Information Literacy: The Basics
Definition (2000)
An information literate individual is able to:
- Determine the extent of information needed
- Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
- Evaluate information and its sources critically
- Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base
- Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
- Understand the economic, legal, and social uses surrounding the use of information
- Access and use information ethically and legally
Information literacy is recognized as:
- A basic competency that ought to be incorporated into the educational mission
- A foundation skill for academic success
- A key component of independent, lifelong learning
- An intellectual competency used to demonstrate mastery of a specific discipline
- A distinct and broader area of competence than computer literacy
- A competency centered on critical discernment and reasoning
(Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education)
Definition (2016)
Information Literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the:
- Reflective discovery of information
- Understanding of how information is produced and valued
- Use of information in creating new knowledge
- Ethical participation in communities of learning
The Six Frames (Core Concepts) for Information Literacy:
- Authority is constructed and contextual
- Information creation as a process
- Information has value
- Research as inquiry
- Scholarship as conversation
- Searching as strategic exploration
(Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education)
Key Resources
ACRL. (2015). Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education
http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework
ACRL. (2000). Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm
ACRL. (2003). Characteristics of Programs of Information Literacy that
Illustrate Best Practices: A Guideline
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/characteristics.cfm
Information Literacy Instruction in
Higher Education: Trends and Issues. (2002). ERIC Digest (ED465375).
http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-1/information.htm
Kent State University. (2008). About Project SAILS (Project for Standardized
Assessment of Information Literacy Skills).
https://www.projectsails.org/aboutSAILS
The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI), (2016). Framework
for Information Literacy for Higher Education LibGuide.
http://libguides.palni.edu/ilframework
Information Literacy Blogs
The Information Literacy Land of Confusion
Information Literacy Weblog
2/2019