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Extended English abstracts of articles published in the Chinese edition of Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.46, 2020 149

contribute guidance for practice, and to highlight areas worthy of future ILIFA research.
From journal articles, theses and dissertations, conference papers and books, along with rarely-
used government documents, conference records, reports, guides, yearbooks and news articles,
this study systematically traces the origins and evolutions of ILIFA and the latest progress in the
field across both theory and practice. Additionally, a comprehensive analysis reveals the main
challenges facing this field now and in the future.
When Paul G. Zurkowski first proposed “Information Literacy” (IL) in 1974, he highlighted the
need for a universal perspective-namely, “Information Literacy Instruction” (ILI) for everyone. The
US National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS), the American Library
Association (ALA) and the US National Forum on Information Literacy (NFIL) subsequently took
further steps to enrich the concept of ILI, promote standards for the types and levels of ILI, and
raise awareness of ILI worldwide.
The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) unified the
term and characteristics of IL, and proposed the concept of “Media and Information Literacy”
by integrating information literacy with other related concepts, such as media literacy and digital
literacy, to coordinate the global understanding of ILIFA.
Under the guidance of UNESCO and the promotion of the International Federation of
Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), much progress has been made practically and
theoretically. In many countries, the importance of ILIFA has been elevated to the strategic
level of sustainable development. Many senior leaders of the United Nations member states
have devoted attention to promulgating national policies and evaluation frameworks. Further,
international cooperation networks have been built, and public enthusiasm and participation in
ILIFA has steadily grown.
However, there are three problems in ILIFA that need to be solved. First, the average level of
ILIFA is still relatively low. Second, the global progress in ILIFA is exceedingly unbalanced.
Developed countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Singapore, have
apparent advantages and unique characteristics, while most developing countries have not
even fully realized the significance of ILIFA yet. Third, research is lagging behind the practice.
Evaluation research is typically weak; there is a dearth of systematic studies; up-to-date
practical results are lacking; and very few projects are undertaken through interdisciplinary
collaborations.
To improve ILIFA in China, the promoters of this study recommend to release particular policies
and standards as soon as possible, to encourage the participation of various bodies, to cover
more audiences, to adopt a variety of teaching methods, to train ILI teachers, to develop teaching
resources collaboratively, to establish a national communication platform, and to share Chinese
best practices globally.