Information literacy as a tool to support political participation

Lauren Smith

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Recent political events have raised the profile of information literacy as a potential tool for supporting informed political participation. This article emphasises the importance of supporting political engagement through information provision and information literacy development, drawing on findings from two research projects to discuss what information needs young people have in relation to political engagement and identify some examples of work taking place in Scottish school libraries to help young people develop political knowledge and feel able to participate meaningfully in democratic processes. Some of the main barriers to libraries engaging with this work are also discussed.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)14-23
Number of pages10
JournalLibrary and Information Research
Volume40
Issue number123
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Dec 2016

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • political information
  • information literacy
  • scotland
  • political participation
  • education
  • education policy
  • scottish independence referendum
  • general election
  • school librarianship
  • Secondary Education. High schools
  • Library Science. Information Science
  • Education
  • Library and Information Sciences

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