It’s all the rage in academia —
“Information literacy is conceivably the foundation for learning in our contemporary environment of continuous technological change.”1
But what is it — define information literate?
“To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.”2
How does one acquire this information literacy?
According to Scott Bennett and William Dittoe (consultants for the 2010 library evaluation and recommendation):
“any effective program of information literacy:
- It must be institutional based. That is, the program must not depend solely on the initiative of individual faculty but must be rooted in institution-wide curricular planning. Information literacy must be a feature of the learning outcomes set by the university and assessed as part of any measure of instructional success.
- It requires deeply rooted collaboration among classroom faculty, reference and instructional librarians, instructional and information technologists, and tutoring staff. Absent such collaboration, students will confront fragmented, confused, and ineffective instruction.”3
Please, consult the sources below for additional information. These sites contain useful Information Literacy facts and knowledge:
ALA, ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education —
http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency
University of Idaho Library’s Information Literacy page gives great guidance and direction —
http://www.webs.uidaho.edu/info_literacy
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Information literacy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_literacy
The Drain-Jordan Library’s Information Literacy Mission Statement
The West Virginia State University Drain-Jordan Library’s Information Literacy and Instruction Program serves students, faculty, and staff by supporting the instructional mission of the Library and the University. The Drain-Jordan Library’s mission is to teach students to think critically and use information for their academic, professional, and personal lives — helping them define information needs, then locate, evaluate, and use all available information resources effectively and responsibly. We are committed to anticipating and embracing changes in the information and instructional environment, and collaborating with the academic community to foster a shared sense of enjoyment and empowerment in the pursuit of lifelong, self-directed learning.1Christine Susan Bruce, “Information Literacy as a Catalyst of Educational Change: A Background Paper,”http://eprints.qut.edu/au/archive/00004977/01/4977.pdf
2Association of College and Research Libraries. (1989). Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report. Retrieved fromhttp://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/whitepapers/presidential.cfm
3West Virginia State University, Drain-Jordan Library: A VISION FOR THE FUTURE. Scott Bennett, Library Space Planning Consultant, William Dittoe, Educational Facilites Consultants, LLC. May 14, 2010.