This handbook introduces the principles of public awareness-raisingwith particular emphasis on global efforts to promote awareness of Information Literacy.
Information Literacy is defined by the Association of College and Research Libraries in the United States as "the set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information." These skills are viewed by many policy makers and educators as critical to the creation of an equitable global 'Information Society' in which both developed and developing nations can share in social and economic development.
This handbook has been developed primarily as a resource for administrators, librarians, teachers, lecturers and community leaders charged with responsibility for raising public awareness about Information Literacy. It is hoped that the various approaches and strategies suggested in this publication will serve to stimulate further discussion about Information Literacy and inspire innovative new awareness-raising campaigns. The outcomes of these campaigns may in turn be shared with others through the International Information Literacy Resources Directory recently launched by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and UNESCO.
When promoting Information Literacy to our communities and countries, we should always remember that to raise public awareness is to inform community attitudes, behaviours and beliefs with the intention of influencing them positively.
Raising public awareness of any issue is not an easy undertaking and achieving lasting behavioural change is harder still. However, as this handbook demonstrates, with a basic understanding of human communication, some knowledge of effective approaches to awareness-raising, and a measure of simple planning, it is possible to affect positive, equitable and sustainable change. |