Information Literacy

Defining IL

Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning. It is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education. It enables learners to master content and extend their investigations, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their own learning.
The many definitions of information literacy describe the abilities to:

• Determine the extent of information needed
• Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
• Evaluate information and its sources critically
• Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base
• Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
• Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally  

[source: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm#ildef]

Documents and Articles

• Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education
  Standards reviewed by the ACRL Standards Committee and approved by the Board of Directors of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).
• ALA’s Information Competency Standards Toolkit
  Tools, web pages, and other resources to support use of the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.
• Library Instruction for Diverse Populations Bibliography
  Annotated bibliography of articles addressing information literacy instruction for divers student populations, including general articles and those focused on specific populations.
• ICT Literacy Assessment Preliminary Findings
  Results of a research study showing student deficiencies in information literacy. The study was conducted by ETS, which has developed an ICT (Information and Communication Technology) Literacy Assessment instrument.
• Who Uses What?
  2003 Report on a National Survey of Information Users in Colleges and Universities. This report highlights the types of information that students and faculty use and reflects attitudes about Internet use for research.
• Library as Place: Rethinking Roles, Rethinking Spaces
  A collection of articles presenting multiple perspectives on the role of the physical library in the digital age.

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Lesson Plans & Assignment Ideas

• SOS for Information Literacy
  A collection of lesson plans and teaching ideas for information literacy for all educational levels. Searchable by keyword and educational level.
• Sample IL Assignments and Assessment
  This collection of rubrics and assessments for information literacy highlights some of the collaborations between librarians and faculty at Highline Community College from 2006-2008.
• Faculty Toolkit for Teaching Information Literacy
  A collection of links to instruction resources

Assessment

• Assessment in and of Collaborative Learning
  A collaborative document from the Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Education. “…provides a set of assessment tools for college teachers and staff involved in collaborative learning and in learning communities. We describe approaches we have found effective in our own classrooms-approaches which reflect our concept of assessment as an integral part of the teaching and learning process.”
• An Assessment Framework for the Community College: Measuring Student Learning and Achievement as a Means of Demonstrating Institutional Effectiveness
  An excellent refresher or introduction to the basic concepts in assessment. Provides examples at multiple levels, from institutional assessment to assessment for specific assignments.
• An Assessment Plan For Information Literacy From Indiana University Bloomington Libraries
  This plan from Indiana University Bloomington Libraries is now more than 10 years old, but it offers relevant ideas for assessment strategies that address many components of information literacy.

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Journals & Blogs

• Information Literacy Weblog
  Current links and commentary on information literacy from around the world.
• Communications in Information Literacy
  A scholarly journal on the knowledge, practice, and research in information literacy.

Organizations

• Library Instruction Round Table
  This roundtable of the American Library Association advocates library instruction as a means for developing competent library and information use as a part of lifelong learning. LIRT membership represents all types of libraries (academic, public, school, and special) committed to this goal.
• National Forum on Information Literacy

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Tutorials for Students

• IRIS: Information and Research Instruction Suite
  A tutorial that traces the entire research process and concludes with a quiz based on the tutorial content
• Research 101
  A tutorial developed by the University of Washington Libraries
• Learn: Research Tips
  Brief movies and tip sheets from the University of Wisconsin Libraries
• Instruction Tutorials and Guides
  A list of tutorials mostly from academic libraries
• Internet Detective
  Interactive tutorial for finding and evaluating Internet-based information
• You Quote It, You Note It
  A quick tutorial that provides practice with the concepts of paraphrasing, quoting and plagiarism
  

Plagiarism

• Acknowledgement (University of Melbourne)
  Originality and plagiarism resources for academic staff, including resources for teaching students about plagiarism.