Subject Guides

Subject guide

Information Literacy

Information literacy is the set of skills that students must develop to become wise consumers of information and life-long learners. In a world in which the amount of information available continues to increase exponentially, it is critical that everyone has the skills to locate, retrieve, assess, and use information efficiently and wisely.

General Definitions and Standards

National Information Literacy Awareness Month, 2009 President Barack Obama proclaimed October of 2009 National Information Literacy Awareness Month.

Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education Developed by the Association of College and Research Libraries, these standards are a basis for the development of most IL programs in higher education.

Introduction to Information Literacy The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)developed this brief introduction to the concept of information literacy (IL).

Information Literacy for Faculty and Administrators Provides a good general overview of IL and why it is important in higher education. Produced by the Association of College and Research Libraries.

Information Literacy: Unlocking Your Child's Door to the World This letter to parents of K-12 students describing the importance of IL to their child's education, was developed by the American Association of School Librarians.

Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning These standards were developed by school media specialists through the American Association of School Librarians to provide a framework for IL programs in the K-12 environment.
Document in PDF format.

Additional Resources

Educause Resources on Information Literacy and Fluency Article and documents from Educause, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology

InfoLit Global A repository for information literacy resources and materials from around the world, sponsored by the United Nations for Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).
Freely available to the world

Teaching Tools

Research 101 @ EMU University of Washington's award-winning, interactive information literacy tutorial, which has been customized for the EMU community, provides an excellent framework for students learning about the research process.

Wikipedia: Beneath the Surface A brief video from NCSU Libraries that provides an overview of how Wikipedia works. It's a good starting place to help students to think about what role information from this source might play in their research.

Kuhlthau's Model of the Stages of the Information Process A well-known model of the research process, including student affect throughout the process, from: Kuhlthau, Carol C. Seeking Meaning: A Process Approach to Library and Information Services. Norwood, N.J.: Ablex Publishing Corp., 1993, pp.45-51

Looking for the Stories Behind Wikipedia Entries From the National Council of Teachers of English NCTE Inbox Blog. Provides ideas on how to encourage students to look at the stories behind information sources.

Maintainer of this guide: Suzanne Gray, Information Literacy Librarian last updated: October 8, 2009

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