[See update by Joan Challinor on behalf of National Commission on Libraries and Information Science in Member Reports section, from the Part 1 Summary].

• UCLA Pac Bell Initiative: the Forum was given the following press release regarding the new Pac Bell web site:

Los Angeles – September 23, 2002 – The Pacific Bell/UCLA Initiative for 21st Century Literacies and SBC Pacific Bell announced today the launch of the SBC Pacific Bell Knowledge Network Explorer 21st Century Literacies web site http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/21stcent. The site provides teachers and librarians with perspectives and resources to support them in providing our nation’s youth with the 21st century literacy skills needed for today’s multimedia world.

The Pacific Bell/UCLA Initiative for 21st Century Literacies is the outcome of a $1 million gift from SBC Pacific Bell to UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. The donation is intended to allow students and educators to explore the meaning of literacy in an age of rapidly changing technologies and growing diversity.

“This new site incorporates a variety of tools cutting across several important literacy areas, so educators and librarians can assist young people in acquiring the skills essential in the Information Age,” said Bob Campbell, SBC Pacific Bell Vice President, Public Sector. “We are very proud to be involved in the development of this project. It represents our long-standing commitment to education.”

“The rapid growth of technology in the classroom, library, and workplace demands enhanced skill sets in order to take full advantage of the new opportunities,” said Aimee Dorr, dean of UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. “Teaming the with SBC Pacific Bell, we have created a site where educators, librarians, and parents can find the resources and tools needed to address multiple literacies with children and teens.”

“21st century literacies” refer to the skills needed to flourish in the world both today and tomorrow. As the information flows in ever-greater abundance-often unmediated across technologies, languages, and cultures-the ability to define an information need, access and evaluate resources, use information effectively, and produce multimedia content is critical for full participation in society. Likewise, understanding how socio-economic cultural forces shape content, form and delivery empowers young people to think critically and independently.

Further information about the Pacific bell/UCLA Initiative for 21st Century Literacies is available at: http://www.newliteracies.gseis.ucla.edu.

• New members of the Forum: NSBU (National Small Business United), and SCONUL, a United Kingdom research group.



• Australia and New Zealand—The new ANZIIL initiative is designed to support organizations concerned with embedding information literacy into the total education process, in vocational and higher education, and it is also a new Forum member.

The mission of ANZIIL is to support organizations, institutions and individuals in the promotion of information literacy and, in particular, the embedding of information literacy within the total educational process. The ways in which ANZIIL can achieve this mission is by the identification, facilitation, fostering and support of best practice in information literacy education through:

• Professional development
• Promotion, marketing and advocacy
• Research

ANZIIL’s activities and initiative will primarily target vocational and higher education. It is intended that the Institute will collaborate with a range of national and international organizations, forums and groups to complement their existing information literacy aims, objectives and initiatives.

• The Middle States Commission on Accreditation has been involved in a project focusing on faculty/librarian collaboration to promote information literacy and to integrate it into the curriculum. Oswald Ratteray of the Middle States Commission has written a report on this initiative.



• Dow Chemical has developed a “Six Sigma” curriculum that aims to leverage information literacy in companies by measuring deficits in information literacy abilities and knowledge in corporate settings. Julie Oman reports: “This has provided a great opportunity to continue the message with regards to information literacy and the need to provide employees with information skills and competencies. We have a goal in play for next year to address this exact issue and integrate information literacy into the Six Sigma curriculum. I expect (hope for?) some great things in 2003 since Dow has a commitment to have all employees some how engaged with Six Sigma.

  Meanwhile, the workshop I helped with last year on Science and Technology Practices that was geared towards our Research and Development community has been rolled out – the module that received the most positive feedback was the one we built around the “information process” concept – showing employees the steps in recognizing their information problem, finding, gathering, using, evaluating, etc. Many folks commented on the fact they just did not realize what was available to them and how to tape into it. I am now lobbying for a generic learning resource on the information process for all employees. This fits nicely with Dow’s People Strategy, which includes a goal around our employee’s ability to leverage learning and knowledge.

  So things continue to progress. I believe external factors like what recently occurred with Enron has made the company much more sensitive as to how employees deal with information – both from a contributor and a consumer perspective. This has been a good deal for those of us in knowledge management as it has made folks more receptive to our key messages.”

• The next discussion topic for the Forum (at the January meeting) will be “health literacy.”

January 10, 2003
May 2, 2003