Information literacy, competencies and curriculum: an international round table

Information literacy, competencies and curriculum: an international round table

Milano (Italy)  Palazzo Stelline 15-16 March 2007

Monica Vezzosi  - Msc Information Sciences,University of Parma (Italy)
monica.vezzosi@unipr.it

More than 2000 librarians attended the annual Italian conference on Information Literacy which took place in Milan from 15 to 16 March at the Palazzo delle Stelline.

The conference hosted  a round table organised by the International Master in Information and Communication Sciences Università di Parma / Northumbria University at Newcastle.  The goal of the round table was to connect academic teachers and professionals for a joint debate on the competencies required to librarians involved in Information Literacy activities as well as the development of  LIS school curricula.

The round table was chaired by Pat Dixon and Anna Maria Tammaro (University of Parma - Italy) and offered a broad  international perspective, thanks to the presence of teachers and professionals from different countries.

Terry Weech University of Illinois - USA
Information Literacy in Schools of Library & Information Science

Sylvie Chevillotte ENSSIB - France
Competencies and curriculum for Information Literacy

Sirje Virkus Tallinn University – Estonia
Information Literacy within LIS curriculum

Judith Broady-Preston University of Wales, Aberystwyth – UK
Thoughts on skills and competencies for information studies/literacy

John van de Pas   Saxion Hogescholen, Deventer - The Netherlands
Thoughts on information literacy – the dutch context

Helen Boelens Kalsbeek College - The Netherlands
An internationally accredited E-learning programme, in a number of different languages, for school librarians, teaching librarians and school information specialists.

Petra Hauke Humboldt University,  Berlin – Germany
Topics of IL in the LIS Curriculum at the Institute for Library and Information Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany

Even if the focus of the round table was on librarians’ competencies, the discussion was broadened to include a comparison of different theoretical approaches and definitions of Information Literacy. The role of information professionals in the learning society and the need to include pedagogical contents into the LIS curricola were also stressed, together with the importance of linking Information Literacy practice and research.  All the participants agreed on the importance of international cooperation and on the role that professional associations can play for the development, promotion and communication of Information Literacy.