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This month, we dedicate ourselves to increasing information literacy awareness so that all citizens understand its vital importance. An informed and educated citizenry is essential to the functioning of our modern democratic society, and I encourage educational and community institutions across the country to help Americans find and evaluate the information they seek, in all its forms.

                                                                                    President Barack Obama, October 1, 2009

In two days, it will be Information Literacy Month – how will you celebrate? Some libraries use this as an opportunity to reinforce the message of information literacy via their communication channels. Others seek to engage their communities through activities and events. Wherever you are, the team at Project SAILS hopes you will find some time this month to take stock of your information literacy accomplishments. Have a party, or a conversation with colleagues, or simply reflect and smile. Be proud of your profession and your contributions to education and information literacy.

Project SAILS (Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills) is launching the beta test of an international version of the SAILS cohort assessment.

We are very excited to reach this stage. Working with librarians from various countries, we have made extensive revisions to the assessment so as to meet the needs of an international audience. In order to determine if the new test is valid, we are seeking testing institutions in countries outside the United States. If you or someone you know is interested, please go to this web page for details:

http://beta.projectsails.org/betatest

There is no cost to participate. We are asking you to commit to getting 100 students as test-takers. If you have at least 50 students take the test, you will receive a report about their performance as a group.

Please let us know if you have any questions. We can be reached at info@projectsails.org

Thanks!