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Library statistics and their relevance for education and culture

Simon Ellis

Head of Science Culture and Communications Statistics

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LIBRARIES AND EDUCATION

Literacy

Textbook supply

Higher Education

Continuing Education

Training

Information literacy

A Bangalore Primary School

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International demand for information literacy statistics

Millennium Development Goals

• Indicator framework; Youth literacy levels an indicator of the sustainable benefits of primary education

World Summit on the Information Society

• Access to public information

• Indicator framework; Partnership for Measurement of ICTs for Development – UNESCO, ITU, UNCTAD, OECD, EU, UN

Education For All

• Literacies important for all goals especially

• Goal 4 ‘ achieving a 50% improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015’

• Indicator framework; UNESCO Global EFA Monitoring Report includes ‘literate environment’ = information literacy

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Measuring literacy

Dichotomous measure – ‘literate’ v. ‘illiterate’

Problems;

» Up to 30% ‘proxy’ response by head of household

» Self declaration

» Single sentence

Literacy rates on this measure have been rising in all regions

The global number of illiterates is expected to fall from 692 million in 2005 to 657 million in 2015,

• half of these illiterates will be in south and west Asia

while

• in Sub Saharan Africa the number of illiterates is expected to rise by over 13 million adults between 2005 and 2015

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LAMP

Definition stemming from OECD/Statistics Canada International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS)

Sees literac(ies) as a continuum of skills

Locator test divides people in those who are ‘literate’ and those with lesser skills levels

Those with lower levels take tests on ‘components’ such as

• Recognising the alphabet

• Reading short ‘nonsense’ words

• Simple sentence comprehension

LAMP background questionnaire also asks about access to media in the home; time spent reading, accessing a computer, listening to TV/radio.

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Types of Skills

Basic skills

• literacy

• numeracy

Generic skills

• team working,

• communications

• access to information

Information literacy skills

• Recognise information needs

• Locate and evaluate the quality of information

• Store and retrieve information

• Make effective use of information

• Apply information to create and communicate knowledge

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Higher Education

UIS collects enrolment and graduation data for all countries on an annual basis (OECD and EU provide data using common UOE questionnaire)

» ISCED 5; ‘first degree’, ISCED 6; doctorate & research

The data is organised by broad categories of Field of Study

» ….. 21 Arts, 22 Humanities….38 Law, 42 Life sciences

Much interest in higher education mobility

» Student mobility; ‘foreign’ or non-resident students

» UOE (UNESCO/OECD/EU) Science study on careers of doctorate holders

– motivations, university > industry, unemployment

UIS Education survey does NOT collect data on higher education libraries

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LIBRARIES AND CULTURE

Preservation and archiving

Tangible and intangible heritage

Transmission of cultural values

Languages; translation,endangered, oral/written

Performance and recording; video, music, dance, theatre

Expression of cultural diversity

Books of Timboktou

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UNESCO Framework for Cultural Statistics

Why update from 1986?

Globalisation of culture including digital production and dissemination

Need for a holistic view of culture incorporating heritage assets, especially intangible heritage

Need to fully reflect cultural products and practices from different countries/regions (cf Africa & NZealand on intangible)

New UNESCO conventions on heritage and diversity

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Principals of implementation

There are NO resources for culture statistics in developing countries so we must start with what does exist, in the population census, the labour force survey, and economic data, using existing statistical frameworks > ISIC and ISCO, with CPC

Pragmatic; start with what data is available to create demand

Flexible; choice of sectors must to some degree be left to countries to reflects cultural realities ie sports.

Extensible; where there is demand for cultural statistics in more depth the Framework should guide countries in how to go beyond the ‘minimal’ ie participation surveys

Europe is the region with the most experience in cultural statistics (Latin America 2nd). Europe will be able to refine definitions and produce statistics to lead the way

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The creative chain

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Suggested structure

RELATED DOMAINS

A. CULTURAL & NATURAL HERITAGE

B. PERFORMANCE & CELEBRATION

C. VISUAL ARTS,

CRAFTS & DESIGN

D. BOOKS & PRESS

E. AUDIO-VISUAL & DIGITAL MEDIA

F. TOURISM, SPORT & LEISURE

CORE CULTURAL DOMAINS

2. EXPANDED- Musical instruments- Sound, light etc.- Equipment and materials

2. EXPANDED- Architecture- Advertising- Equipment and materials

2. EXPANDED- Equipment and materials

2. EXPANDED- Software / interactive media - Radios and television receivers, cinemas etc.- Dubbing services- Equipment and materials

2. EXPANDED- Gambling- Toys and games- Equipment and materials- Hotels, apartments, etc.- Stadiums, grounds etc.

2. EXPANDED

TRADITIONAL & LOCAL KNOWLEDGEIncluding INTANGIBLE HERITAGE (oral traditions and expressions, rituals, languages, social practices)

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‘Transversal dimensions’

Will be placed across all domains in preceding figure

Education;

• transmission of culture between generations

• development (critique) of cultural values

Traditional and local knowledge (is there a better name?)

• includes elements of intangible heritage

• Definition based on biodiversity convention and UN Forum of Indigenous people

Archiving and preserving;

• maintaining the ‘reservoir’ of cultural masterpieces and reference points

• inspiring new creative talent to build on earlier traditions (or break from it!)

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Proposed way forward 2008-2010

Autumn 2008 further regional meetings in Africa, Asia and LAmerica

Dec 2008 preparation of final draft reflecting comments

Jan-Feb 2009 final expert meeting

April 2009 UNESCO Executive Board

November 2009 UNESCO General Conference

2010 Formation of Working Groups according to country interests

• Traditional knowledge

• ??