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An Introduction to Information Literacy

Information literacy is the lifelong ability to locate, evaluate, and effectively use information.

Ultimately, information literate people are those who have learned how to learn. They know how to learn because they know how knowledge is organized, how to find information, and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them. They are people prepared for lifelong learning, because they can always find the information needed for any task or decision at hand. ¹

Information literacy enhances the pursuit of learning at University by preparing students to think critically and use information for their academic, professional and personal lives. It involves a complex set of skills that allow the expression, exploration, questioning and understanding of ideas in a dynamic information-rich environment. These skills are often an implicit learning outcome that students are expected to demonstrate through their studies and are developed progressively over time. Bridging the gap between information resources and the curriculum is a primary goal of information literacy.

Information literacy skills do not evolve overnight but are developed over an extended period throughout the educational process. The development of these skills depends upon the successful implementation of a combination of collaborative initiatives by library, academic, and student sectors. The role of the Library in this context is outlined in the University of Otago Library Teaching and Learning Plan and these general principles are operationalised in terms of skill development in the University of Otago Information Literacy Guide. The broad objectives of the Information Literacy programme at the University of Otago Library are based on the ANZIIL Information Literacy Standards and aim to enable individuals to:

1. recognise the need for information and determine the nature and extent of the information needed.
2. find needed information effectively and efficiently.
3. critically evaluate information and the information seeking process.
4. manage information collected or generated.
5. apply prior and new information to construct new concepts or create new understanding.
6. use information with understanding and acknowledge cultural, ethical, economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information.

A brief introduction to information literacy at the University of Otago is also the subject of this atteached presentation.

Please direct any comments about information literacy at the University of Otago Library to gillian.elliot@otago.ac.nz

Footnote

1. American Library Association Presidential Committee on Information Literacy - Final Report. (1989) Retrieved on 10 April 2003 from: http://www.infolit.org/documents/89Report.htm.

Last revised: 29 January, 2010