Libraries 4 Lifelong Learning 4[2], June 2005

Drinking from a firehose: developing comprehensive literacy skills

Extract from keynote address by Anthony G Wilhelm
'They threw me a computer ... but what I really needed was a life preserver'.

Rather than embracing buzz words such as 'information literacy' I want to operationalise the set of skills and knowledge that constitutes essential literacy in a modern society. We know that without basic literacy, access to technology is virtually meaningless, so reading in the early grades is a major predictor of future educational success. However, functional illiteracy continues to affect as many as one in five adults, meaning that they are unable to apply their basic literacy skills to daily activities such as filling out job applications or reading product labels.

Computer literacy, or technology literacy, the ability to utilise common information technology tools, is becoming essential. Since technology is constantly changing, there is a premium on adaptability and the need to continuously update one's skills.

Another skill entails managing the quantity and quality of information that using the internet demands. Unlike the traditional media which digest and pre-package information, drinking from the firehose of the internet puts the onus on the individual to control and manage the flow of information. We are already witnessing the phenomenon that web users trust online sources more than print or broadcast sources, when in fact the quality of information runs the gamut. Citizens need the skill to judge accuracy, bias and timeliness of information retrieved from the internet. But schools are placing emphasis in kids having all the information at their fingertips, with the naïve assumption that they will know what to do with it.

Citizens then need to go one step further and possess the skills to apply all this information to their everyday needs. Government departments are developing portals for self-help information so that people can become better acquainted with their rights and entitlements. But we must be careful that self-help does not displace well trained care-givers, social workers and librarians who can navigate people from disadvantaged backgrounds through a system which would otherwise stack the deck against them.

Clearly there is a need to go beyond the 'back to basics' discussion. Lifelong learning is really the phrase which captures the approach which will ensure a full set of functional literacies necessary for full participation. Libraries and museums have a central role to play in ensuring access and effective use of technologies which will move the truly disadvantaged into the mainstream of modern society. But it is vital that a substantial investment be made into staff training and the creation of learning communities as staff update their competencies and continually keep pace with the latest applications.