A joint project carried out by Leeds University and Loughborough University, funded
by JISC studied the information literacy of non academic staff in higher education.
The in-depth, qualitative, study deployed an information audit, interviews and focus
groups with eleven staff in the Finance and Research Departments at Loughborough
University. The information literacy needs of staff were compared with the JISC iskills
model. The hierarchical and collaborative nature of the workplace meant that
people’s experience of information literacy in the workplace was more fragmented
than in the academic context. Common labels could be used to describe information
literacy in the different contexts but more emphasis was placed on data, internal
information and information from other people in the workplace. Time had an impact
on information literacy. Social networking skills were recognised as key information
literacy skills. The need for staff to know how to organise information and develop
information policies was identified