Information literacy is a set of abilities enabling individuals to
"recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate,
evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." This definition was
formulated in 1989 by the American Library Association's Presidential
Committee on Information Literacy in its Final Report.
http://www.ala.org/acrl/nili/ilit1st.html
In an environment of rapid and sophisticated technological change and one
increasingly dependent on information, individuals must be competent and
confident about locating, evaluating, and using information effectively and
ethically. "The more the better" does not apply when too many information
choices in so many unfiltered formats confront today's students and workers.
"As students progress through their undergraduate years and graduate programs,
they need to have repeated opportunities for seeking, evaluating, and managing
information gathered from multiple sources and discipline-specific research
methods." (ALA, Information Literacy Competency Standards for higher
Education. http://www.ala.org/acrl/ilcomstan.html)
The Information
Literacy competencies as outlined in the University Competency Program are
designed to help students "understand the importance of information and
information technology to their studies, career, and personal lives, and to
empower students to be proficient in an information society. Information
Literacy competencies allow students to be better scholars, to understand the
quality and usefulness of scholarship, to understand the nature of an
information-rich society, and to use a variety of information sources and
technologies for common information processing in scholarship and
life."
