Welsh Information Literacy Project – Phase 2

Summary of activities January 2012 
The Welsh Information Literacy Project aims to promote the understanding and development of information literacy in education, the workplace, and the wider community in Wales. The project is based at Cardiff University and funded by CyMAL. Phase one of the project ran from September 2010 to March 2011. The second phase of the project is running from April 2011 till the end of March 2012. Joy Head worked as Information Literacy Development Officer on the project until November. Since then the role has been divided between Sarah Puzey and Louise Harrington at Cardiff University, and Pat Hebron at Coleg Llandrillo, all working part-time.

Progress in Phase 2
One of the first tasks of phase 2 was to reflect on the consultation on the draft framework.  By the summer, the final Information Literacy Framework for Wales had been approved and made available on the web and in print.  The framework provides national levels of information literacy for all levels of learners, mapping information literacy learning objectives across the CQFW levels and integrating relevant learning objectives from the Skills Framework for 3 to 19-year-olds. The Framework is available on the Welsh Information Literacy Project website http://www.welshinformationliteracy.org/ and in Welsh at http://www.llythrenneddgwybodaethcymru.org/.

Agored Cymru, in partnership with the project and with NIACE Dysgu Cymru and Colegau Cymru, have since built on the Framework by creating units of learning to accredit information literacy learning.  These units are available, again on the website, from entry level 1 up to level 4 (which equates to first year undergraduates, or Certificates of Higher Education).  The units are now being piloted and then will be available for anyone to use to accredit information literacy learning. Pat Hebron is supporting and promoting these pilots and writing case studies which will be added to the project website.

We have conducted a benefits analysis advocating information literacy in the workplace and for employability. The benefits analysis has been added to the project website, including case studies of information literacy within various workplaces and sectors. Louise Harrington will be enhancing the analysis with presentation slides and an infographic to help disseminate the message. 

The project is also producing materials for librarians to advocate information literacy in schools and initial teacher training. A short PowerPoint presentation explaining the benefits of information literacy to teachers and schools is available to adapt, and the project has now created a new leaflet. The leaflet is being distributed to school librarians, school library services and librarians in FE and HE supporting initial-teacher training. Sarah Puzey is also creating resources (a presentation and infographic) promoting information literacy to students on initial teacher training. Sarah will be in touch with education librarians soon but would love to hear from those involved in ITT in the meantime. All the resources (including a digital version of the leaflet) are available on the project website. 

Information literacy is key to digital inclusion. The project is recognised as part of the solution and is mentioned in Welsh Government reports such as the Digital Wales Directory of Projects. We are currently updating the project website to create a new section on digital inclusion to highlight the link. 

Phase 3
Cardiff University will be passing the baton (Olympic torch?) of the project to Coleg Llandrillo for phase 3.  Subject to funding, the next phase will be focusing on embedding information literacy in schools, equipping public library staff to facilitate information literacy development and further promoting and supporting the information literacy units of learning. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported the project so far.  Do get in touch if you would like further information, copies of our printed materials, or have any comments on the website or future direction.  Thank you too to the steering group, from all library sectors in Wales, who have been so active over the past two years in steering a path for the project. Keep in touch with us through our blog or on twitter at @Welsh_Info_Lit  

Cathie Jackson
Project Manager
Welsh Information Literacy Project
welshinformationliteracy@cardiff.ac.uk