Guiding principles for the preparation of a national information literacy program

The implementation of a National Program for Information Literacy is a daunting challenge for any country to undertake. Many technical elements must be considered and included in the planning. Also, many political, economic and socio-cultural considerations must also be carefully taken into account, including the country’s economic circumstances, its culture and its traditions of communicating and sharing information between and among individuals (e.g. oral), groups and institutions, and others. This article documents efforts made by Cuba in recent years to design and develop a National Information Literacy Program, including some personal suggestions by the author concerning some not-so-obvious steps that may be taken to enhance the chances of success in implementing such a program. The activities reported herein by no means constitute an exhaustive and comprehensive treatment of all relevant activities. Rather, the author has endeavored to report on those initiatives with which she has been most directly associated in either a direct or an advisory role. Undoubtedly there have been many other significant activities that were undertaken by various individuals and institutions, deserving of recognition, and hopefully in the future a more comprehensive examination and review of them will be prepared and published. Finally, the author intends that the contents of this article be viewed as suggestions, not as a prescription. Each country will certainly need to modify the suggestions to fit its own unique circumstances. No universal principles of Information Literacy, in short, yet exist.