Jake Wallis

Cyberspace, information literacy and the information society

Purpose – To establish that, in the opinion of the author, there is a need for an information literacy skill set for citizens of the modern information society, and that the role of library and information professionals may have to evolve, from intermediaries to facilitators and trainers.Design/methodology/approach – An opinion piece based on the authors experiences in digital library research, as a citizen of an information society and as a worker in the knowledge economy.Findings – That citizens of information societies have direct access to a bewildering range of digital information resources. Librarians and information professionals face less demand for their traditional role as intermediaries. Information literacy is defined and described as a vital skill set for citizens of information societies. It is suggested that librarians and information professionals are needed to pass on these skills to citizens at all levels of society for economic, social and personal empowerment.Research limitations/impl...

Information‐saturated yet ignorant: information mediation as social empowerment in the knowledge economy

In today’s information society, the information citizen must face a variety of challenges in order to make the most of their role in the knowledge economy. The role of information as knowledge capital means that there is a danger of inappropriate commercialisation of information, which can militate against the optimal social use of this resource. Similarly, low levels of information literacy can exclude the individual from full membership of the information society. Information professionals are in a prime position to address these problems, since the information mediator can both act against inappropriate commercialisation of information and offset the social disadvantages of information illiteracy. If the information professional does not rise to the challenge of leadership within the new information order, society become “information‐saturated and simultaneously ignorant”.

The web, accessibility, and inclusion: networked democracy in the United Kingdom

Purpose – To highlight and offer guidance on good practice in web accessibility within the context of the United Kingdom governments agendas of social inclusion, widening access to education and the modernisation of public services.Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on the most current data available from the Department for Education and Skills, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, and performance reports from the Cabinet Office. Conclusions on the current and future directions of government strategy are drawn from analysis of policy documents and statements, as well as from the data sets themselves. The paper makes reference to international web content standards and relevant legislation.Findings – Argues that the accessibility of the online environment is essential in relation to the governments attempts to shape the UK into a socially inclusive knowledge economy.Research limitations/implications – Focuses on the United Kingdom and draws conclusions from data sets from the Depa...

Facilitating Scottish cultural publishing online

The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the goals and broad outcomes of the SAPIENS project. SAPIENS was set up to provide electronic versions of current Scottish cultural periodicals. The projects approach was to offer assistance to smaller Scottish publishers to create online serial publications by providing server space, technical support, a high‐profile gateway and various value‐added services, thus, heightening Scotlands cultural presence in the global information environment. This not only increases the visibility of Scottish knowledge and research, but accessibility of learning resources and scholarly work on Scottish culture can be widened, perpetuating the study of Scotlands cultural heritage. The project has shown that electronic publishing is not cost‐free and that a subscription model is necessary to sustain such a service.