Information Literacy

Information Literacy Umbrella

Definition:
Information literacy is the ability to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information (Presidential)."
The National Forum on Information Literacy lists seven basic information literacy principles:

1. Define 
2. Access 
3. Evaluate 
4. Manage 
5. Integrate 
6. Create 
7. Communicate 

These seven principles set a basic guideline for understanding information literacy, and a person's ability to carry out these principles is helpful in determining whether he/she is information literate.

What Information Literacy Means to Me:
To me, information literacy can be summed up as my ability to locate, check, and properly manipulate the information I find. I would consider it to be an invaluable skill simply because it directly correlates with a person's ability to learn. A great example is when I need to research topics for school papers or assignments. Being information literate helps to ensure that the information I find is authentic, appropriate, adequate, and current. It also helps in ensuring that I communicate the information I gather both lawfully and accordingly. In an age where technology is always becoming more prevalent and abundant information, both factual and fictional, is becoming easier to share and access, being information literate is even more important. Whether it's researching for school, looking up recipes, checking the news or weather, or even shopping at the grocery store, being information literate is key in finding, evaluating, and using the presented information.

Works Cited
IL Umbrella. Digital image. National Forum on Information Literacy. National Forum on Information Literacy, Inc., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2012. <http://infolit.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/IL-Umbrella.jpg>.

"Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education." American Library Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. <http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency>.

"Information Literacy Skills." National Forum on Information Literacy RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. <http://infolit.org/>.

"Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report." American Library Association. American Library Association, 1989. Web. 05 Dec. 2012. <http://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/whitepapers/presidential>.