Welsh Information Literacy Project

On Monday 28th January I attended a meeting of the Welsh Information Literacy Project at a college in Rhos on Sea in North Wales. The Project is now in its third year and plans to seek funding from Cymal, the body in Wales which funds LIS R&D,  for a fourth  year.

There were short presentations on public, school, further and HE libraries. Those on public and school libraries were the most interesting. In Gwynedd public library service, four staff are taking Level 2-3 training units (Agored Units) in information literacy. This pilot is intended to develop consistency in IL training for public librarians. Gwynedd is one of five local authorities running pilot projects on developing IL skills for library staff. Anglesey public library service is running training sessions for local people, mostly on family and local history in conjunction with tutors from a community learning and development partnership.

Information literacy champions are being appointed in all public library services to assist in the delivery of training, to keep staff up to date with IL developments and ensure that local plans are consistent with national planning.

On the school library front a secondary school in Holyhead is using IL techniques to develop the skills of children who are poor readers, something not unlike Abi Mawhirt’s work at Dundee College.

 IL awareness meetings have been held with head teachers and contact is being make with two university departments of education to raise IL awareness of trainee teachers before they go out on placement.

There are a lot of lessons for us to learn here: IL champions in public libraries, standardised training units for public librarians and meeting with head teachers and university departments of education.  Full details of the day are available at

http://librarywales.org/en/information-literacy/case-studies/north-wales-information-literacy-best-practice-sharing-day-2013/

John  

Introducing myself

Hello everyone. I am John Crawford and I am the former director of the Scottish Information Literacy Project which had something to do with the setting up of this online community of practice. Apologies for the delay in contributing but I am currently busy finalising text for the book. I am pleased to see that so many are already blogging. In the next day or two I will be reporting on a meeting of the Welsh Information Literacy Project which I attended on January 28th from which we can learn lessons. I will also be circulating a report on our second open meeting on January 30th and as you see results are already flowing from it.

CoPILOT (Community of Practice for Information Literacy Online Teaching)

Hi everyone,

I just want to pass on this message to you as I thought you may be interested. Please pass it on to anyone else who may find it useful:

We thought that some of you would be interested to know that a new sub-group of the CILIP Information Literacy Group called CoPILOT (Community of Practice for Information Literacy Online Teaching) has been formed. The sub-group's aim is to support and encourage the development and sharing of information literacy teaching materials as open educational resources, primarily within the UK.

The Group's initial activities will be to establish an online space for the Community of Practice and to organise a training event on Creative Commons for those who deliver IL teaching. The remit and membership of the Group is attached if you'd like to find out more about us.

We have also started work on a wiki at http://iloer.pbworks.com. If you are interested in contributing to the wiki, please contact Eleni Zazani (e.zazani@bbk.ac.uk) and Ella Mitchell (e.mitchell@UEL.AC.UK).

If you'd like to keep up with the work of the group and developments in this area, we have set up a JISCMail list - IL-OERS@jiscmail.ac.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter: @CoPILOT2013 if you wish to join the IL-OERS mailing list please follow this link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=IL-OERS and click on Subscribe.  You will be asked to register and then you will be able to join the list.

I'll keep you posted on any new developments, as I'm on the committee!

Marion Kelt

BASE e-learning

Something that might be of interest:

What is BASE E-Learning?

BASE -Library E-Learning is a platform that allows you to enhance your information and evidence retrieval skills.

This resource supports the ambition of high quality care and provides an innovative approach to learning by supporting and responding to changing needs.  Learning modules help you to develop skills to search effectively for evidence-based information and to appraise it for relevance and credibility. Learning outcomes meet recognised key skills and competencies.

BASE E-Learning was created for BASE (Birmingham and Black Country NHS Libraries) and aimed at library members to develop key skills in finding and appraising evidence based information.

Content includes:

• BASE Libraries Online Catalogue (library specific only)
• Basic and Advanced Database Searching
• How to register for Athens
• Introduction to NHS Evidence
• Critical Appraisal         
• Cochrane Library     
• Publishing, Copyright and Citations Understanding Copyright & Plagiarism in the NHS
• Individual modules can be purchased

How BASE E-learning can support YOU!

Why reinvent the wheel?  Share the best E-learning!

• As a library service do you find that you are continually delivering the same information skills training time and time again?
• Would you like to offer refresher training to your users but don't have the time
• Are you having to release your staff to conduct such training and in the process taking them away from their day to day responsibilities?

Now imagine if you could use e-learning information skills training courses that have already been developed by library staff? If only you knew what was out there and how to get them your service users.

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then BASE E-Learning could be for you!

For further information please email: Jacqui.watkeys@walsallhealthcare.nhs.uk or Sue Caldicott on s.caldicott@nhs.net for further information and cost.

Dear all,

Excellent to be blogging with The Right Information, as it were!

I currently work at Dundee College in the libraries team, which we affectionately (and confusingly!) know as the Learning Hub team. We're involved in information literacy through our Literacy and Hospitality Information Skills programmes, check the blog or sign up for the RSS feed to see a post on that soon.

I'm presonally interested in information literacy, currently completing my distance learning MSc Information and Library Studies with RGU, writing my dissertation. I'm looking at the role of the library in blended learning curriculums, specifically at the librarian's specialist skills in improving information literacy in students and how this in turn improves engagement with studies, retention and achievement.

I am from a family of teachers and my involvement with education has, thus far ;o), been life-long. With so many practitioners in the family, I've always been passionate about good education, excellent teaching and ensuring everyone learns the basics to fully participate in learning, life and work. I'm interested to see how Scotland's new Curriculum for Excellence will support or improve this, as I think there is potential there, but I'm not sure it will be realised.

Look forward to working with everyone and getting to know more people through the site.

Abi