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The purpose of this paper is to discuss the significance of and limits to Christine S. Bruce's relational approach in information literacy education. In information literacy education, the approaches that exist in the base of education have not been discussed adequately. In this paper, we review and analyse the characteristics of three approaches to information literacy education based on Bruce's classification: the behavioral approach, the constructivist approach, and the relational approach. The analysis is based on the perspective of the human user and information use. Because understanding human beings as members of society is important to examine education, which makes human beings acquire shared knowledge in a society, and the perspective of information use is important to examine information literacy, which is ability related to information use. As a result of our comparison, we suggest that Bruce's relational approach, which combines both human sense-making and the objects, overcomes the limits of the behavioral approach and the constructivists approach. Further more, we suggest that introducing a situational approach to Bruce's relational approach overcomes the limits of the relational approach and offers a new perspective on information literacy education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: "Health literacy" is the ability to obtain and use information in order to maintain one's health and to recover from disease. Health information providers should consider health literacy an integral part of health communication. Since "Health Literacy" was one of the objectives of Healthy People 2010 in the year 2000, research in the field of health literacy has flourished in the U.S. This paper attempts to emphasize both the necessity of health literacy research and the outline contribution of library and information science to health literacy in Japan through a literature review of the expansion of health literacy research in the U.S. and its introduction to Japan. Results: There were three turning points in health literacy research in the U.S.: a readability study for documents started in the 1970s; a measurement study of individual health literacy created and implemented in the 1990s; and a health outcome study after the year 2000. These previous studies indicate that the methods and accomplishments of health literacy research are recognized primarily based on the following health literacy research models: basic literacy and knowledge; narrowly-defined health literacy; and health outcomes. The backgrounds of the health literacy researchers vary, but do include library and information science. The results of the research have been reflected in the expansion of consumer health information services. In Japan, very little health literacy research has been conducted, although a portion of the definition of health literacy has been introduced to scholars in some health-related fields. Researchers' interest in the relationship between health information and the general public including patients has grown recently. Health literacy should be recognized as one of the important research agendas in human information interaction. In addition to health sciences and education, library and information science should contribute to health literacy research in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]