What is Information Literacy and how can it be integrated into your program objectives?

"[Information Literacy] extends from knowing how to use computers and access information to critical reflection on the nature of information itself, its technical infrastructure, and its social, cultural and even philosophical context and impact." (Shapiro and Hughes, 1996)

With the advent of the Internet and the widespread availability of information of varying format and quality, student researchers are often drowning in information. Information literacy represents a new and more sophisticated understanding of the skills and conceptual understandings required to be an effective researcher. Essentially, a focus on information literacy demands a deeper attention not only to the skills required to effectively search a library database, but to all the components of good research that come before and after the search itself — such as understanding how to ask a viable research question, and/or how to evaluate what one finds.

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has defined information literacy as follows: "To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." The ACRL has also provided learning objectives for developing information literacy in higher education. The information literate person:

1. recognizes the need for information and determines the nature and extent of the information needed
2. accesses needed information effectively and efficiently
3. evaluates information critically
4. uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
5. understands cultural, economic, ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding the use and production of information

With these overarching objectives in mind, we can then turn to specific performance indicators for each objective, which would also have particular learning outcomes. For instance:

Objective: The information literate person recognizes the need for information and determines the nature and extent of the information needed.

One Possible Performance Indicator: The information literate person identifies a variety of types and formats of potential sources for information.

Outcomes Include:

• Knows how information is formally and informally produced, organized and disseminated
• Recognizes that knowledge can be organized into disciplines that influence the way information is accessed
• Identifies the value and differences of potential resources in a variety of formats (e.g. multimedia, database, website, data set, audio/visual, book, journal article)
• Identifies the purpose and audience of potential resources (e.g. popular vs. scholarly, current vs. historical)
• Differentiates between primary and secondary sources, recognizing how their use and importance vary with each discipline
• Realizes that information may be need to be constructed with raw data from primary sources

Embedding Information Literacy in your Program Learning Objectives

Your liaison librarian can work with your program or academic unit to help you integrate information literacy into your learning objectives and collaborate with you on how best to embed it into your curricula. Obviously each discipline will have different needs in terms of information literacy, and we would be delighted to work with you to develop a customized plan for your unit. Our goal is to develop structures whereby contextualized recursive learning experiences focussing on research skills and strategies are staggered throughout a student's degree program in the appropriate courses. This approach allows us to build information literacy incrementally. Invite us to a departmental meeting or retreat and let's get the conversation started!

For examples of existing curriculum integrated projects, take a look at the following curriculum maps:

• University of Windsor, History Department: http://www.uwindsor.ca/units/leddy/2002.nsf/HelpInstructionMaps
• Department of English, San Jose State University: ttp://www2.sjsu.edu/depts/english/Infocomp.htm
• Vogel Library, Wartburg College (Biology, Chemistry, Community Sociology, English, Music and more): http://public.wartburg.edu/library/infolit/currmap.html

Core Readings

Information Literacy in a Nutshell: Basic Information for Academic Administrators and Faculty . http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/acrlinfolit/infolitoverview/infolitforfac/infolitfaculty.htm

Shapiro, Jeremy J. and Shelley K. Hughes. (1996) Information Literacy as a Liberal Art. Educom Review. 3 (2). Retrieved December 16, 2002, from http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/review/reviewarticles/31231.html

What is Information Literacy? A York University Libraries' Guide for Faculty. http://www.library.yorku.ca/ccm/Home/infolit/theory

More Information

To discuss integrating Information Literacy learning objectives into your program, contact Lisa Sloniowski, Information Literacy Program Coordinator: lisasl@yorku.ca or ext. 20072

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