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Unit 12: Evaluation of User Educational Programmes

literacy within a global context. The resulting Prague Declaration described information literacy as Notes
a “key to social, cultural and economic development of nations and communities, institutions and
individuals in the 21st century” and declared its acquisition as “part of the basic human right of life
long learning”.
On May 28, 2009, U.S. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger signed Executive Order
S-06-09 establishing a California ICT Digital Literacy Leadership Council, which, in turn, is directed
to establish an ICT Digital Literacy Advisory Committee. “The Leadership Council, in consultation
with the Advisory Committee, shall develop an ICT Digital Literacy Policy, to ensure that California
residents are digitally literate.” The Executive Order states further: “ ICT Digital Literacy is defined
as using digital technology, communications tools and/or networks to access, manage, integrate,
evaluate, create and communicate information in order to function in a knowledge-based economy
and society.” The Governor directs “...The Leadership Council, in consultation with the Advisory
Committee develop a California Action Plan for ICT Digital Literacy (Action Plan).” He also directs
“The California Workforce Investment Board (WIB)... [to] develop a technology literacy component
for its five-year Strategic State Plan.” His Executive Order ends with the following: “ I FURTHER
REQUEST that the Legislature and Superintendent of Public Instruction consider adopting similar
goals, and that they join the Leadership Council in issuing a “Call to Action” to schools, higher
education institutions, employers, workforce training agencies, local governments, community
organizations, and civic leaders to advance California as a global leader in ICT Digital Literacy”.
Information literacy rose to national consciousness in the U.S. with President Barack Obama’s
Proclamation designating October 2009 as National Information Literacy Awareness Month.
President Obama’s Proclamation stated that “Rather than merely possessing data, we must also
learn the skills necessary to acquire, collate, and evaluate information for any situation. Though we
may know how to find the information we need, we must also know how to evaluate it. Over the
past decade, we have seen a crisis of authenticity emerge. We now live in a world where anyone can
publish an opinion or perspective, whether true or not, and have that opinion amplified within the
information marketplace. At the same time, Americans have unprecedented access to the diverse
and independent sources of information, as well as institutions such as libraries and universities,
that can help separate truth from fiction and signal from noise.”
His Proclamation ends with: “NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim October 2009 as National Information Literacy Awareness Month.
I call upon the people of the United States to recognize the important role information plays in our
daily lives, and appreciate the need for a greater understanding of its impact.”

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:
1. ...... define information literacy as “A new liberal art that extends from knowing how to use
computers and access information to critical reflection on the nature of information.
2. The phrase information literacy first appeared in print in a 1974 report by ...... .
3. In the year ...... SCONUL, the Society of College, National and University Libraries in the
UK, published “The Seven Pillars of Information Literacy” model.
4. In 2003, the ...... together with ...... and the National Commission on Libraries and Information
Science, sponsored an international conference in Prague.
5. ....... proclamation designating October 2009 as National Information Literacy Awareness
Month.

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