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A look at critical information literacy from Europe's educability project.

Abstract:

This article approximates the concept of Critical Information Literacy based on the Educability project: Building the Capacity of Educators & Librarians in Information Literacy. Funded by the European Union and conducted between 2020 and 2023 by four European universities, this project aims to address contemporary socio-technological challenges through information literacy training. Methodology encompasses a literature review, analysis of target audience needs, and a Delphi study to assess the proposed curriculum design. This paper focuses on the current dimension of Critical Information Literacy, emphasizing its role in promoting equity, preventing misinformation, and fostering critical thinking in an evolving digital environment. Findings reveal a progression in defining Critical Information Literacy, emphasizing the promotion of critical thinking and engagement with information sources, urging individuals to question established practices. Through a Delphi study involving experts, key definitions were evaluated and categorized, informing the development of a training course. The study underscores the evolving role of academic librarians in facilitating critical engagement with information amidst societal changes. It also highlights the importance of addressing emerging digital challenges, such as misinformation and algorithmic bias, through innovative educational approaches. Overall, the research contributes to advancing Critical Information Literacy and digital skills training, fostering informed citizenship and social responsibility.
Keywords: Critical information literacyInformation literacy trainingDigital skillsAcademic libraries

Introduction:

It is widely known that the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) which are constantly evolving, have had multiple effects, one very famously being the rise of the Information Society. This is a kind of post-industrial society in which ICT tools enable people to create, manage, process, innovate with, communicate, and distribute information, generating a new social, economic, and cultural model, as well as a series of radically new parameters in the psychology and behaviour of individuals. The Internet could only have emerged from a set of decentralized communication networks, and one of its most powerful services and systems is the Web. This, in turn, has completely altered communication media and modalities, and scholars and specialists are even telling us that we are going through an Information Revolution, which is succeeding the Industrial Revolution as a socio-economic model. The phenomenon is, naturally, very complex in its characterization and dynamics (a new production mode and socio-economic model). But the Web, moreover, is undergoing a pronounced and overwhelming process of evolution that is transforming everything (Web 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and the Semantic Web), to the point of bringing forth what some scholars are calling the Knowledge Society, as a necessary derivation of a class of information that is enriched, interpreted, argued, and reasoned. The effects of this information-related behaviour on the part of users of the Web (with its socio-economic repercussions) are expanding.