www.empat-ic.eu

Project funded by the European Commission under the Lifelong Learning Programme

Empowering Autonomous Learning through Information Competencies  

Information  Literacy  in  the  four  learning  sectors    (school,  higher  education,  vocational  education  and  training,    

and  adult/lifelong  learning)    

Non-­‐sector  specific  recommendations  to  Policy  Makers    made  by  final  conference  participants

 

EMPATIC  hosted   two  events   for  policy  makers   and   representatives  of   education,  national   and  international  institutions  to  verify  findings  and  recommendations.    The  first,  the  Department  of  Educational   Studies   of   Ghent   University   in   cooperation  with   the   EMPATIC   and   EMSOC   teams  organized   the   International   Conference   “Literacy   and   Society,   Culture,   Media,   &   Education”  (http://www.literacyconference2012.ugent.be/),   held  9   -­‐   11   February  2012   in  Ghent,   Belgium.      The  second,   that  of   the  Final  Conference  was  held  in   conjunction  with  EMMILE   (the  European  Meeting  on  Media  and  Information  Literacy),  Milan  27  -­‐  29  February  2012.  

As   a   result   the   following   general   recommendations   of   both   strategic   and   tactical   nature   have  been  formulated:    

1. Information   Literacy   is   vital   for   the   today’s   society   in   Europe   and   as   such   should   be  developed  and  promoted  in  different  contexts  and  by  various  means.    

2. The   importance   of   Information   Literacy   needs   to   be   publicized   not   only   to   governments,  ministries   and   policy   makers   at   national   and   EU   levels   but   also   to   local   authorities,  businesses,  small  social  groups  and  all  citizens.    

3. The  strategy  of  IL  development  should  encompass  two  main  lines  of  action:    

a. IL   awareness   building   among   authorities   and   governments   at   national   and   European  levels    

b. Substantial,  real  work,  “step  by  step”,  “project  by  project”  on  the  local  level  by  individual  schools,  universities,  libraries,  etc.    

4. Most   participants   expressed   the   feeling   that   “slow”   strategy,   based   on   “small   projects”  addressed  to  different  target  groups,  communities,  professions,  etc.  would  be  more  effective  than  having  a  central  EU  body  responsible  for  the  IL  development  or  the  formal  European  IL  policy   directives.   Thus,   the   “IL   awareness   building”   and   “central   goals”   approach   clearly  prevailed   over   the   “central   steering”   one.     Also,   having   clearly   stated   Information   Literacy  goals   (national,   European)   may   help   to   convince/influence   local   authorities   to   support   IL  development  programmes.    

5. “Incentives   work   better   than   orders”,   meaning   that   IL   development   policy   based   on  incentives   for   those   who   introduce   IL   (teachers,   librarians,   businesses,   local   authorities)  would  be  an  effective  strategy.    

6. EMPATIC  had  started  a  process  for  the  identification  of  past  experience  and  development  of  case   studies   of   good   practice   through   EC-­‐funded   programmes.   However,   this   approach  should  be  extended  to  all  known  IL  and  Information  Competencies  projects.  This  is  important  for  policy  makers.    

   The  main  purpose  of  the  EMPATIC  recommendations  is  to  stimulate  action