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Information Literacy, Digital Capability, and Individual Agency

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Conceptualising the Digital University

Part of the book series: Digital Education and Learning ((DEAL))

Abstract

In this chapter the subject field of Information Literacy is reviewed and related to holistic themes of digital capability, agency, and personhood as preferred characteristics of the digital university. Information in society (Buckland, Information and society. The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA/London, 2017) and Information Literacy in the curriculum (Anderson and Johnston, From information literacy to social epistemology: insights from psychology. Chandos Publishing, Kidlington, 2016; Webber and Johnston, J Inf Lit 11(1), 2017) are discussed as being at the intersection of economy, education, and democracy and not simply as a set of information and digital skills. Information Literacy is a key quadrant of the Matrix detailed in Chap. 3; however it is seen as marginal in university academic development and in need of significant attention at all levels of digital university organisation. Related literacies—digital and media—are discussed and related to Information Literacy (Koltay 2011). The UNESCO programme of Media and Information Literacy is proposed as an emerging focus for curriculum development work on critiques of the globalisation of the information industry and the implications of monopolistic ownership for democracy.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychological Science and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK

    Bill Johnston

  2. Academic Quality and Development, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK

    Sheila MacNeill

  3. Learning and Teaching Academy, University of the Highlands and Islands, Inverness, UK

    Keith Smyth

Authors
  1. Bill Johnston
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  2. Sheila MacNeill
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  3. Keith Smyth
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Johnston, B., MacNeill, S., Smyth, K. (2018). Information Literacy, Digital Capability, and Individual Agency. In: Conceptualising the Digital University. Digital Education and Learning. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99160-3_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99160-3_6

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-99159-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-99160-3

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