The document discusses information literacy (IL) in academic and workplace contexts. It presents the 6 Swiss IL standards and analyzes case studies of IL implementation at the University of Geneva and Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne. While the university better prepares students, employers may undervalue IL skills. The author recommends strengthening IL education and establishing common baselines to improve students' autonomy and efficiency in the information society.

1. JEAN-PHILIPPE ACCART, EHL LIBRARY & ARCHIVES MANAGER
“INFORMATION LITERACY (IL) IN THE ACADEMIC CONTEXT: IS THERE A GAP BETWEEN
EMPLOYABILITY COMPETENCIES AND STUDENT INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS?”

2. INVITATION TO A JOURNEY
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/USER/EHLPUBLICATIONS

3. © Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne 3
WHAT SHOWS THE MOVIE?
• EMOTION FIRST;
• STRONG INVOLVMENT OF THE PARENTS FOR THE FUTURE OF THEIR
CHILDREN;
• A WORDWILDE DIMENSION;
• THE PARADISE IS IN SWITZERLAND AND AT EHL…
• A LOT OF INTERACTIONS BETWEEN STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND
THE JOB MARKET
• BUT: where is the library?

4. FOREWORD : BACK 4 YEARS
AGO
LIBRARY AND IL VERSUS INDUSTRY /
WORKPLACE / CEO – MANAGERS –
DECISION MAKERS
STUDENTS / IL / LEARNING / THEORY /
APPLIED SCIENCES / CRITICAL THINKING
TECHNOLOGY / INFORMATION / SOCIAL
NETWORKS /

5. CONTENT
METHODOLOGY AND OVERALL APPROACH
1. THE 6 SWISS STANDARDS FOR IL
2. IMPLEMENTATION OF IL : 2 CASES STUDY
- THE FACULTY OF SCIENCES (UNIVERSITY OF GENEVA)
- MAIN FOCUS ON THE ECOLE HOTELERE DE LAUSANNE
3. OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMANDATIONS

6. © Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne
• A personal reflection, a theoretical approach to the concept of
information literacy as applied in Switzerland, and an illustration of
the way in which information literacy is applied in both a university
setting (at the University of Geneva) and an academic setting (at the
Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne) including their strengths and
weaknesses.
• The methodology consists in comparing and contrasting theory
and practice to reach a general conclusion that could be useful for
other areas.
6
METHODOLOGY AND OVERALL APPROACH

7. Standard (S1)
The information literate
person recognises the
need for information
and determines the
nature and extent of the
information needed
Standard (S2)
The information literate
person finds needed
information effectively
and efficiently
Standard (S3)
The information literate
person critically
evaluates information
and the information
seeking process.
Standard (S4)
The information literate
person manages and
shares information
collected or generated
Standard (S5)
The information literate
person applies prior
and new information to
accomplish a specific
purpose.
Standard (S6)
The information literate
person acts as a
responsible member of
the information society
1. Swiss Information Literacy Standards
Need Retrieval Assessment
Organisation Application Responsibility
ECIL 2017 - cop. JP ACCART 7

8. © Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne
INFORMATION LITERACY AT THE UNIVERSITYOF GENEVA
8
• Being a student at the University of Geneva, Faculty of
Sciences
• Applying information literacy criteria
• Observing UNIGE students’ information uptake

9. EHL
main
programs
Bachelor
program
Master of Science in
Global Hospitality
Business
Executive MBA
in Hospitality
Administration
MBA in
Hospitality
4 years;
- Preparatory year
(hands-on experience on campus & internship)
- 1st year focus on fundamental management
- 2nd year further management focus & internship
- 3rd year practical cases studies, elective courses &
final dissertation or student business project
16-month full-time curriculum on 3 continents
Campuses: EHL Lausanne, Hong Kong, Houston
11 months, full-time program
Campus: EHL Lausanne
Up to 36 month, 80% distance learning, 20% on
EHL Campus Lausanne
Certificates
& advanced
certificates
Master Class
in Culinary
Arts
Executive
education
Summer
Academy
ECIL 2017 - cop. JP ACCART 9

10. Bachelor
program
Information
literacy coaching
& sessions
(30 min) stand alone
on library online and on
premises services
- Library card &
registration
- Paper collection
- Online collection
- Library services
(90 min) within a course
standards mainly
reviewed
S1 S2 S3
understands the purpose
and appropriateness of a
variety of information
Construct effective
search strategie
(60 min) within a marketing
course & 45 min stand alone
Focus on S4 S5
Demo and hands on research
of market and consumer
related data
coaching (40 min)
within a strategy
course
Focus on S5 S6
Integrate different
sources of knowledge
for elaborating a
strategy assesment
4th
3rd2nd
1st
ECIL 2017 - cop. JP ACCART 10

11. Bachelor
program
6th
Sem.
5th sem
(BOSC5)
4th semester
(BOSC4)
3rd semester
(BOSC3)
2nd semester
(BOSC2)
1st semester
(BOSC1)
2nd semester (AP2)
1st semester (AP1)
Information
literacy coaching
& sessions
Year 3
Year 2
(BOSC6)
Preparatory year
Year 1
“Information literacy teaser”
5 min in a welcome session to
remind students of
our services
1st Information literacy coaching (30 min) stand
alone on library online and on premises services
2nd Information literacy coaching (90 min) within
the academic writing course
3rd Information literacy coaching (60 min) within a
marketing course / plus 45 min stand alone
4th Information literacy coaching (40 min) within a
strategy course

12. 3. Observations (1) : EMPLOYABILITY AND IL SKILLS
observations and
recommandations
Between these two settings there is a world of difference:
• On the Swiss and global job market, EHL graduates are very likely to find
a job with a minimum of IL skills;
• The students of the University of Geneva have real information literacy
skills that will serve them well throughout their career.
Questions:
*Are information literacy skills really a prerequisite for professional success?*
*How much value do they have in employers’ eyes as the hiring process unfolds?*
ECIL 2017 - cop. JP ACCART 12

13. 3. Observations (2) : EFFICIENCY, TIME WASTE
observations and
recommandations
• An employee’s information literacy skills are not recognized in his or her
contract and are not mentioned as such in the want ads;
• This oversight or misunderstanding on the part of decision-makers leads
to an inefficient use of time when it comes to information management ;
• Waste of time and energy is considerable without the right skills.
• There are solutions to make up for these shortcomings, including
psychological and organisational ones
ECIL 2017 - cop. JP ACCART 13

14. Conclusion: a few recommendations for high schools and
applied sciences field
observations and
recommandations
• Clearly to develop information and digital literacy skills among young students
or working adults as early as possible;
• A common information literacy baseline should be established and relevant exams
should be required at various stages of students’ academic careers;
• Being able to search for and critically evaluate all types of information on one’s
own should be a basic principle of any learning society;
• The principle of autonomy and access to information in general should be
universal -> see “IFLA Global Vision”
ECIL 2017 - cop. JP ACCART 14

15. DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS
?

16. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION
JEAN-PHILIPPE ACCART
ECOLE HÔTELIÈRE DE LAUSANNE, LAUSANNE,
SWITZERLAND
HES-SO // UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES WESTERN
SWITZERLAND
JEAN-PHILIPPE.ACCART@EHL.CH