Information Literacy Faculty Guide

Information Literacy: A Set of Abilities

A simple way to think about information literacy is as a set of abilities that enables an individual to

• identify an information need (assignment or personal)
• find information to meet the information need (library resources)
• evaluate information for credibility and relevance to the information need (author credibility and appropriate fit for the information need)
• use or apply the information to successfully complete an assignment or meet a personal need
• acknowledge or credit their source of information

The information literacy models included in this guide all generally cover the skillsets, abilities, or activities listed above. These models have much in common with Bloom's Taxonomy and the development of critical thinking skills. Information literacy skills are already very much interconnected with course materials. Choose the elements from these models that make the most sense for your course.

It's important for students to know that information literacy is a lifelong skill that will be useful beyond just their limited days as a student. They will use the identical set of skills to help them become better informed so they can  make choices and decisions in both their personal and work lives. 

Why Are Information Literacy Skills Important?

Being equipped with information literacy skills helps us process and sort through the deluge of information necessary to navigate in our personal, professional, and academic lives. Each of these areas of life require engagement in the information literacy process:

• In college information literacy skills are needed to perform well on research papers, projects, and presentations.
• In the workplace information literacy skills are needed when to make logical choices or decisions that will impact your employer or the public you serve.
• In the home information literacy skills are needed to make decisions about consumer and health issues for yourself or you family, and to form fact-based opinions on social and political topics.

Image Source:  Jessica Shabatura