The problem of currency: Information literacy in the context of Australia as a learning society

Abstract

In recent years, the term information literacy has come to stand for a cluster of abilities that are required to cope with, and to take advantage of, the unprecedented amounts of information which surround—and at times overwhelm—us in our daily life and work. In Australia, as in other advanced industrialised countries, the attainment of information literacy has become a major educational goal.However information literacy is not simply a response to the demands of the information society, but an important set of intellectual accomplishments that can aid in the realisation of the ‘learning society’. This is an ideal whereby all members of society would have lifelong learning opportunities which are fulfilled through access to a limitless variety of agencies and experiences in addition to those provided by the formal education system.Using the theme of ‘currency’ as an organising principle, this paper explores six aspects of information literacy in the Australian context. It then passes to a consideration of the notion of Australia as a learning society, and presents a three part model of what is required—from the perspective of an individual—for the learning society to become a reality. Finally, the six aspects of information literacy are superimposed onto the three-part model, and it is argued that individual attainment of information literacy—so necessary in the context of the information society—is also necessary (but not in itself sufficient) for people to be able to participate fully and actively in the emerging learning society.This paper was originally given as a keynote address at the first Australian Conference on ‘Information literacy: The Australian agenda’ held at Adelaide, 2–4 December 1992.