Zurkowski Award

ABOUT US

The mission of the UiLA, an international educational 501(c)(3) public charity cooperative, is to increase critical & creative thinking via the Information Literacy System started by UiLA co-founder Paul G. Zurkowski, Esq. from Washington, DC in 1974
The UiLA was informally started in 2013 emerging from the first European Conference on Information Literacy (ECIL) Istanbul, Turkey, accelerating after the Western Balkan Information Literacy Conference (WBILC) Bihac, Bosnia 2016 & formalized in 2021 by Mr. Paul G. Zurkowski, Esq. & Mr. Jeffrey "JK" Kelly, M.A.T. The Universal Information Literacies Association (UiLA)- Project is an international professional nonprofit educational association set up to represent the interests of IL librarians, other Information Literacy Professionals & the worldwide IL community to increase critical thinking through the Information Literacy system. "The top priority of the [US] Commission [on Libraries and Information Science] should be directed toward establishing a major national [now international] program to achieve universal information literacy..." — Paul G. Zurkowski, Esq. 1974 & 2021
The UiLA, through it's charter, has established an international program to increase the IL/critical thinking rate globally from, 17% of the United States working population in 1974 & 23% of all ages worldwide in 2021 as estimated by Zurkowski, to 33% by 2025 and 51+% by 2030 lfting up the most vulnerable of the world inspired by Dr. lndrajit Banerjee, former Director of UNESCO's Media Literacy, Knowledge Societies Division, & his passion for helping the disadvantaged youth of the world. In Memoriam 1964-2019 "Guided by UNESCO's founding principle that universal access to information is the key to building peace, sustainable economic development and intercultural dialogue, we must continue to raise awareness, formulate policies and build capacities to promote openness in content, technology and processes, with particular emphasis on the vulnerable youth of the world." — Dr. Indrajit Banerjee 2013

The Universal information Literacies Association (UiLA) welcomes ALL Good literacies: Language & Math Literacy; Media Literacy; Financial Literacy; Health Literacy; Cultural Literacy; Multi/Metaliteracy; New Literacies; Data/Digital/Computer Literacy; Belief System/Lifestyle Literacy...And All other Good Beneficial Decision Making & Problem Solving literacies

Core Values

IL Professionals: A Passion for the Power of Information Literacy
Information Literacy Professionals who proactively research, develop, apply & teach Information Literacy know the power i-Literacy unleashes through the trained ability to experience, discern & process information in creating good value. Discerning fact from fiction in decision making and problem solving for the benefit of the global information society
Information Literacy Welcomes the Multiple Ways We Experience & Process Information
Harvard Professor Howard Gardner: Multiple Inteligences+1±Verbal/Linguistic±Logical/Mathematical±Bodily/Kinesthetic±Visual/Spatial±Musical/Rhythmic±Intrapersonal/Self Aware ±Moral/Ethical/Spiritual±Emotional/Social±Naturalistic...IL is open to other important intelligences/“literacies"...
“The research…shows that as people go about learning they interact with information in different ways. They may be learning about a content area in a formal context, they may be engaged in informal learning as they go about their daily life, or they may be learning through doing original research.” — Dr. Christine Bruce, Informed Learning. Association of College and Research Libraries/American Library Association, Chicago, 2008.
The UiLA
Non-Discrimination Policy
The Universal Information Literacies Association (UiLA) will not hire nor discriminate based on ethnicity, race, skin color, national origin, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, medical status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by the UiLA. The UiLA will manage based on an associate's or potential associate's ability to help the UiLA increase the Information Literacy and critical thinking rates worldwide. We the people at the UiLA love all God's/The Universe's creatures; We love the good life.

UiLA Team

The team has been working diligently as the official UiLA Advisory Committee since the spring of 2021 when the Universal Information Literacies Association officially formed to establish the UiLA as THE association for librarians & other Information Literacy Professionals worldwide.
Mr. Jeffrey "JK" Kelly, M.A.T.
UiLA Founding President & i-Literacy/C²Tc Master Teacher Fluent in English
Mr. Christopher Adams
Vice President, Board of Directors Business, Linguistics, Culture Washington, DC Metropolitan Area Fluent in Russian & English
And Other Team Members From the Library & Information Sciences
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United States IRS Educational Nonprofit 501(c)(3) Public Charity 509(a)(2) IRS #88-3282887
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UiLA headquarters: Washington, DC metropolitan Area USA
Help Increase Critical Thinking via InfoLit by Sending Your IRS Tax-Deductible Donation & Other Mail To: 5636 Connecticut Ave NW, #42645 Washington, DC 20015-9998 USA
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"Nutritious ingredients and the meals they create are all food as data/bits and the meaning they create are all information" — JK