Information Literacy Initiatives

This programme aims to support initiatives that encourage the development of information literacy skills and good practice in educational settings.

Information Literacy Web site

In March 2006 a new Information Literacy Web site was launched successfully at LILAC, the Librarians Information Literacy Annual Conference. The site is supported by the Eduserv Foundation and is available at:

www.informationliteracy.org.uk

The Web site supports information literacy practitioners by providing news, case studies, examples of best practice, links to information literacy resources and freely available toolkits. The site is hosted by Eduserv and its content is maintained by community partners: CILIP CSG Information Literacy Group, MLA, HEA-ICS, SCONUL, and the School Libary Association.

Users are invited to comment or suggest new content by submitting feedback via the the site.

Eduserv Foundation Information Literacy projects

To complement the launch of the information literacy (IL) site the Foundation invited funding applications for a number of small-scale IL projects. The deadline for submission of proposals was at the end of May 2006 and we awarded funding for five projects, as follows.

• University of Birmingham
  Nancy Graham and Ann-Marie James from Information Services are leading a project entitled "Institutional case study to explore academics' perceptions and use of electronic reusable learning objects for information literacy".
• Glasgow Caledonian University
  Christine Irving and John Crawford from the Library will build on earlier work at the University and create "A national information literacy framework".
• Kingston Hospital NHS Trust on behalf of the E-learning Group
  The E-learning Group comprises library staff from 16 NHS Trusts and teaching hospitals. Heather Lodge is leading work to develop an "Information literacy learning tool for healthcare staff".
• Netskills, University of Newcastle (two projects)
  Netskills will develop and pilot two new workshops aimed at the schools sector. One workshop will address "Information skills" and the other will focus on "Plagiarism".
  Reports from these two projects are now available on the Netskills Web site.

All the projects, apart from the one at the Kingston Hospital NHS Trust, have now completed.  We agreed funding for continuation projects at both Netskills and Glasgow Caledonian.

Information Literacy in Second Life

The Centre for Information Literacy Research at the University of Sheffield  used office space on Eduserv Island in Second Life to provide a virtual venue for their activities.

General enquiries about the Eduserv Foundation can be emailed to foundation@eduserv.org.uk