were the internet, teachers, and classmates. The primary motives of sharing knowledge were to improve understanding of concepts discussed in the class and to build good relationship with classmates. For group assignments, more knowledge sharing occurred within the group members than with other groups. The major barriers to knowledge sharing were the lack of time, lack of a sharing culture, and inadequate depth in relationships"
- Everyday Life Information-Seeking Behavior of Marginalized Youth: A Qualitative Study of Urban Homeless Youth in Ghana by Evelyn Markwei and Edie Rasmussen
Abstracts extracts "Forty-one homeless youth, ages 15 to 18 years participated in this qualitative study. Participants were identified by snowball sampling and data was collected by field observations, an adaptation of the critical incident technique and in-depth interviews. The results show that (1) information needs of the homeless youth in the study relate to basic needs following Maslow's hierarchy of needs; (2) their information sources are primarily interpersonal and comparatively limited in range; and (3) the most important information-seeking behavior is a community approach, characterized by free sharing of information among their social network of friends. The results further revealed that participants relied on their social network of friends to meet 8 of the 11 information needs identified in the study."
Photo by Sheila Webber: plums, Farmers Market, August 2015

Social media use

Slightly off topic, but I liked this advice by Matt Holland on getting reluctant parent organisations to let you use social media. Although he's talking about libraries in the UK's National Health Service, I think the advice would hold true in many organisations that want to control organisational use of social media. https://lihnnclinicallibs.wordpress.com/2015/07/22/can-i-have-one-of-those-getting-your-own-social-media-by-matt-holland/
Photo by Sheila Webber: redcurrants, whitecurrants, farmers market, August 2015

ACRL instruction camp

Kate Ganski (University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Libraries, USA) has given a report on a 3 day "instruction camp" aimed at helping librarians to better understand the new ACRL Information Literacy Framework. It includes a link to materials used in the camp
https://ganski.wordpress.com/2015/08/10/2015-summer-instruction-camp/
Photo by Sheila Webber: farmers market, strawberries, August 2015

Presentations from the #LiLicon2015

There are presentations from the LILi (Lifelong Information Literacy) conference (that had the theme Collaboration for Lifelong Learning: Innovative and Effective Approaches to Information Literacy) that was held on 3 August 2015 in Los Angeles, USA. Presentations are entitled:
- Gaining Ground: Building Lifelong Information Literacy Skills
- Getting Students College-Career Ready
- "Lightning round" talks: Creating a Local Computer Skill Cooperative; Information Literacy for Educators; Long Night Against Procrastination: Connecting Stressed Out Students with Library and Writing Resources; Outreach to Your Child Development Center.
The presentations are at https://sites.google.com/site/lifelonginformationliteracy/annual-conference-1 and there is a Storify for the conference at https://storify.com/LILiCon2015/2nd-lili-conference (spot the Californian palm trees!)
Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn anemone, August 2015

#iRights

iRights "is a civil society initiative [in the UK] that seeks to make the digital world a more transparent and empowering place for children and young people (under 18) by delivering a universal framework of digital rights, in order that young people are able to access digital technologies creatively, knowledgeably and fearlessly."
A couple of publications have recently been launched. The first one (the iRights report) reports on activities since this movement (supported by various individuals and organisations: for example NESTA) came together last year. The second (the Legal Framework) is an examination of whether the six rights that are set out are supported by existing legislation. The rights are:
- "The Right to REMOVE: Every child and young person should have the right to easily edit or delete all content they have created.
- "The Right to KNOW: Children and young people have the right to know who is holding or profiting from their information, what their information is being used for and whether it is being copied, sold or traded.
- "The Right to SAFETY AND SUPPORT: Children and young people should be confident that they will be protected from illegal practices and supported if confronted by troubling or upsetting scenarios online.
- "The Right to INFORMED AND CONSCIOUS CHOICES: Children and young people should be empowered to reach into creative places online, but at the same time have the capacity and support to easily disengage.
- "The Right to DIGITAL LITERACY: To access the knowledge that the Internet can deliver, children and young people need to be taught the skills to use, create and critique digital technologies, and given the tools to negotiate changing social norms."
I think one idea behind it is to think of protecting young people by giving them rights, rather than seeking just to control. This initiative hadn't really been on my radar, but it has got a flurry of attention at the moment and is obviously interesting and relevant to information literacy.
I may be missing something, but I'm not it is clear whether the "i" is for internet or for information (or perhaps it's both). In the section on the right to informed and conscious choices, it says "Children and young people have a human right to access information, to communicate with others, to participate as social actors and to learn. Access to the internet is essential in fulfilling these rights." Talking of the "human right to access information" immediately reminded me of the UNESCO-sponsored Prague Declaration on Information Literacy (2003) which identifies information literacy as "part of the basic human right of lifelong learning".I think this is a useful document to engage with, also placing it in the wider context of a young person's information world (digital and non-digital).

As a sidenote, this initiative seems not to be connected to the German organisation iRights, which appears to be older and is concerned with intellectual property in the digital age (though presemably they hadn't registered a trademark for "iRights"..... or in fact they have registered the trademark)
Photo by Sheila Webber: me taking a selfie in Second Life (Second Life is a trademark of Linden Lab)

#MOOCs and the older learner

Spotted via Professor Shailey Minocha's Delicious on older people: An informative long blog post about research into older people's needs when learning through MOOCs. The issues raised (e.g. need for clear navigation, not having to turn on captions every single time you play a video in a MOOC) are ones which do not just affect older people but (following the principles of Universal Design) would improve the experience for everyone.
Hoffman, S. and Crown, C. (2014). MOOCs and the Older Learner. Learning with MOOCs. http://www.moocworkshop.org/s170/

This item is part of the proceedings for the whole Learning with MOOCs conference that took place 12-13 August 2014. The webcasts, and some extended descriptions of sessions, are at http://webcast.amps.ms.mit.edu/fall2014/MOOCs/ and the website for the 2016 conference in October is at http://www.learningwithmoocs.org/
Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn anemone, August 2015

Was unter Informationskompetenz verstanden wird, verändert sich

For German speakers, a thoughtful blog post from Thomas Hapke which identifies recognition for information literacy, but also people proposing various alternatives. Inter alia, Hapke identifies the need for metacognition and the ability to engage critically with the knowledge worlds of different societies and disciplines.
Hapke, T. (2015, 21 July). Was unter Informationskompetenz verstanden wird, verändert sich [What we understand by information literacy is changing]. Hapke-blog. http://blog.hapke.de/information-literacy/was-unter-informationskompetenz-verstanden-wird-veraendert-sich/
Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn anemone, August 2015

cfp: #iConference 2016 and #bobcatsss 2016

The iConference is the annual conference for iSchools (Information Schools). The 2016 conference takes place in Philadelphia, USA, March 20-23 and the theme is Partnership with Society. "This year’s theme of “Partnership with Society” examines the dynamic, evolving role of information science and today’s iSchool movement, and the benefits to society. The conference includes peer-reviewed papers, posters, workshops and sessions for interaction and engagement, interspersed with multiple opportunities for networking. Early career and next generation researchers can engage in the Doctoral Student Colloquium, Early Career Colloquium and Undergraduate Student Showcase forums." The deadline for paper submissions is September 9 2015. You do not have to be at an iSchool to submit a proposal. More information on the conference website: http://ischools.org/the-iconference/

BOBCATSSS is the annual conference for students of library and information science. The next conference, taking place 27-29 January 2016, will take place in Lyon, France, organised by French and North American students. "BOBCATSSS 2016 will explore several key topics: The Role of Libraries in Democratic Cultures, Intellectual Freedom and Censorship, Libraries, Open Access and Open Data, and Protecting Privacy." Deadline for abstracts is September 15 2015. More information at http://bobcatsss2016.com/
Photo by Sheila Webber: a bee on teh wild oregano by my front door, August 2015

Call for papers: Library Instruction West 2016 #liw16

There's a call for proposals for the Library Instruction West 2016 conference (theme: Learning Elevated), June 8-10 2016, to be held in Salt Lake City, USA. The deadline for proposals is October 2nd 2015. "possible topics include: Beware of false summits: Elevating student learning; Tools for the trail: Supporting innovative technologies & online learning; Improve the path for next time: Building authentic assessments; Establish new footholds: Implementing threshold concepts & the Framework; Never hike alone: Collaborating with faculty; Finding your path: Developing ourselves as teachers
Session formats are: 15 minute talk or 45 minute session (which can be a talk, panel, workshop etc.). More info on the conference website: http://campusguides.lib.utah.edu/liw16/proposals
Photo by Sheila Webber: Botanic gardens, daisy, July 2015

Journal club in SL studies @JInfoLit article: 3 August

Join us in the virtual world Second Life for a one-hour discussion of an open-access article. Professor Diane Nahl (Adra Letov in Second Life) leads a discussion on:
Forster, M. (2015). Refining the definition of information literacy: the experience of contextual knowledge creation. Journal of Information Literacy, 9(1), 62-73. http://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/JIL/article/view/PRA-V9-I1-5/2148

When: 3 August 2015 at 12 noon SL time (which is 8pm UK time, see http://tinyurl.com/pbpzwku for times elsewhere)

Where: Infolit iSchool, in the virtual world Second Life. You need a SL avatar and the Second Life browser installed on your computer. Go to http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Infolit%20iSchool/134/47/22

Everyone is welcome to join the one-hour discussion. A Sheffield iSchool Centre for Information Literacy Research event.
Photo by Sheila Webber, taken in Second Life

School Libraries and Guided Inquiry

It's not too late to register for the IFLA Satellite conference School Libraries and Guided Inquiry taking place 13-14 August 2015, in Cape Town, South Africa. The programme etc. is here: https://ifla2015-schools.co.za/programme/