Jan 2006 - Volume 5 Issue 1
Information literacy: challenges of implementation

Editorial by Susie Andretta
London Metropolitan University

Information literacy education is described by the authors of this special issue of Italics as fully embedded in the process of independent and lifelong learning practices. Full integration of information literacy is advocated at various levels of education, through the adoption of real-world assessment strategies, and through a critical pedagogy. These are necessary steps towards the development of independent learning, and ultimately, towards the establishment of a learning society.

Whilst the arguments in favour of information literacy's integration in the national learning agenda are discussed elsewhere (Town, 2003; Andretta, 2005), in this issue we look at experiences of information practices that highlight the concerns of educators from diverse professional backgrounds including academic librarians, as well as faculty and research staff from Library and Information Science and Education. This confirms the point that information literacy is not just the responsibility of the library, but has a wider remit for educational and social developments (Snavely, 2001).

It is therefore hoped that this special issue will be relevant to a wide readership consisting of educators in general, and not just those who actively promote information literacy education. One of the key issues presented here is that information literacy is a fundamental requirement for a learning society. As a result Higher Education institutions need to implement information literacy education as a top-down initiative, where lifelong learning initiatives are promoted by institutional learning and teaching policies, and as a bottom up approach to fully integrate these strategies in curricular activities that facilitate a dynamic investigation of the disciplines.

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