Resource Persons: 

David Bawden, City University, London, UK

Tibor Koltay, Szent István University, Gödöllö, Hungary

Martin Svoboda, State Technical Library, Prague, Czech Republic

Course Coordinator: 

Yervand Shirinyan, OSI, Budapest, Hungary

Short Biographies

Lyn Robinson works as a freelance information specialist in London, with a particular interest in the impact of new technologies on information communication and society. She has worked with the Open Society Institute's Network Library Program since 1996, and has travelled widely within Central and Eastern Europe to deliver courses and workshops. Lyn is an experienced lecturer, running several IT related courses in the UK for ASLIB, the Association for Information Management, and for City University, London. Previous positions have included IT Manager for the British Postgraduate Medical Federation within the University of London, and Manger of the Medical School Computer Unit at University College London. She is the author of Installing a Local Area Network, an ASLIB Know How Guide, and a collection of papers, articles and reviews.

Course aims

The purpose of the course is to provide participants with knowledge, understanding and skills in the area of digital literacy, and to enable them to conduct teaching and training in this topic.

We take digital literacy ("literacy for an information age") to mean:

The concept is rooted in Popper's thought on sources of knowledge, and on critical evaluation and analysis. It has come to prominence with the growth of networked, digital information. Promotion of digital literacy is a significant task for the formation and strengthening of open society.

The role of librarians, and other information specialists, in promoting digital literacy, is a relatively new topic for the Library and Information Science (LIS) discipline, but it is receiving great interest, in terms of both research and of curriculum development for formal education and for in-service training, worldwide. This course will help LIS educators and trainers throughout the region to reflect on the concept and its significance, and to develop curricula, teaching materials and approaches.

Course objectives

On completing the course, participants will

Course level

This course is designed for teachers and trainers of librarianship, information science and related subjects, researchers and research students in these areas, and for practitioners of librarianship and other information disciplines, who have some responsibility for planning or conducting training.

All participants will have at least first-degree level qualification in a relevant subject area. They will either be employed in a teaching or training function, or will be engaged in professional practice or research and have some teaching or training experience.

Attention is drawn to the distance learning component of the course, which is exemplified more fully in the next section. Participants will be required to complete distance learning assignments both before and after the residential week, and must therefore have access to both electronic mail and the world wide web. A high level of self-motivation is essential.

Course delivery

This course contains an element of distance learning. It is designed to take advantage of computing and communications technology, so that students can continue to learn and develop skills from their home locations. Distance learning activities will include background reading, (both printed and online texts), writing of summaries, outlines and essays, searching for information, presentation of ideas via the web, discussion and communication via email and the preparation of teaching/reference materials suitable for local needs.

All students must be able to send and receive email, and to access the world wide web. It is not necessary for students to have access to a local web server for hosting material, although this would be useful. Students whose organization does not have a web server will be able to publish their work on the course web server.

The course is equivalent to a two-week residential course at CEU Summer University, which includes 50 hours activity time. The phases of the course are as follows:

Teaching methods

During the initial distance learning phase students will be introduced to the concepts of remote education, as well as to the subject of digital literacy. Tuition will be via email discussion, guided reading, and a series of exercises delivered via email. Students will be required to submit brief summaries of work to both the tutors and their fellow participants via email and a discussion list respectively.

Teaching during the residential week in Budapest will be based on a series of lectures and demonstrations, which will be augmented by discussion work and student presentations during the classes. Reading assignments will be set from the books chosen to accompany the course (book donation), and there will be opportunity for practical work in the computer lab, where appropriate.

Throughout the main distance learning phase, students will be expected to undertake further research on the topics introduced during the residential phase. This will allow the students to gain skills in conducting research in a networked environment, in addition to progressing their knowledge within the field of digital literacy. Assignments will include an essay, preparation of teaching or reference material, and submission of the latter to the course web page. Communication with other students will be via a discussion list, while personal email will be used for communication between students and lecturers.

Following the course, participants will be encouraged to exchange views and communicate with each other, and with participants from previous summer school courses, and also with fellow professionals involved with the Network Library Program Training Centre Initiative.

Please note that distance learning events will be led by Lyn Robinson and David Bawden.

Syllabus

The concept of digital literacy is broad; the main issues will be introduced during the initial phase of the course, before the students arrive in Budapest. For the face-to-face week, the our subject will be divided into component aspects, which will each be explored in a series of half day sessions, using the teaching methods described above. Each half day will have a session leader(s), listed below, and will last for 2.5 hours.

Digital and traditional information resources will be described and compared, with reference to their nature, range, and typology. Emphasis will be placed on modern methods of knowledge organisation and metadata.

A description and exemplification of search and retrieve tools and techniques will lead on to consideration of search strategies and tactics, and comparison of best practice. The relative advantages and disadvantages of Internet materials with regard to other formats will be discussed.

This session will deal with the criteria of quality for information resources, and with issues of relevance, usefulness, meaning and context. The importance of critical thinking, and the creation o frameworks of understanding for dealing with complex information will be emphasised.

Contemporary use of technology in libraries, including automated library management systems, document delivery and copyright issues.

Ways of teaching and promoting digital literacy, and the effective use of technology for both local and remote education. Current programs and examples.

This section will draw together the ideas put forward in our other sessions, and set them within the context of librarianship today, highlighting new roles and issues. These will include: freedom of information, privacy and data protection, copyright and intellectual property, information overload and knowledge management. The role of the library in the promotion of an open society will be reintroduced and re-emphasised.

The exact course content will be confirmed over the next few months, and more detailed information will be made available so please check here regularly.