Abstract:

Introduction:
The right to Intellectual property (IP) as a system of legal norms regulates public relations in the point of view to the creation, acknowledgment, publishing, distribution, inheritance and legal protection of IP objects, including objects of copyright and related rights. In the knowledge-based economy, experts such as library and information professionals, journalist, etc., that can interpret IP-related issues, have an important place and Intellectual property skills are very valuable for them. One way to achieve this is through the educational impact of information literacy programs that include IP issues as part of the curriculum.

The paper aims:
Firstly to present the concept of a project at the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies "A Conceptual Educational Model for Enhancing IL in an University Information Environment” and secondly to outline the methodology and the survey results of the project, which aims to establish, systematize, summarize and analyse the current level of awareness about IP issues at university environment among trainees.

Presentation:
The survey was conducted in nine universities in Bulgaria, accredited in professional field "Public Communications and Information Science" in the period April – June 2021. To achieve maximum accuracy in the study of general aggregation, there is a limit, which relates only to students in degree "Bachelor" and “Master”. The study was done on the principle of systematic random selection with stratification to 10% of the students in the professional field "Public communication and information sciences" in other words 912 effectively surveyed Bulgarian students. Data collection was carried out by Google survey.

The methodology:
The survey instrument was developed by the authors in order to collect data, regarding student’s knowledge, awareness levels and attitude of intellectual property issues. Because of the national scope, during the development of the questionnaire, national legislation and WIPO guidelines were primarily used. The questionnaire consists of 6 panels in 38 main questions and includes mainly closed (some based on 5-point Likert Scale) and few open questions.

Results:
Carrying out research on IP issues as part of IL in the modern university environment is conditioned by a number of prerequisites. First of all, there are limited number of in-depth independent studies focusing on the relation of IP and IL on a national and international level; secondly, the need to study existing models and good practices for training in the field of IP for non-specialist lawyers in Europe and worldwide; thirdly, to analyze the offered educational content and curriculums responsible for this spectrum of knowledge; fourthly, it is necessary to study the foreign experience of the existing IP-awareness networks; fifthly, the need to investigate the level of awareness of intellectual-legal issues in humanitarian and social sciences, as well as both among learners and students in a university environment.

Conclusion:
After all, it has to be concluded that the IP is a special element of IL in university information environment, as to develop good skills, students must learn how to use effectively the wide variety of information products and services. The problem under consideration is extremely relevant, partly concerned with various aspects by other authors, but has not been fully disclosed so far as in this study.

Keywords:

Information literacy, intellectual property, survey results, methodology, educational model.