What is information Literacy?
Information Literacy is defined as a set of abilities requiring individuals to: recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and ethically communicate information.1 Information literacy skills are vital in the rapidly-changing, information-driven world of the 21st century.
“To respond effectively to an ever-changing environment people need more than just a knowledge base, they also need techniques for exploring it, connecting it to other knowledge bases, and making practical use of it. In other words, the landscape upon which we used to stand has been transformed, and we are being forced to establish a new foundation called information literacy.”2
Note: Information Literacy is not an absolute skill that one either has or lacks; it is a continuum of skill levels—best developed by different activities in different phase of student’s academic training and personal development.
University Outcome approved November 2007
Capella graduates are expected to identify information needs, effectively locate, evaluate, use and communicate information using appropriate technologies with knowledge of the legal, ethical, social, professional and discipline-specific issues surrounding the creation, dissemination and use of information.
1, 2 Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report (1989). Available online at: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/whitepapers/presidential.htm
Additional resources:
• Information Literacy from the Association of Collection and Research Libraries: http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/informationliteracy.htm
• Information literacy competency standards for higher education (2000). Retrieved February 4, 2008 from http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm
• Foster, A. (2007, March 9). Information Navigation 101. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 53(27), A38-A40.
• Breivik, P. (2005). 21st Century Learning and Information Literacy. Change, 37(2), 20-27.
• Owen, T. (2003, May). Lessons in information literacy. Information World Review. Retrieved December 6, 2007, from Business Source Complete database.
• Thompson, G. B. (2002). Information literacy accreditation mandates: What they mean for faculty and librarians. Library Trends, 51(2), 218-241.
• Abell, A. (2000, July). Skills for Knowledge Environments. Information Management Journal, 34(3), 33.
• Leckie, G. J. (1996). Desperately seeking citations: Uncovering faculty assumptions about the undergraduate research process. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 22(3), 201-208.
Events
Information Literacy Faculty Engagement March 4-7, 2008
organized by the Office of Faculty Engagement
Event Goals
1. Explore methods of integrating information literacy outcomes into future courseroom activities and assignments.
2. Develop techniques which assesses information literacy competencies and can be applied to all academic levels.
3. Identify and recommend strategies to increase faculty knowledge and application of information literacy principles.
Concrete Outputs
• Visual framework for how information literacy fits into the Capella curriculum and connects to academic writing, critical thinking and academic honesty, etc.
• Modified course materials to include:
• an assignment that requires students to use information literacy skills and promote academic honesty
• Draft assessment of student performance outcomes for specialization/level specific information literacy competencies
• Strategies for teaching Faculty about information literacy and applications
Additional Resources from Event
- Faculty Engagement Information Literacy Reading List
- Explore Library and Writing Center Exercise: Help! Help! I need Help!
- Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education
- Information Literacy PowerPoint KP
Images from Event
