Lifelong Learning, Information Literacy BC (or Beyond College)

I have been asked why I work with adults out of college on information literacy training. I am officially (okay I know am the only official at this point) coining this group "Information Literacy BC" or "IL BC". There are several solid factual reasons which I have listed below, plus I simply love working with this group of adults. Here are some facts on the classes I teach.

The ages range from mid 20's to mid 80's. These trainings have been topic specific,such as using IL BC to find jobs, or for small to medium sized business owners to grow their business. Classes also include general IL techniques with a focus on the specific information needs of the group. The needs of IL BC learners are different than a college student and different within stages of their life. For example, IL BC learners don't need to cite their work (such as APA, MLA) in a format that is required for scholarly work in college. What they do need to know is how to "cite" in their world. These include bookmarking on a home PC, saving information to a USB stick in a library, or social bookmarking to find again and share with others. They have a need to Conclude their information literacy quest (conclude is C in IN PFAC, a model used for adults needing IL BC) which includes different ways to "cite", save, share what they find. See previous post on IN PFAC for more details of this model for lifelong learners.

Why Offer Information Literacy Training for adults Out of College (BC or Beyond College)?

1. Adults  average approximately 73% of their life beyond college and in need of education in varying stages of their life  (2009 life expectancy estimate is 78.1 years for adults 16-65 years in the United States, ("Wolfram Alpha Computational Knowledge Engine").
2. Most working people will make numerous career changes during their lifetime of employment that require further education.
3. Individuals who are not in the paid "work world" still have information needs or questions and need quality information.
   
4. A healthy democratic society requires literate citizenry to take “advantage of educational opportunities, manage their finances, participate in government, secure jobs, manage health care and make choices that otherwise affect their lives.” (The Aspen Initiative)