Paul G. Zurkowski

Paul G. Zurkowski is the originator of the term “information literacy”. He first used this term in 1974 in a proposal to the US National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. At the time he coined the term he was president of the Information Industry Association. He held this position for 20 years, from 1969 to 1989. A lawyer by profession, graduated from University of Wisconsin Law School in 1957, with interests in intellectual property and copyright, Zurkowski observed at the time that only small portion of the U.S. population really understood the emerging new information access routes and how these new routes would have a definitive impact their economic and social lives. Zurkowski’s calls for the creation of a major national universal information literacy program by 1984 went unheeded. His vision for information literacy skill development was not library centric, but advocates for a universal approach in its delivery across all trades, occupations and professions. For Zurkowski, the essence of information literacy is the ability to know how to handle information so that it can be used effectively to solve problems. Zurkowski views information literacy skills as a critical stepping stone in the creation of wealth, a key element for national economic development.

Source: National Forum on Information Literacy Website

Dr. Christine Bruce

Dr Christine Bruce is Professor in the Information Systems School, Science and Engineering Faculty, QUT, Australia. She has an extensive research and publication profile in information literacy and higher education teaching and learning. Dr. Bruce has a special focus on information literacy and learning, with her team she has investigated information literacy from this angle across educational, workplace and community contexts. Her most recent book publication on information literacy was Informed Learning, 2008. Dr. Bruce also regularly consults and facilitates workshops on information literacy in the university sector around the world. She has delivered 19 keynote addresses in the last ten years in ten different countries. She is presently convenor of the QUT Higher Education Research Network, and Higher Degree Research Director in the Information Systems School. She served as Director and Assistant Dean, Teaching and Learning for the Faculty of Information Technology between 2001- 2006. She was awarded an Australian Learning and Teaching Council Fellowship in 2008. She is a an assessor for the Australian Research Council, a member of the Board of Directors for the US National Forum for Information Literacy, a member of the Reference Group for the University of San Jose SLIS Research Center, and a member of the Board of Directors for the LiNCS research centre at the University of Gothenburg, Faculty of Education. In 2010 Dr. Bruce received the Library Board of Queensland Award for her contributions to information literacy research and education. Archived versions of her publications are available at Eprints: eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Bruce,_Christine.html

Dr Indrajit Banerjee

Dr. Banerjee is Director of the Information Society Division of Communication and Information Sector of UNESCO. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Arts and Sciences (1985) from the Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Pondicherry (India), and a Master of Arts degree in French (1988) from the Jawaharial Nehru University, New Delhi (India). In 1990, he obtained a Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies and, in 1994, Ph.D. in Communication and in Didactics from the Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris (France). From 1995 to 1996, Dr Banerjee pursued a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in Communication and Media at the Université du Québec, Montreal (Canada). He was Adjunct Faculty at the University of Ottawa (Canada) from 1996 to 1997. In 1998, he became Associate Professor at the School of Communication and Information, first at the University Science Malaysia and, from 2001 to 2009, at the Nanyang Technological University. Between 2004 and 2009, Dr Banerjee also served as Secretary-General of the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) in Singapore, where he launched a large number of research and publication projects, media conferences, seminars and training workshops. In July 2009, Dr Banerjee was appointed as Chief of Information and Communication Technology in the Education, Science and Culture Section of the Communication and Information Sector. In this capacity, he has undertaken numerous projects and initiatives, as well as established partnerships with a number of public and private entities. Dr Banerjee is a member of the International Communication Association (ICA), the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) and of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). He has authored several books and numerous articles in his field of competence.