Most young people today do not remember a time when there wasn't a World Wide Web. As we step into the new century, rapidly changing technologies and growing diversity are dramatically reshaping how we live our lives. This is especially true in the classroom and library where technology has transformed the opportunities for learning. Yet a computer and Internet connection are not enough. The resulting explosion in new, often unfiltered information requires enhanced literacy skills.

As educators transition from more traditional teaching methods to those that are inquiry based, students are required to self-direct their own learning, cooperate with classmates from diverse backgrounds, and think critically about the abundance of information that has been made available through technological developments. Librarians face the same challenges with patrons as the Internet and other electronic media become the prevalent methods by which information is accessed. Young people without the computer skills to access information and the critical thinking skills to evaluate it will surely be left behind.

In 2001, the UCLA Initiative for 21st Century Literacies commissioned the production of E-Literate?, a 15 minute educational video to be used by teachers, librarians, community leaders and parents to introduce 21st century literacies to young people. Produced by Thom Eberhardt, a noted writer/director with connections to Hollywood and PBS, together with his wife, Christy Vasquez, who is a librarian, E-Literate? addresses facts versus opinions, bias, and information reliability in a humorous yet provocative tone that makes it appropriate for multiple age levels, including children, teens, college students and adults. E-Literate? adds value to existing information literacy programs and curricula and is being disseminated broadly by the UCLA Initiative to schools, libraries, community centers and policy leaders in California as well as nationally.

The 21st Century Literacies is the outcome of a $1 million gift to UCLA's Graduate School of Education and Information Studies in 2001. The two-year project is evaluating the meaning of literacy in an age characterized by an abundance of information and growing diversity. The initiative focuses on three aspects of literacy - educating the user, improving the information system, and addressing policy issues.