Politics, work and the lifelong learning agenda in information

literacy

John Crawford & Christine Irving

Christine Bruce

• ‘We need a lot more lobbying on the importance of IL on the political front, with industry, with very senior people….People need to concentrate on finding out who we should lobby and who should do the lobbying. We need people with political and marketing skills…

• Update, Jan/Feb. 06. p. 43

Scotland as a ‘laboratory’ for research in information literacy• The Lifelong Learning Strategy for Scotland – a peg to

hang IL on http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/lifelong/llsm-00.asp

• The second least socially divisive educational system in the world Scotsman, 25/1/06, http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=120052006

• Over 50% of the eligible population continue from school to university, making strategies which link the secondary and the tertiary sectors feasible

• Organisation of the school system is both simple and uniform

• Scottish Executive e-government policy

Influencing government policy?

• Skills, getting on in business, getting on at work (Great Britain. Department for Education and Skills 2005. vol. 1. pp.1,) emphasises the need for a skilled workforce but only ICT skills are specifically mentioned

• Consultation – Review of Scottish Digital inclusion Policy http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/11/04103500/35010– Mentions only ICT skills but evidence to consultation

submitted by SLIC; Christine and me highlight IL

Politics in small nations

• Small countries, small minds, petty corruption?

• Or – easier access to the decision making process?

Public Petitions

• Public Petitions Committee – may invite petitioners to speak

• Any individual, group or organisation may petition the Parliament

• Speak to your MSP first• A petition can ask the Public Petitions

Committee to take a view on a matter of wide public interest or concern

• Or ask the Public Petitions Committee to amend existing legislation or introduce new legislation

Petitions and e-government

• A petition can be hosted on the Parliament's website for an agreed period

• an opportunity to attract a much wider audience and gather more names in support of the petition

• Signatures welcomed from outside Scotland • Each e-petition has its own discussion forum, where

visitors and supporters can discuss and debate the petition

• After agreed period presented to Petitions Committee in usual way

• Not many comparators (Bundestag)

An inclusive process

What we did

• Submitted petition electronically late October 2005

• Publicised on elists

• Attracted 710 signatures worldwide

• Wrote to the Scottish press

• Ken Mackintosh (MSP) asked questions in the Scottish Parliament

• Attended committee to present petition

Outcomes

• Very favourable reaction from the profession and professional media – otherwise zilch

• Petitions Committee wrote to the Scottish Executive, a range of NGOs and unions

• Other interested bodies subsequently submitted evidence

And so?

•To return to the policy issue: What are you going to do about it?

The role of information literacy in the work environment

• follows on a study (Crawford 2006) which highlighted the importance of information literacy in the workplace.

• interviews with people in the work situation to understand better the role of information literacy in the work place and how this varies in different working environments.

• subjects for interview were drawn from: – trade union learning representatives contacted through the

Scottish Centre for Work Based Learning – personal contacts.

Areas covered

• The work they do, their experience and qualifications

• Skills needed for work

• Learning in the workplace

• Information Skills / Information Literacy Skills

• Knowledge Management

Outcomes of the interviews

• general impressions so far

• to assist in the formulation of more precise questions to facilitate further research.

John Crawford jcr@gcal.ac.uk

Christine Irving christine.irving@gcal.ac.uk

Project website www.learningservices.gcal.ac.uk/ils/index.html