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The article addresses the development and present state of information literacy activities in Danish institutions of higher education. It outlines the national policy on information literacy, emphasising the crucial role of the Danish Electronic Research Library (DEF). The importance of integrating information literacy sessions into the curriculum is highlighted together with an examination of the barriers that make integration difficult. Strategic alliances and new forms of liaison schemes are presented followed by a description of learning resource centres and Web‐based tutorials and e‐learning activities. The important role of professional groups in setting the agenda for information literacy discussions and knowledge sharing is recognised; and finally, the paper outlines the various educational opportunities open to library school students and academic librarians engaged in teaching information literacy.

This paper presents the major findings from the project “Development of new methods for evaluation of library Web sites on the World Wide Web”. The report includes a brief examination and discussion of quality applied to Web sites in general and concerning library Web sites in particular. Findings from a few empirical surveys are presented. A new list of quality criteria for evaluation of academic libraries is compiled. The list is tested on three Danish academic libraries. Finally, a revised list of criteria is applied to twelve major Danish academic libraries. The findings include the panellists’ scores and their verbal comments. The main conclusion is that the Web sites of the Danish academic libraries in question are above average compared with Web sites in general. They do not, however, come up to expectations as virtual expressions of the quality levels of the libraries. This situation can only be improved if the libraries allocate the necessary resources regarding updating and development of the Web sites. This should be done on the basis of regular user studies and comparative evaluations.

A great deal of effort has been invested in promoting high quality Web pages in general. Long lists of criteria of “good” Web pages have been proposed. So far, not many studies have been dealing with the specific problems of library and information centre Web sites. Among these studies the majority have rather been using quantitative methods. What is needed, however, are user‐oriented evaluation studies using qualitative methods dealing specifically with Web sites of libraries and information centres. An ongoing Danish study aims at developing new methods of user‐oriented evaluation of library and information centre Web pages. Main areas investigated are: Design and structure; information quality; links and navigation; visual quality; and updating. The findings from some theoretical considerations and a pilot study are presented. A preliminary evaluation method is discussed.

In Finland there is still much to be done to promote integrated information literacy in higher education. Teamwork between teachers and libraries is well developed in some universities but many are only just beginning to realize what libraries can do for them. Academic libraries have provided user education since the 1950s, but they still have to prove themselves to teaching staff in universities. The Finnish virtual university portal is in the process of integrating library services into their portal, but many negotiations remain before mutual goals are achieved. This article gives an overview of these changes and other information literacy activities in Finnish academic libraries.