The importance of images and visual media in today's culture is changing what it means to be literate in the 21st century. Digital technologies have made it possible for almost anyone to create and share visual media. Yet the pervasiveness of images and visual media does not necessarily mean that individuals are able to critically view, use, and…

Discusses and illustrates problems with the interpretation of visual materials used in rural development campaigns in developing countries. The association between pictorial experience and pictorial literacy is examined, and guidelines are suggested for visual communicators. (LRW)

This paper examines the dual coding hypothesis, a model of the coding of visual and textual information, from the perspective of a mass media professional, such as a teacher, interested in accurately presenting both visual and textual material to a mass audience (i.e., students). It offers an extension to the theory, based upon the various skill…

Growing populations of older adults, ethnic minorities, and the low-literate create unique concerns for the design of visual information. Those for whom text presents a barrier will respond most to legibility, use of familiar formats and symbols, and simplification. Guidelines for those processes are needed, and this paper, in particular,…

Discusses graphic novels and visual literacy and notes the increases in the graphic novels budget at Downers Grove (Illinois) Public Library. Outlines seven steps to developing a graphics collection. Sidebars highlight popular titles, award-winners, and Web sites for librarians just learning about graphic novels. (AEF)