As defined in the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (2015), information literacy is the "set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning."
A previous definition from the 2000 ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education describes information literacy as "the set of skills needed to identify and articulate a need for information, search for, locate, evaluate, and actually use that information."
Our librarians work collaboratively with faculty and instructors to help students develop information literacy skills in support of academic coursework and lifelong learning goals. We believe that information literacy is an integral part of a liberal arts education. Our profession has been actively engaged with developing a definition of information literacy for higher education for many years. Currently, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education offers this definition:
Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.
Our ongoing collaboration with the Rhetoric Department is an ideal partnership:
The Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education is a recent (Feb. 2015) addition to the "constellation of information literacy documents" available from the Association of College and Research Libraries. It includes the following six frames:
The Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education help us identify information literacy in students and provide a framework for assessment. Information literacy applies to all levels of education, learning environments, and disciplines, forming the basis for lifelong learning. The standards break down the broader concept, making it easier to identify information literacy skills in college students.
Each standard comes along with a detailed list of performance indicators and outcomes. To simplify things quite a bit, listed below is each standard with a few examples of demonstrable tasks, skills, or outcomes that can be attached to each one.
1.) The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed
Examples:
2.) The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently
Examples:
3.) The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system
Examples:
4.) The information literate student applies new and prior information to the planning and creation of a particular product or performance
Examples:
5.) The information literate student understands many of the ethical, legal and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally
Examples: