Most of us are familiar with the term "literacy".
And some of you may have heard of "information literacy",
but are not exactly sure what information literacy is.
It turns out, information literacy is a distinct set of skills that gives us the
ability to locate,
evaluate, and use effectively the needed information."
Information literacy can be divided into five separate components.
Let's take a look at how each of these components applies to success in college
or university
and in real life. The first component is about identifying the nature and extent
of the information you need. Academic examples include:
writing a thesis statement, creating a timeline and plan to complete a
research paper,
and differentiating between primary sources of information like findings
from research
and secondary sources of information like a book about the results.
n the real world, the identify component shows itself as
devising a search strategy to find information on buying a new home,
dentifying the difference between a published court decision
and an article about that decision, and deciding to search for the most current
information about a medical issue so you're well-informed.
The second component means you can find
the needed information effectively and efficiently.
in academia and this means you can
use Boolean terms AND, OR, and NOT when searching online,
locate a book on the library shelves by its call number,
and choose the best keywords and phrases when searching online
or in library databases. Outside of school,
you are able to search the public archives for information on local
history,
request genealogical records through interlibrary loan,
and access a government website to find out your local crime statistics.
The ability to evaluate the information you find
and its sources critically is the next component. Academic examples include:
reviewing multiple points of view to construct your own opinion,
exploring different sources of information like the books,
databases, periodicals, and the internet to understand a topic,
and the ability to analyze the structure and logic of arguments made in lectures
and speeches.
In the real world, you can research the claims made in political ads on
television,
scrutinize a Wikipedia article for accuracy,
and check a website to make sure it is update regularly
and has current information. The fourth component is about applying that information
effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
In an educational environment, you can paraphrase an expert to support a
position in a persuasive speech,
ntegrate a direct quotation from an article
into a research paper, and download an image from a database
and then incorporate it into a visual presentation.
Away from the educational environment, you are able to develop a market survey
based on
gaps you identify by reviewing studies, reference experts to support a point
during a discussion,
and communicate the findings of a patent search to potential investors.
The final component of information literacy
is to acknowledge the sources of information you use.
To do this well, you must understand the ethical, legal, and socio-economic issues
surrounding information.
In the college or university, you can show your understanding by
creating a works cited, bibliography, or reference list,
understanding what constitutes plagiarism
and utilizing copyright, Creative Commons, public domain, and Fair Use guidelines.
Outside of the college or university, you will give attribution,
or credit, to a reposted image on your website,
recognize the limits and protections of free speech and censorship,
and know how to download legally purchased music.
In summary, the information literate person can
identify, find, evaluate, apply,
and acknowledge information.