What is Information Literacy?
![](https://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/standards/framework_banner733.jpg)
The ACRL Information Literacy Framework states: "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."
Framework for Information Literacy document
Companion document-Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
Information literacy is today’s “4th R” of basic literacy, complementing the “readin’, ’ritin’, and ’rithmetic” of the early days of American education with “retrieval”—it is a survival skill for the Age of Information. The ability to access, manage, and utilize information to make decisions and solve problems is a necessary competence for effective participation in the 21st century.
Some measure of learner self-reliance is a fundamental assumption of distributed learning. In a world of infinite information, self-reliance in accessing and managing appropriate information is a daunting challenge. Competence in navigating the complex universe of information for both learning and work requires information literacy.
Marcum, J. (2004). Information literacy. In Encyclopedia of distributed learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Retrieved from www.credo.com