Definition of Information Literacy
The definitions and concepts of information literacy vary slightly from source to source. The two most prevalent ones are those put forth by the American Library Association’s (ALA) higher education division, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), and by college and university accrediting organizations, such as the Middle State Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Colleges and universities that develop information literacy programs sometimes make minor adjustments in the definitions dependent upon their mission, goals, or current initiatives.
The ACRL and MSCHE definitions both reflect a focus on helping students develop a strong set of skills that are broad enough for them to understand, manipulate and use information sources – inside and outside the library – in order to satisfy information needs in academic, employment, and personal situations. These skills also ensure the production of citizens who are capable of analyzing information and making informed decisions.
The American Library Association states:
To be information literate an individual must recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate and effectively use the information needed…Ultimately information literate people are those who have learned how to learn. They know how to learn because they know how information is organized, how to find information, and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them.
The more succinct, quoted and adapted definition of information literacy in that put forth by ALA’s Association of College and Research Libraries. That definition states that information literacy is: “the ability to identify, locate, and use information effectively”. The definition combines critical thinking and aptitude with information technology.
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, in the 2002 edition of Characteristics of Excellence in Higher Education: Eligibility Requirements and Standards for Accreditation, defines information literacy as:
…an intellectual framework for identifying, finding, understanding, evaluating, and using information. It includes determining the nature and extent of needed information; accessing information effectively and efficiently; evaluating critically information and its sources; incorporating selected information in the learner’s knowledge base and value system; using information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose; understanding the economic, legal and social issues surrounding the use of information and information technology; and observing laws, regulations, and institutional policies related to the access and use of information (p.32).
In general, both definitions speak to the development of the following competencies:
- Information task definition
- Information seeking strategies
- Location and access
- Extract and use of information
- Synthesis
- Application
Both ACRL and MSCHE have published guidelines for teaching and learning information literacy skills. MSCHE’s Developing Research & Communication Skills offer specific suggestions for integrating information literacy throughout the curriculum.
The ACRL’s Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education is more detailed and offers 1) specific standards for higher education, 2) guidelines for establishing and evaluating institutional information literacy programs, 3) illustrations of best practices, and 4) performance indicators and outcomes related to teaching specific information literacy skills.
Why It Is Important That Students Be Information Literate
It is commonly understood that we live in an age that exposes us to a multitude of information resources that are constantly growing in numbers but are of varying quality and limited assessment. Being able to appropriately and effectively evaluate and use these resources require that consumers be information literate. This means not only having the ability to read and write, but also the complementing skills of using and understanding media, computers, and information.
The professional literature in education, librarianship, business and government abound with discussions of the need for students, as future employees and citizens, to acquire information literacy skills. Upon graduation, they should be able to manipulate, evaluate and use information resources effectively in all aspects of their lives. This is a major reason for the current academic focus on teaching and learning information literacy skills.
The values of information literacy not only lay in the fact that it increases student ability to do research for academic requirements across the curriculum, but also in the fact that it increases their chances for successful employment In addition to expecting graduates to have full knowledge of their discipline, employers expect them to have the basic informational, technical, and organizational skills characteristic of being information literate.
Information literacy skills also ensure that graduates are good citizens. They have the skills to find appropriate information about political figures, government and related issues, and they are actively and effectively involved in electing leaders, supporting causes and detecting misinformation. They do not passively accept and acquiesce to the dictates of others without thought to the outcome of what is being demanded.
On a personal level, information literacy ensures that students can move away from relying on “experts”, such as professors and guidance counselors to help them make important decisions. They have the skills for making informed decisions about purchasing, moving from one locale to another, confronting illnesses, or seeking options about their rights when they have been violated. Information literacy skills ensure that people understand how to, and why they need to, learn about sources and how to effectively use them in the information society. They are prepared to be “lifelong learners”.
LRD Information Literacy-Related Services
Academic Technical Services (Contact: Prof. Ed Jones 274-5663)
BlackBoard
E-classroom
Laboratory Support
Course Design (Contact: Prof. Ed Jones 274 – 6553)
Generic Information Literacy Classes
(Contact: Asst. Dean Melba Broome 274 – 6118)
Evaluation of websites
Citing sources/plagerism/ethnics
Scholarly vs. Popular journals and primary and secondary resources
Using periodical databases
ALADIN searches and consortium services
Information Literacy Standards and Guidelines
ACRL Standards and Guidelines http://www.acrl.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm
Competency Standards for Higher Education
Performance Indicators and Learning Outcomes
IL Model Statement for Academic Libraries
Characteristics of Programs and Illustrations
of Best Practices: A
Guideline
Middle States Standards: Expectations/Requirements
http://www.msche.org/publications/devskill050208135642.pdf
“Developing Research and Communication Skills: Guidelines for
Information Literacy in the Curriculum”
Planning for IL: Institutional Goals, Curriculum Design
and Campus Context
Learning and Teaching Strategies for Information Literacy
Information Literacy Assessment: A Reflective, Interactive, and
Interactive Process
Improving Teaching and Learning
Sustaining the Momentum of Information Literacy: An Overview
Other University Information Literacy Programs and Best Practices
(NOTE: Selected based upon UDC needs and variations in programs, structure and content)
ACRL References
Univ. of Delaware http://www2.lib.udel.edu/usered/infolit.htm
American University http://www.library.american.edu/about/services/instruction/forum.html
Farmingdale (SUNY) http://www.farmingdale.edu/library/ablit.html
University of Texas (TILT program) http://tilt.lib.utsystem.edu/
Florida International University http://www.fiu.edu/~library/ili/iliprop.html
MSCHE References
Nassau Community College http://library.ncc.edu/tutorial/index.htm
New Jersey City University http://www.njcu.edu/Guarini/Instructions/instructions.htm
