**Apologies for cross-posting**

Tipping the scales: tackling information obesity to ensure productive
and sustainable information resources
A joint UKeiG/BDA Knowledge Management meeting

to be held at the
British Dental Association, 64 Wimpole Street, London W1G8YS
Tuesday, 29th June 2010, 9.30 - 16.30
			
Course Outline
"Information obesity" describes a condition whereby available
information resources are not being used in a productive and sustainable
way by individuals or communities. Like physical obesity, it is not just
the result of consuming too much, but is linked to declines in the
information's quality, and individuals' and communities' awareness of
problems which arise through over-consumption. Fitness and (mental)
exercise also come into play. The consequences of information obesity
may be severe if left unchecked; it will lead to a decline in our
ability to manage knowledge, both in our communities and our workplaces.


As a teaching strategy, information literacy (IL) can partly help to
combat the condition. However, as traditionally defined, IL does not
address the ways in which the structure of organisations and our own
innate cognitive biases prevent us acting as independent and self-aware
evaluators of the information we find. This course will help
participants understand these biases and how, through work at the
community level, they may be overcome, in order that we start using
information to sustain ourselves and our communities, and not just
consume it unthinkingly.

This one-day course will include time for plenty of discussion and
practical activity. Participants will be encouraged to share their
experiences with others and also to build a network of practice after
the event. Sessions will include: 
*	Identifying information obesity: structural, individual and
community-level explanations
*	How information literacy helps: and how it is limited
*	Cognitive biases, and why they matter
*	How organisations affect the way we think
*	The holistic approach to IL: subjective, objective and
inter-subjective value
*	Problem-based learning; student- and community-led research
projects

Who should attend?
Anyone working with information in formal, non-formal or informal
education, who has an interest in enhancing their teaching of
information studies and/or knowledge management, to students or to
colleagues as part of their professional development work. This
includes: 
*	information professionals; 
*	teachers/lecturers at any level of education; 
*	managers (particularly, but not only, those with
responsibilities for information and knowledge management and
dissemination); 
*	other stakeholders in education.
Course Presenter: 
Dr Andrew Whitworth is the Programme Director for the MA: Digital
Technologies, Communication and Education at the University of
Manchester. He has published widely in the field of information literacy
including the 2009 book with Chandos, "Information Obesity". His "Media
and Information Literacy" course at Manchester was recognised by the
LLIDA (Learning Literacies for a Digital Age) project as an exemplar of
learning literacies education.

To register your interest in this meeting, reserve a place, or request
further details, please email [log in to unmask] or visit the UKeiG
website at www.ukeig.org.uk 
			
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in the content and relevance of training courses. See
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UKeiG is a Special Interest Group of CILIP: the Chartered Institute of
Library and Information Professionals.
7 Ridgmount Street, London, WC1E 7AE. Registered Charity No. 313014.

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