Information Literacy

Information, its uses, and its organization has always been a concern of academia, but it is clear that the traditional ways of gathering information, analyzing it, synthesizing it, and producing it are rapidly being transformed by modern technology. We are continually confronted with "data smog," produced by the amount of information, the speed at which it comes to us from all directions, the need to make fast decisions, and the feeling of anxiety that we are making decisions without having ALL the information that is available or that we need. Coined by author David Shenk, the phrase "data smog" refers to the idea that too much information can create a barrier in our lives.

Librarians believe that information literacy is the solution to "data smog." ACRL more fully articulates this by telling us that "information literacy allows us to cope [with data smog] by giving us the skills to know when we need information and where to locate it effectively and efficiently. It includes the technological skills needed to use the modern library as a gateway to information. It enables us to analyze and evaluate the information we find, thus giving us confidence in using that information to make a decision or create a product."1

Information is available to students through an diverse range of sources and increasingly comes to them in unfiltered formats, requiring them to judge for themselves the information's authenticity, validity, and reliability. Educators can agree that these conditions pose challenges to students in evaluating and understanding the "uncertain quality and expanding quantity of information."1 To use information effectively, students must acquire a set of abilities that will allow them to recognize when information is needed, locate the information, and evaluate what they find.

These skills are not only necessary to succeed in college, but in all learning environments, at all levels of education. These skills will serve students not only through their academic career, but will allow them to assume greater control over their own learning throughout their lifetime.

This collection of materials is designed to assist instructors and librarians in integrating information literacy skills into their curriculum. The collection is broken out into five sections:

General Information Provides definitions of information literacy; information about information literacy standards that have been established by various education groups; and a selected bibliography.

Research as a Process Breaks information literacy down into four main concepts, providing resource material for each concept. Links to the TILT Tutorial and a bibliography are also available.

Information Literacy in the Classroom Provides instruction and examples of ways to incorporate information literacy concepts into the curriculum. It also includes sample exercises and library-related assignments that can be designed by instructors or librarians. Contact information for liaison librarians who can collaborate with instructors is also available here.

Ethics of Information Includes materials about plagiarism, copyright and citation. An extensive bibliography is also provided.

Assessment Discusses issues related to assessing information literacy, provides examples of assessment tools and includes a bibliography of additional resources.

Notes

1. Association of College and Research Libraries. Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. Chicago: ALA, 2000, p. 5.

2. Ibid, p. 2.