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RN-BSN Library Guide

Use this Library Research Guide to help locate evidence-based resources including articles, information on research appraisal, statistics, evidence translation, clinical practice tools, informatics and professional resources.

Project Information Literacy

News Study Infographic

What is Information Literacy?

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

Information Timeline

The information timeline, or information cycle, is the process that the information of an event goes through as it is filtered down through different source types. As the information advances further down the information timeline, the more that event is analyzed. Information usually starts out in the news or through social media. The initial information that is released includes quick facts and interviews about the event. As facts are revealed and discussed, the story about that event is studied in more depth and is later published in journals and/or books.

 

Information Timeline Graphic by adstarkel. Used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Considering Information Literacy

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.

As the American Library Association Presidential Committee on Information Literacy(January 10, 1989, Washington, D.C.) says “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.” 

Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning. It is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education. It enables learners to master content and extend their investigations, become more self-directed, and assume greater control over their own learning. An information literate individual is able to:

  • Determine the extent of information needed
  • Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
  • Evaluate information and its sources critically
  • Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base
  • Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
  • Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, access and use information ethically and legally