Information
Literacy
Information
Literacy Defined
Information
literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize
when information is needed and have the ability to locate,
evaluate, and use effectively the needed information."
Presidential
Committee on Information Literacy. Final Report
Information literacy also is increasingly important in the
contemporary environment of rapid technological change and
proliferating information resources. Because of the escalating
complexity of this environment, individuals are faced with
diverse, abundant information choices--in their academic studies,
in the workplace, and in their personal lives. Information
is available through libraries, community resources, special
interest organizations, media, and the Internet--and increasingly,
information comes to individuals in unfiltered formats, raising
questions about its authenticity, validity, and reliability.
In addition, information is available through multiple media,
including graphical, aural, and textual, and these pose new
challenges for individuals in evaluating and understanding
it. The uncertain quality and expanding quantity of information
pose large challenges for society. The sheer abundance of
information will not in itself create a more informed citizenry
without a complementary cluster of abilities necessary to
use information effectively.
Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning.
It is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments,
and to all levels of education. It enables learners to master
content and extend their investigations, become more self-directed,
and assume greater control over their own learning. An information
literate individual is able to:
Assessment
Forum: 9 Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student
Learning from the American Association for
Higher Education.
Assessment
of Information Literacy: Lessons from the Higher Education
Assessment Movement
by Lois Pausch and Mary P Popp.
This paper reviews higher education assessment methods; identifies
useful theories and practices; describes assessment programs
in academic libraries; and makes recommendations for changes
in library education.
Best
Practices and Assessment of Information Literacy Programs
by The Institute for Information Literacy, an initiative of
the Association of College and Research Libraries.
The goal of the thirty-seven month long project is to provide
models of information literacy programs that institutions
can use as benchmarks for comparison with their own developing
programs.
Information
Literacy Library Instruction Outcomes from Florida
International University Libraries. Provides an outline of
learning outcomes for sequenced library class sessions linked
to courses in the core curriculum. Encourages Librarian and
Faculty collaboration.
Standards
ACRL
Information Literacy site
includes information on Standards, Best Practices, and Immersion.
Characteristics
of Programs of Information Literacy that Illustrate Best Practices:
A Guideline This
site includes information on the mission, goals & objectives,
planning, support, curriculum, collaboration, pedagogy, staffing,
outreach, and assessment of information literacy's best practices.
Guidelines
for Instruction Programs in Academic Libraries An
excellent site from ALA that discusses design, structure and
evaluation of information literacy.
Information
Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education Includes
the standards, performance indicators, and outcomes approved
by the Board of Directors of the Association of College and
Research Libraries (ACRL).
Objectives
for Information Literacy Instruction with responsibility
tags for both librarians and faculty members.
Presidential
Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report This
site discusses the importance of information literacy to individuals,
businesses, and citizenship.
Tutorials
& Guides
ACRL Bibliography for Library Instruction and Information Literacy
Comprehensive
Online Research Education (CORE) from
Purdue University.
CSU
Information Competence This site includes 9 practical
online tutorials covering the basics of information competence.
Information
Literacy Tutorial by the 5 Colleges of Ohio.
Information
Literacy Tutorial by
Minneapolis Community & Technical College. Includes a
Pretest, several modules, and quizzes for each lesson.
Information
Literacy Tutorial by St. Johns University
Finding
Information on the Internet - a Library Tutorial www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html
University of California, Berkeley Libraries web site.
Oasis
(Online Advancement of Student Information Skills)
by San Francisco State University
TILT
(Texas Information Literacy Tutorial)
Available to libraries under an Open Publication agreement.
Teaches undergraduates fundamental and transferable research
skills. Includes selecting sources, search periodical indexes
and search engines, evaluating & citing information. Tests
at the end of the three modules provide immediate feedback.
Tutorials
and Guides from the University of Arizona
Tutorials
from Penn State University.
Last
updated 11/14/06 KMR
