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Information Literacy: Concepts and Teaching Strategies

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Are your students drowning in information? Can they spot misinformation and "fake news?" With a plethora of information available at their fingertips, information literacy skills have never been more critical.

You have likely heard of information literacy but may be unsure how to define it. You may have questions such as: Is information literacy important for my students? What learning bottlenecks might students experience related to information literacy? How can I effectively help my students to develop their information literacy?

This guide defines information literacy, outlines core information literacy concepts, identifies common information literacy-related challenges that students may face, and provides teaching strategies and activities aimed at helping you to incorporate information literacy into your courses.

Defining Information Literacy

The term information literacy has been used for over 40 years, with various definitions proposed during this period. In 2016, the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) published the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and included the following definition:

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.

In other words, information literacy involves an understanding of how information is created, accessed, shared, and valued and the abilities and mindset necessary to be able to locate, evaluate, use, and create information sources ethically and effectively .

Information literacy includes: 

Conceptual understandings , such as a recognition of how and why information has value or what makes a source authoritative  
Habits of mind , or dispositions such as persistence and flexibility when searching 
Skills or practices , such as the ability to effectively use a database

As you review the teaching strategies, remember that a single assignment or instruction session cannot fully teach students to become information literate. You are not expected to teach every information literacy concept or skill in one course. However, you can take steps in almost any course to support students' developing information literacy, even if the course does not include a traditional research paper.

Core Information Literacy Concepts

The Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (Association of College & Research Libraries, 2016) highlights six core information literacy concepts:

Authority is Constructed and Contextual
Information Creation as a Process
Information Has Value
Research as Inquiry
Scholarship as Conversation
Searching as Strategic Exploration

These core concepts describe understandings about the purpose and process of research and scholarship broadly shared among scholars, but that novice learners may not yet fully grasp. However, without understanding these concepts, many common academic or professional research practices may not make sense. Each core concept is briefly described below.

Expert researchers understand that information sources have different levels of authority or credibility, and authority is related to the expertise or credibility of the information creator . Many factors contribute to expertise, including education, experience, and social position. However, having expertise in one area does not imply expertise in others.

Experts also recognize the context in which information is needed, and will be used, can impact the level of authority needed or what would be considered authoritative. An information source that may be appropriate to use in one situation may not be considered authoritative in another situation.

Students who grasp this concept can examine information sources and ask relevant questions about origins, context, and suitability for the information need to identify credible and relevant information sources in multiple contexts. (ACRL, 2016)

For additional information view the Authority is Constructed and Contextual video.

Experts know that information products are created by different processes and come in many formats , which reflect the differences in the creation process . Some information formats may be better suited for conveying certain types of information or meeting specific information needs. Understanding how and why an information product was created can help to determine how that information can be used. Experts recognize that the creation process for an information source and the format can influence that source's actual or perceived value.

Understanding different formats of information and the related creation processes can help students determine when and how to use a specific information source and help them make informed decisions regarding the appropriate format(s) for their own information creations. (ACRL, 2016)

For additional information view the Information Creation as a Process video.

Experts know that information has many types of value (financial, personal, social). Because information is valuable, several factors (political, economic, legal) influence the creation, access, distribution, and use of information. Novice learners may struggle to understand the value of information, especially as nearly all information appears to be available for free online.

Experts, however, understand their responsibilities as information consumers and creators, including making deliberate choices about how they access and share information and when to comply with—or when to contest—current legal and socioeconomic restrictions on information. Additionally, experts recognize that not everyone has equal access to information or the equal ability to make their voice heard.

Understanding this concept will help students make sense of the legal and ethical guidelines surrounding information (and the reasons they exist) and make informed decisions both as information consumers and as information creators. (ACRL, 2016)

For additional information view the Information Has Value video.

Experts usually consider research a process focused on problems or questions, within or between disciplines, which are unanswered or unresolved and recognize research as part of an ongoing and collaborative effort to extend knowledge . They understand research is rarely a simple, straightforward search for one "perfect" answer or source; instead, it is an iterative, open-ended, and messy process in which finding answers often lead to new questions. Expert researchers accept ambiguity as part of the research process and recognize the need for adaptability and flexibility when they search.

Understanding this concept will help students recognize that research requires patience, persistence, and flexibility and will prepare them to make sense of the ambiguous nature of their search results rather than seeking a single "right" answer . (ACRL, 2016)

For additional information view the Research as Inquiry video.

Scholars, researchers, and professionals within a field engage in ongoing discussions where new ideas and research findings are continually debated . In most cases, there are often multiple competing perspectives on a topic. Experts can locate, navigate, and contribute to the conversations within their discipline or field. They recognize that providing appropriate attribution to relevant previous research is considered an obligation of participating in this conversation. As they develop their information literacy, students should learn to see themselves as contributors to these conversations. However, they may first need to learn the "language" of the discipline, such as accepted research methods, standards for evidence, and forms of attribution, before they can fully participate.

Understanding this concept will help students better evaluate the relevance of specific information sources, to make sense of many of the requirements of scholarly practice, and better understand the expectations around their own role in the conversation . (ACRL, 2016)

For additional information view the Scholarship as Conversation video.

Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative , requiring evaluating a range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate directions. The information searching process is a complex process influenced by cognitive, affective, and social factors. While novice learners may only use a limited number of search tools and strategies, experts understand the properties of various information search systems and make informed choices when determining search strategy and search language. Expert searchers shape their search to fit the information need, rather than relying on the same strategies, search systems, and search language without regard for the context of the search.

Students who understand this concept will be able to make appropriate decisions about where and how they search for information in different contexts . (ACRL, 2016)

For additional information view the Searching as Strategic Exploration video.

Information Literacy Learning Bottlenecks

Bottlenecks are where some students in a course may struggle, get stuck, be unable to complete required tasks, or move forward in their learning (Decoding the Disciplines; Middendorf & Baer, 2019). Information literacy-related bottlenecks can come in many forms. Some of the most common are outlined below and emphasize core concepts.

Research or inquiry-based assignments are those in which students are required to find, analyze, and use various information sources to explore an issue, answer a question, or solve a problem. Although they are common assignments, they can be sources of frustration for both you and your students.

You are likely expecting students to:

Approach research as an open-ended and inquiry-driven process (Research as Inquiry)
Be an active participant (provide an argument, make an interpretation) in the ongoing conversations related to their topic (Scholarship as Conversation)

However, these expectations may be unfamiliar to students who are more accustomed to the idea of research as a process of compiling and summarizing information on a topic. Additionally, effectively completing research assignments requires a wide range of knowledge and skills that novice learners may not yet have developed.

Students who can effectively complete these assignments :

Are familiar with academic jargon (e.g., scholarly journal, literature review) and understand the meaning of the various actions often required as part of these assignments (e.g., analyze, illustrate, interpret)
Can distinguish between expectations for different types of research or inquiry-based assignments (i.e., can recognize the different goals of an empirical research paper, a literature review, or an annotated bibliography)
Can formulate research questions by considering missing or conflicting information from the existing conversation
Possess the necessary background knowledge or disciplinary knowledge that allows them to navigate ongoing scholarly or professional conversations related to their topic
Think of themselves as capable of contributing to academic or professional conversations

Related core concepts

Research as Inquiry
Scholarship as Conversation

Related teaching strategies

Clarifying Expectations for Research Assignments

With so many different search tools and resources available, determining where to search for information and executing an effective search can be difficult. Identifying an appropriate search tool, crafting an effective search statement, and using initial results to guide search revisions takes significant knowledge of the properties and functions of various search tools.

Effective searching also requires students to understand the complex nature of the search process. Novice learners may, for example, approach searching as a linear process intended to find a specific number of sources as quickly as possible, rather than a strategic and complicated process for finding relevant information ( Middendorf & Baer, 2019 ).

Students who can search effectively:

Understand how various information system, such as search engines and databases, are organized and function
Determine when to use a search engine or a more specialized or academic database or search resource
Are familiar with the databases or search tools that are most relevant for their specific discipline or information need
Use different types of search language and search options as needed
Revise their search strategy as needed, based on initial results, and seek assistance from information professionals
Demonstrate flexibility and persistence, and understand that initial attempts do not always produce adequate results

Related core concepts

Searching as Strategic Exploration

Related teaching strategies

Teaching Information Searching

Evaluating information to identify credible sources that are relevant to their topic or research question and are appropriate for their information need is one of the most difficult challenges students face. It requires significant knowledge of various types of information sources and their characteristics, the processes by which information sources are produced and disseminated, the factors that provide or temper authority or credibility, and an understanding of how context can impact these other factors.

Students who can evaluate information effectively:

Are motivated to find credible and relevant information sources; maintain an open mind when considering information from multiple perspectives
Can identify/distinguish different types (e.g., journal articles, news articles, book chapters, blog posts) and categories (e.g., scholarly, popular, professional) of information sources
Can define different types of authority, such as subject expertise (e.g., scholarship), societal position (e.g., public office or title), or special experience (e.g., participating in a historic event)
Understand how the creation processes for various information sources can impact the way the source may be valued
Assess information with a critical stance
Use indicators of authority to help determine the credibility of sources while recognizing the factors that can temper authority
Have an awareness of how their own worldview may impact how they perceive information
Recognize that information sources may be perceived or valued differently depending on the context
Authority is Constructed and Contextual
Information Creation as a Process
Teaching Source Evaluation

Using information sources ethically is one of the most crucial habits that students need to develop, but it can also be one of the most challenging that students face. More than being able to master the basics of citations, students need to understand why information is valuable and learn to navigate the complex rules, regulations, and expectations around information use.

Students who use information ethically:

Recognize the various ways in which information can be valuable (e.g. financial, political, personal)
Demonstrate respect for the time, effort, and skill needed to create knowledge; give credit to the ideas of others through appropriate attribution
Demonstrate understanding of and the ability to use of the methods of attribution that are appropriate to their discipline or field
Are familiar with concepts such as intellectual property, copyright, fair use, plagiarism, the public domain, and open access
Critically consider what personal information they share online and make careful decisions about how they publish or share their own information products
Understand that everyone does not have equal access to information or the equal ability to share information
Recognize how citations are used as part of ongoing scholarly or professional conversations
Information Has Value
Teaching Ethical Information Use

Leverage Library Resources

Instructor Resources at University Libraries provides guidance on incorporating library resources to support student learning in your course. Explore topics such as information literacy, academic research skills, and affordable course content, and access “ready-to-share” instructional materials including videos, Carmen content, and handouts.

Teaching Strategies and Activities

Information literacy cannot be taught in a single instruction session or even a single course. Instead, it develops throughout a student's academic career. No instructor is expected to incorporate all the core information literacy concepts or address every potential learning bottleneck in a single course. However, there are many small steps that you can take to support students' developing information literacy.

The following approaches provide an overview of some helpful strategies that you can use to help your students overcome information literacy-related learning bottlenecks.

You can take several steps as you (re)design your research or inquiry-based assignments to support increased student learning and reduce the misunderstandings that are common between students and instructors.

List all of the steps that students will need to take to complete the assignment. You may be surprised at how many there actually are! This can help you to identify steps that may be challenging for students but you may have initially overlooked because of your own familiarity with the research process.
Identify the core concepts, such as Scholarship as Conversation or Research as Inquiry , that may be behind your expectations for the assignment.
Question your purpose for including certain requirements, such as requiring a specific citation style or that students use specific types of sources. What are your requirements contributing to student learning in the course?
Discuss the purpose of academic research and the goals of your specific research assignment with students.
Define any academic jargon (such as "scholarly" or "peer-reviewed") and your action words (analyze, trace, illustrate).
Clarify the distinctions between different types of research or inquiry-based assignments, such as the difference between a literature review and an annotated bibliography.
Describe the types of sources that you consider to be appropriate or inappropriate for the assignment and explain why.
Be sure that any requirements you have for sources align with the purpose and context of the assignment. For example, be careful not to expect students to use scholarly sources for topics where scholarly research may not exist.
Provide step-by-step instructions and model the steps of the research process.
Scaffold large research assignments by breaking them down into more manageable chunks and providing feedback after each part.
Have a colleague or student review your assignment instructions, note anything that seems unclear, and highlight any jargon that may need to be explained. This can be even more helpful if it is a colleague outside of your discipline.

Sample Activity

Have students complete a quick activity in which they analyze the assignment instructions. Have them:

Summarize what they must do
Identify any unclear terms
Highlight key requirements
Discuss their responses together to identify any initial misconceptions about the purpose or process for the assignment

There are many things you can do to help students become more adept at information searching:

Identify the core concepts, such as Searching as Strategic Exploration , Research as Inquiry , and Information Creation as a Process , that may be contributing to students challenges with information searching
The difference between a search engine and a database, and when it is appropriate to use one or the other
The databases or search tools that are most commonly used in the discipline
How to create an effective search statement or use databases options and limiters (advanced search, Boolean operators); how to revise a search when needed
Recommend specific search tools. With so many tools available, including hundreds of research databases available through University Libraries, students may need guidance for where to go to start their search.
Recommend that students use the Subject Guides available through University Libraries to identify relevant search tools and resources.
Provide analogies or examples to help students enhance their understanding of the search process (Middendorf & Baer, 2019).
Model the search process by showing how you would go about searching for information on a topic or question relevant to the course.
Build reflection on or discussion of the search process into the assignment.

As part of a research assignment, have students complete an outline or screencast video in which they describe or demonstrate how they would go about searching for information on their topic and use the results to guide a discussion of effective search strategies.

For an example of how you can address bottlenecks related to information searching, see:

Middendorf, J., & Baer, A., (2019). Bottlenecks of Information Literacy . In C. Gibson & S. Mader (Eds.), Building Teaching and Learning Communities: Creating Shared Meaning and Purpose , pp. 51-68

To help students with source evaluation, steps you can take include:

Identify the core concepts, such as Authority is Constructed and Contextual or Information Creation as a Process , that may be contributing to challenges students experience when evaluating information
The various factors that contribute to, or temper, source authority or credibility (many students have erroneously been taught to use surface factors, such as domain name or the look of the site, to make decisions about source credibility)
How to differentiate between types (e.g. news articles, websites, scholarly journal articles, social media sources) and categories of information sources (scholarly, professional, popular)
The role context plays in determining the authority needed
The types of information sources that are considered authoritative or credible in your field
Consider why you might require specific types of sources. If students can or cannot use specific sources types, is there a clear reason why?
Clearly outline your expectations for appropriate sources for your assignments and explain your reasons for these requirements
Clarify the distinction between terms such as credible, relevant, and scholarly
Model the process that you take to determine whether or not you find a source to be credible and appropriate
Provide evaluation criteria and outline steps that students can take or questions they need to consider as part of the source evaluation process
The domain name (.com, .edu)
The professionalism of the site
The information provided in the About Us page
Encourage students to consider factors such as the authority of the author or publisher, motivation for publishing the source, relevance of the source to the research question or topic, and the appropriateness of the source for the context
Encourage your students to practice lateral reading, where they read across multiple sites as part of the source evaluation process—for example, searching for the author or publisher or site sponsor via a search engine to learn more about them rather than remaining on the same site. For more information, see What Reading Laterally Means (Caulfield, 2017).
After receiving instructions for a research assignment, have students work together to develop class guidelines for evaluating sources, with recommendations for the types of sources that would or would not be considered appropriate to use

Other resources to support lateral reading include:

Teaching Lateral Reading (Civic Online Reasoning)
Evaluating Online Sources: A Toolkit (Baer & Kipnis, Rowan University)
Lateral Reading (University of Louisville Libraries)
Identify the core concepts, such as Information Has Value or Scholarship as Conversation , that may be contributing to challenges students experience when using information ethically
The expectations for when and why attribution is required in academic research
The expectations for attribution in your discipline or field
Locating the information needed to include in a citation
Reading a citation to identify relevant information
The distinctions between plagiarism and copyright infringement
Consider your purpose for requiring a specific citation style. While there can be good reasons for insisting on specific styles, doing so can also create an unnecessary burden, especially for students outside of your discipline.
Identify the key aspect(s) of the citation process that you want to emphasize when it comes to grading (i.e. is it more important that students have the citation format perfect, or that they are using their sources effectively?)
Provide resources, such as the University Libraries' Citation Help Guide , to help students develop their citation skills, especially if requiring a discipline-specific citation style
Practice "reading" citations with your students—many students may struggle to identify the different parts of a citation
Teach students to use sources/citations to locate additional citations (forward and backward citation tracing)
Talk with your students about the ways that scholars and researchers use sources and citations to document and engage with the conversation(s) on their topic and establish their own credibility. Emphasize citation as part of the process of engaging in scholarly and professional conversations.

Provide students with a relevant sample article from which all citations have been removed or redacted. Discuss how the lack of citations contributes to their ability to evaluate the article's credibility and use the article effectively to answer a question or learn more about the topic.

Comparing Search Tools Activity

Evaluating sources using lateral reading, interpreting a research or inquiry-based activity.

Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (website)
Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research (e-book)
Choosing & Using Sources: Instructor Resources (e-book)
Transforming information literacy instruction: Threshold concepts in theory and…
University Libraries Information Literacy Virtual Workshop Series (videos)
University Libraries Subject Guides (website)
University Libraries Subject Librarians (website)

Learning Opportunities

Association of College & Research Libraries. (2016). Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework .

Baer, A., & Kipnis, D. (2020). Evaluating Online Sources: A Toolkit. https://libguides.rowan.edu/EvaluatingOnlineSources .

Caulfield, M. (2017). Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers . Pressbooks.

Stanford University. (n.d.) Civic Online Reasoning. https://cor.stanford.edu/curriculum/collections/teaching-lateral-reading/ .

Decoding the Discipline. (n.d.) http://decodingthedisciplines.org/ .

Middendorf, J., & Baer, A., (2019). Bottlenecks of Information Literacy . In C. Gibson & S. Mader (Eds.), Building Teaching and Learning Communities: Creating Shared Meaning and Purpose , pp. 51-68.

Ohio State University Libraries.(n.d.) Citation Help. Retrieved from https://guides.osu.edu/citation .

TILT Higher Ed. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://tilthighered.com/ .

Classroom Q&A

With larry ferlazzo.

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to [email protected]. Read more from this blog.

Ways to Strengthen Students’ Information-Literacy Skills

(This is the final post in a two-part series. You can see Part One here .)

The new question-of-the-week is:

What are the best ways teachers can help students combat “fake news” and develop information-literacy skills?

In Part One, we heard responses from Carla Truttman, Josh Perlman, Jennifer Casa-Todd, Bryan Goodwin, and Frank W. Baker.

Today, this series will finish up with suggestions from Elliott Rebhun, Michael Fisher, Dr. Barbara R. Blackburn, Dr. Laura Greenstein, and Douglas Reeves. I also include comments from readers.

Response From Elliott Rebhun

Elliott Rebhun is the editor-in-chief of Scholastic’s Classroom Magazine Group. He started at Scholastic in 2003 as the editor of The New York Times UPFRONT®, the company’s high school social studies news magazine. Prior to Scholastic, he worked at The Times, both in print and digital, and at Newsweek . He has a B.A. from the College of Arts and Sciences and a B.S. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania:

Media literacy has become a focus of instruction nationwide, and while teaching our students that staying informed is important, we also have a responsibility to make sure that kids know how and where to obtain accurate, unbiased information and think critically about that information. P-12 teachers find themselves addressing this daily as they share with their students the skills needed to problem solve and empathize when thinking about issues within our global society, as well as to discern whether the information they obtain is factual or fictional.

Teachers may ask themselves what they can do to weave media literacy into their daily classroom instruction so that students learn how to seek credible information. Students should know the value of reading the news, and facilitating regular classroom discussions about current events is a wonderful way to enhance the culture of literacy within a classroom. News articles written specifically for students across different grade levels and free online resources with civics and media-literacy content such as We the People provide a context for talking about current events and media literacy as an important part of citizenry.

We should also encourage students to seek information on topics of interest, providing kids with opportunities to learn about the world around them and engage in their communities. As part of this, it’s important for educators to explain to their students what fake news is and demonstrate how they should responsibly analyze facts and interpret news to discern what is true and what is false. We cover this topic extensively in Scholastic Classroom Magazines across genres, including news, science, and health. To start, there are four simple strategies that educators of all grade levels can utilize to help their students become conscious and thoughtful consumers of news.

Be critical. You can’t trust all of the content that you find online, even when someone you know sends it to you. It’s important to think critically about what you read on the internet.
Search for indicators. Analyze the sources that a news piece cites and be observant of advertisements that can reveal a lot about any hidden goals of an outlet.
Corroborate. Spend time doing research of your own. Make sure that the source is credible and see if you can verify other sources of the same news.
Check to be sure. Nonpartisan fact-checking sites such as Factcheck.org and Politifact.com are tools that can help you verify what is true and uncover what is false.

Media-literacy lessons are valuable for students across grade levels, and age-appropriate news content is a wonderful resource to begin these conversations in classrooms. It’s never too late to make media literacy a priority so that our students become good citizens who are knowledgeable, who participate in society, and who work to make it better, because the future belongs to them, and they deserve a great one.

Response From Michael Fisher

Michael Fisher is a former teacher who is now a full-time author and instructional coach. He works with schools around the country, helping to sustain curriculum upgrades, design curriculum, and modernize instruction in immersive technology. His latest book is The Quest for Learning: How to Maximize Student Engagement , published by Solution Tree. For more information, visit The Digigogy Collaborative ( digigogy.com ) or find Michael on Twitter ( @fisher1000 ):

In our book, The Quest for Learning , Marie Alcock, Allison Zmuda, and I discuss concerns with working so openly on the web with networks, resources, and multimedia. We use the acronym VIA to think about information literacy and source validity. The V in VIA stands for “Verifiable Details.” The I stands for “Intuition,” and the A stands for “Authoritative Connection.”

Verifiable Details: Students should get into the habit of comparing resources and corroborating information. For instance, it’s interesting to look at how different news sources handle breaking news. Students can look for similarities in the different sources to determine what information is the most believable. Students can use tools like NewsPaperMap.com to see news sources from all over the world. This gives them the opportunity to look at other countries’ perspectives on the news that our domestic sources are reporting on. They should also be noticing whether or not the sources have links to additional information, references for their claims, citations, and quotes from verifiable sources.

Intuition : If a source sounds salacious or outlandish or too good to be true—then it probably isn’t true. Beyond verifiable details, students should also learn to go with their gut—if a resource seems to be off or misleading, then it probably is. If the resource is demonstratively different from other sources on the same topic, then it is likely questionable. If the source was paid for by a special-interest group, then that might also be a red flag.

Authoritative Connection: What is the affiliation of the creator of the source? What is the parent source of the material? Students should be able to recognize known credible sources. They should also know something about the author that is creating material that is shared online and in print. Does the author have knowledge of the subject matter or topic? What else has the author written or experienced around the topic? Does the author or the parent source have any dubious actions in their background? What is the domain of the source? If it ends in an unfamiliar domain like .biz, .coop, .info, or .club, then the authoritative connection may be thin or nonexistent.

Trustworthy work comes from critical thinking VIA students’ thinking about validity and truth. Students need these cues to prevent them from “researching” and reporting on whatever the first five results in a Google search are.

Also, students could benefit from learning how to use Snopes.com or websites like Politifact to verify the claims that an entity or author might make.

Response From Dr. Barbara R. Blackburn

Dr. Barbara R. Blackburn, ranked #4 in the Top 30 Global Gurus in Education, is the author of 18 books on rigor, motivation, instruction, and leadership. She regularly collaborates with schools and districts for professional development. She can be reached through her website, www.barbarablackburnonline.com :

Years ago, prior to the “fake news” environment of today, I taught my students the difference between fact and opinion. This was important because I used USA Today instead of a textbook for my struggling students and I wanted them to move beyond taking articles at face value. First, we analyzed news stories and identified key facts, which we tried to confirm from another source. Next, we moved into opinions/perspective columns. I particularly liked (and still do) USA Today because they always publish an opposing view to their editorial. In small groups, students read both sides of the issues, listed the facts that supported the author’s opinions, chose the side they agreed with, completed additional research, and then debated another group. This forced them to see the differences between what is news and what is a person’s perspective. I believe this is foundational as students try to determine what is actually fact-based news, whether it comes from a newspaper, website, podcast, talk show, or TV.

Once students know the basic differences between factual news stories and opinions, we need to address whether factual news is really factual. What do I mean? I recently talked with a student who said that the moon landing never occurred. That’s an example of “fake news.” The student showed me the website he used to find that information, but he simply assumed that, since it was on the internet, it was true.

Our next step is to teach students how to evaluate the credibility of the source providing the “facts.” After leading a discussion on how to determine if a source is credible, show two examples of stories, one fake, one real. Work together to identify the source, research information about the source, and determine its credibility. Next, students, working in small groups, are assigned a fake-news topic or story that has been shared on the internet, either via Facebook, Twitter, or via a Google search. Students must research the source, determine if it is fake or real, and write their opinion of the credibility of the source, using at least three pieces of valid evidence to support their opinion. As an extension, after further discussion, students can write blog entries to rebut the fake-news claims.

Response From Dr. Laura Greenstein

A lifelong educator, Dr. Laura Greenstein has served as a teacher and school leader, professor and professional-development specialist. Her passion for excellence in assessment is evident in her numerous books, articles, and blogs on the topic:

ASSESSING INFORMATION LITERACY

Is all the news really bogus? If it’s hard for adults to sort through all of it, imagine how hard it is for students to grasp the idea that people they are told to respect and admire are trying to fill their minds with untruths.

Rather than fretting over all the news that’s not fit to print, it is more important that our students are able to evaluate information and sources. Assessment of what one sees, hears, reads, and views requires an understanding of its origin and intent.

Distinguishing truth from lies, accuracy from misrepresentation, and the full facts from distortion is difficult for even the most media-savvy adults. The goal of information literacy is for students to acquire, analyze, and use information. Rubrics and annotated checklists can accompany this RAP.

R eliability : How does the author support, defend, and further her statements, claims, or position? Can it be verified? Do other sources have similar or contradictory information?

A uthority : Who is the source/author, and what are the individuals’ or organizations’ credentials?

P urpose : What is the author trying to convince me to believe, do, or think? Does he seem to have a preference or bias in his writing?

There are numerous teacher resources on developing student’s information literacy. Equally, if not more important, is assessing student’s information literacy. One option is FACTITIOUS that presents headlines and stories for students to analyze and swipe either real or fake. However, it is more relevant for students to evaluate material related to their current learning goals: a specific period of history, scientific research, healthy-living advice, or biographical information. This may begin with a whole-class review of source material using the RAP model, followed by individual or small-group review of references and further research.

Follow-up with individual or small-group projects on selected subtopics of their interest. Students can accompany their presentations with statements for the audience to evaluate as real or fake.

A. Using e-cigarettes can be just as dangerous as smoking. B. Vitamin cigarettes will add years to your life. C. Robassia is now selling a natural product to counteract the toxic effects of tobacco.

As time and learning intentions allow, students can develop their own fake-news site using low or high tech. Here are some professionally designed examples: All About Explorers , Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus , and DHMO: Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division . Students present their work and their audience, peers, teacher, or larger community evaluates the sites.

Extend learning beyond content knowledge by asking students to make recommendations, compare divergent ideas, synthesize ideas from multiple sources, and present and defend informed arguments. Fortify information literacy by weaving it directly into teaching, learning, and assessing rather than setting it apart.

Exit Slip: In the era of “fake news,” choosing the right answer is still a basic tenet of assessment. Which answer is correct?

A. The more you study, the higher your test scores. B. Assessment derives from the Latin, “Assidere.” C. Test scores in the United States continue to rise.

The correct answer is B. Assidere, meaning to sit beside and guide another. A. Review, drill, and practice may raise specific test scores, but assessment is intended to reliably gauge a student’s progress and inform educational responses. C. It depends which test scores and for what purpose.

Response From Douglas Reeves

Douglas Reeves is the author of more than 30 books and 100 articles on educational leadership, teaching, and student achievement. His videos and articles are all free downloads at CreativeLeadership.net . Doug Tweets @DouglasReees and can be reached at [email protected] :

My rule is that the internet is a hypothesis, not a conclusion. Students may start with a source that takes a point of view and makes claims about a political, educational, economic, or other issue. They then have the obligation to find at least two additional sources, one of which opposes the original claim and another one which either supports the original claim or perhaps offers an alternative claim. The student’s job is to evaluate the credibility of each source and make an argument about which sources are more and less credible. Primary-grade students can sniff out misleading claims in advertisements, and I think the same approach should be at the heart of graduate-level classes in research and statistics, particularly those classes taken by educators and administrators.

Responses From Readers

Jeff Norris:

I teach Higher Level IB Biology. During the students’ first year, I have them write a Literature Review, despite it not really being directly related to the syllabus or their exam scores.

HOWEVER, the ability to research sources, synthesize ideas, and write about them is a fundamental skill that I PREACH to them. These skills will help them with their Internal Assessments (practicals) in science classes, and their Extended Essays which are diploma requirements. More importantly, these are skills they’ll need at the next level and beyond when having to prepare “papers” or “reports.”

The task: anywhere between 500-1250 words on any topic they can relate back to biology or specifically the syllabus, sources (at least 5 or more primary) need to be fully and properly cited in text and listed in the lit. cited section at the end. We go over these and look at students statements, perspectives, and the sources used to support their claims. We differentiate between primary and secondary or even tertiary sources (i.e., blogs written by people only reading news outlets). We also delve into which sources are more reliable or even just “sound” more believable in the context of the Lit Review. It’s one of my favorite tasks, assignments despite not being required or directly related to their exams. We all learn new things (i.e., facts/knowledge/information) and whether or not such things are believable, supported, or just personal opinions, ideas, or beliefs.

Thanks to Elliott, Laura, Michael, Barbara, and Doug, and to readers, for their contributions.

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] . When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

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Information Literacy: Research and Collaboration across Disciplines

(9 reviews)

Barbara J. D'Angelo, Arizona State University

Sandra Jamieson, Drew University

Barry Maid, Arizona State University

ISBN 13: 9781642150834

Publisher: WAC Clearinghouse

Language: English

Formats Available

Conditions of use.

Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Jennifer Bruce, Librarian, Rochester Community & Technical College on 11/25/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book provides support for the broad notion of shared ownership, responsibility, and accountability of higher education educators offering information literacy support at the institutional level during the 21st century. An inclusion of the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education Framework for Information Literacy provides a foundation for standardizing collaborated efforts among Higher Education institutions. Literary examples from multiple perspectives were provided, demonstrating higher education breakthroughs for shared pedagogical aspects of multiple disciplines. Efforts to collaborate, merge, and redefine information literacy encompassing both writing and research processes were also discussed and assessed in first year student compositions.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The development, standards, and practice for integrating information literacy in Higher Education is accurate.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Teaching information literacy in higher education is very relevant and this resource is important for all educators.

Clarity rating: 5

The content of this resource is clearly defined for application among multiple pedagogical disciplines.

Consistency rating: 5

The book is consistent in terminology and framework.

Modularity rating: 5

Bold face type is utilized for identifying new concepts and subsequent sections are clearly identified.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The layout of the material is rigorous with extensive examples. Multiple topics and issues related to teaching information literacy are identified and discussed. Background understanding is provided at the beginning and reflections with references are included. An index is not included and this missing resource could improve reader content accessibility.

Interface rating: 4

The text, charts and images are clear.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There are few to no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

There could be more attention to cultural context in the frequent examples.

Reviewed by Jenise Overmier, Research and Instruction Librarian, Marymount University on 8/25/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The text is part of a series, Perspectives on Writing, meant to “addresses writing studies in a broad sense. Consistent with the wide ranging approaches characteristic of teaching and scholarship in writing across the curriculum, the series presents works that take divergent perspectives on working as a writer, teaching writing, administering writing programs, and studying writing in its various forms.” It functions as an instructor-facing collection of articles related in theme, therefore comprehensiveness is not a critical component of the work. That said, the table of contents is the only index and there is no glossary. Definitions are embedded in the text of each chapter and there is naturally some divergence in the way concepts are approached. The organization of the articles into four major themes proved useful, as most instructors are unlikely to utilize the entire text.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The content appears to be well-researched and free of errors. Most of the authors are writing instructors or academic librarians, thus their respective disciplinary perspectives are the most-represented. That said, the book is written for practitioners of such professions.

The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy is still relatively new and academic librarians will continue working with teaching faculty to integrate it into the curricula at their institutions. The content is extensible enough that it is unlikely to become obsolete in the near future.

Clarity rating: 4

The authors clearly define technical terms and the writing is accessible.

Consistency rating: 4

There is some deviance in definitions, as can be expected in a thematic collection of articles.

Modularity rating: 3

The book is fairly modular but would be most useful when viewed as a whole.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The book is well-organized.

Interface rating: 5

The interface is clean and simple to navigate. There are no images to display.

The text does not contain grammatical errors.

The text does not appear to be offensive. That said I am a cis/het white woman, so I may have been blind to elements that others would find offensive, though I endeavored to view it through a critical lens in the cultural regard.

Reviewed by Alexis Wolstein, Assistant Professor of Library Services; Information Literacy Coordinator, Colorado State University - Pueblo on 12/20/19

This is not a book for those unfamiliar with the concept of information literacy, nor is it intended to be. The book is a collection of research articles/chapters relating to information literacy instruction in higher education and would be best suited to higher ed professionals (especially those in Writing Studies) and librarians. The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy is well explained and is the most significant conceptual follow-through in the book. Though not a traditional textbook in that it provides a comprehensive overview, this book nonetheless provides a thorough and varied perspective on a complex and dynamic topic. That being said, while it may be a useful text in graduate-level courses, it would be largely inaccessible to undergraduates, due to the extensive use of library and higher education specific jargon, the reliance on a scholarly tone throughout the chapters, and the absence of a glossary or index. While the book makes a good attempt at living up to its promise of "research and collaboration across disciplines" there is a significant focus on first year/introductory courses and the courses with a significant writing component. However, the concepts are thoroughly explored and could easily be applied to disciplines not specifically addressed in the book.

The text appears to be accurate with little perceived bias beyond the essential nature of Information Literacy instruction in higher education. Each article/chapter provides extensive references and, in many cases, additional resources.

The book is still relevant going into 2020, though the reliance on the current iteration of the ACRL Framework means that it is only a matter of time before there is newer research that will need to addressed. Furthermore, there has been much discussion within librarianship as to the efficacy and validity of the current Framework. There are also instances where chapters use screen captures, software examples, or language that have already become dated (Web 2.0, for example), distracting from the otherwise still relevant information. This is a difficult issue to address when looking at digital and media influenced information literacy, and some chapters are aging less dramatically than others. An updated edition with new chapters will likely be necessary sooner rather than later should the editors like to see the book remain relevant.

The clarity and quality varies by chapter, as is to be expected, but the book is overall accessible to its intended audience. As stated above, while it may be a useful text in graduate-level library and/or information science courses, it would be largely inaccessible to undergraduates, due to the extensive use of library and higher education specific jargon, the reliance on a scholarly tone throughout the chapters, and the absence of a glossary or index

Themes and terminology are consistent throughout and the ongoing use of the ACRL Framework lends a narrative to the book overall. The tone is consistently scholarly, despite the differing approaches to format and narrative from one chapter to the next. Each chapter topic lends itself to the theme of that section, as well as the overall intent of the book.

The text's modularity is perhaps its greatest strength. Each of the four parts is well defined and could be used individually; some chapters briefly refer to one another, but also could stand alone or be combined with chapters from other sections of the books. The additional resources of sample lessons and activities may be the most useful resources for instructors and can easily be adapted to be used in information literacy specific or general research instruction. Whereas resources and examples relating to developing programmatic and institutional information literacy decisions may be the most valuable resources to others.

The book is well organized and each chapter supports the larger theme of that part of the book. The book starts with situating the concept of information literacy, sets up the Framework, and moves to more specific examples and research projects. Each part has a chapter that could easily be moved to another section of the book, but this speaks as much to the overlap between concepts as it does the book's organization.

The interface is clear and displayed well in both mobile and desktop browsers. The PDF would benefit from a linked Table of Contents as seen in the ePUB but was easily searchable. Neither edition features a glossary or index but this was not a detriment to navigating the text.

No grammatical errors were found while reviewing the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The authors represent a variety of professional backgrounds and institutional demographics. There is a focus on higher education in the United States but the inclusion of some international perspectives is welcome. There was no cultural insensitivity observed.

There is no consistent indication of each chapter's author's disciplinary background. If not mentioned by the author in the chapter, it is absent and leaves the reader to make assumptions. That being said, I look forward to utilizing this text and sharing chapters with colleagues. There is valuable information here, backed up by good research and extensive references, that is applicable across disciplines and in interdisciplinary approaches. The varied approaches are appreciated and make the text relevant to higher education professionals beyond academic librarians and writing instructors.

Reviewed by Megan Thomas, Electronic Resources and Assessment Librarian, Montana State University - Billings on 7/31/19

This book is a thorough discussion of information literacy intended for university instructors and librarians. It clearly explains the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy and places it in the current discussion of discipline specific and institution-wide information literacy competencies. Beyond that, the text does address, in detail, some of the challenges regarding the Framework. It is a collection of research articles authored by professionals from a variety of institutions and disciplines, therefore offering approaches to information literacy from different perspectives. Each of the chapters in the collection can stand alone as an in-depth research article. The text also offers case studies of implementing information literacy programmatically. In addition, quite a few of the chapters clearly demonstrate the similarities between the Framework and other disciplines’ core skills, for instance, the Writing Program Administrators Outcomes Statement. Readers will find a thorough discussion of pedagogy, assessments, metaliteracy, and research. While it does offer a variety of discipline-specific research, for example research in education, general business, and economics, the text is not exhaustive. The science disciplines are a specific area that are not covered in terms of information literacy.

The content seems accurate and error-free. The individual articles are comprehensively researched and include extensive reference lists.

The text remains up-to-date and relevant as far as the research of each chapter remains relevant. That being said, the text should remain relevant for years to come. Any modifications to the Framework would necessitate updating the text, due to the fact that it relies heavily on the Framework. Currently, the collection is an excellent picture of the information literacy landscape at the college level.

Each chapter of the book is written by a different author so the prose changes, and the overall tone is scholarly. The intended audience is obviously university faculty, librarians, and instructors, so the terminology is appropriate for professionals. The prose, jargon, and terminology are not appropriate for student reading. Undergraduate students would struggle with the terminology and the context of the research and discussion of the book. However, the introduction to the text outright states that the book is addressed to librarians and faculty.

The text overall is consistently structured from chapter to chapter. While the chapters are authored by various professionals and written in various formats, the themes and terminology are consistent throughout.

The text is quite easily divisible. It is broken into four parts that could be used individually. Since each chapter is essentially a standalone article, the chapters could be extracted and used as individual readings. The discipline specific research (i.e. education and economics) in certain chapters could be useful on their own for faculty in those areas. Occasionally, a chapter references a previous chapter in the book, which might necessitate some editing. Some of the sample assignments and activities for students within the chapters could be easily reworked and used by instructors. Also, the examples of institutional information literacy frameworks could be of great use to readers.

The overarching focus of each of the four parts of the book are organized in a way that is logical and easily navigated by professionals. The text sets the stage for information literacy, then takes the reader through a coherent discussion of the incorporation of information literacy in specific disciplines and institution-wide. Though chapters jump from one research project to another, the connections between the articles is clear to the reader and the chapters flow logically.

The PDF version of the text was not hyperlinked at all, which requires scrolling through the entire book. The epub version was easily navigable with hyperlinked chapters. Neither version offers an index or glossary.

No grammatical errors of note.

Since the authors are from various backgrounds and the research takes place at a variety of institutions, the book is quite inclusive. The research focus of the chapters are varied in discipline, inherently offering a wide variety of results and discussion. The text also included some international contributors from New Zealand and Belize, lending breadth to the research. The contributors list at the end of the text offers a long list of contributors and their institutions.

While not a textbook for undergraduate students, the information is useful for graduate students in library programs or for faculty who are interested in incorporating information literacy. This is an outstanding book for professional information literacy librarians. The text is an in-depth introduction for instructors to include information literacy in their courses, program-wide, and at the institution level. There is a lot of value in this book for instructors in terms of understanding the context and use of information literacy in various disciplines. The text illustrates ways in which courses, programs, and institutions are successfully incorporating information literacy.

Reviewed by Cori Biddle, Learning Services Librarian, Bridgewater College on 2/21/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

The subtitle of this book, "Research and Collaboration Across the Disciplines," appears to a bit misleading, considering the books place in the series, Perspectives on Writing. A majority of the articles focus on first year and introductory courses, which is consistent with a Writing Studies context. However, there are a few chapters that cover Economics, Sociology, and other disciplines. This may lead to the "across disciplines" claim. It would be easier to assess the chapter's disciplines if the authors' positions were listed along with their institutions. The chapters do a well enough job covering a majority of the information literacy issues related to first year programs, and initiating an institution wide initiative. It especially serves as a good introduction to the changes related to the switch from the Information Literary Standards to the Framework for Information Literacy. There is no index or glossary in the text, which would have been helpful, especially for those new to Information Literacy, or interested in a particular aspect.

The text appears to be accurate and there is little perceived bias. One could technically argue that the book's premise, that Information Literacy is an essential part of higher education curriculum, could be a bit bias. The book does not include any chapters that argue against that claim. Each chapter provides an extensive reference list for cross-checking the information and for identifying additional resources to review.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

This text is relevant as a resource for faculty and staff trying to integrate Information Literacy into the curriculum. However, its 2016 copyright is already showing its age. The Framework has been in place for 3 years as of this review, so newer research should be available on its use in the higher education curriculum. Updating the book may be somewhat difficult, involving rewriting entire chapters or soliciting new chapters. Some chapters seem to hold up better than others, with some references feeling dated.

Clarity rating: 3

The language is accessible to faculty and staff, though individuals from disciplines other than Writing Studies and Libraries may have difficultly with the level of jargon. Though the Framework is defined many times throughout the text, definitions for certain concepts or terminology could have been more clear. As with any text made up of chapters with varying authors, the clarity and quality varies in each.

Consistency rating: 3

Due to the multi-author nature of the text, consistency can be an issue. The structure of each chapter varies, as does the clarity. Overall, the authors did make an effort to refer to each others chapters within their arguments, and to provide a definition of the Framework and other important terms within their own work.

Assigning the entire text to a faculty or staff group may not be appropriate, but the chapters in this text are highly modular. They can stand alone, or be presented in alternate orders to serve the individual need of the committee or group. Though some chapters reference others from the collection, they provide enough context that it is not necessary to read the other chapters to understand their argument.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 2

The organization of the text becomes a little problematic in the middle. The titles of sections two and three, and their content, seem a little vague. Overall, it is hard to predict the type of information found in them. Often times, the chapters could fit in either section, or neither of them. The structures of section one and four feel a little more concrete, but even so, some of the chapters in section one feel just as home in sections two or three.

I did not experience any interface issues or problems when accessing the text.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

There were a few grammatical errors with the text.

The content of this text should be accessible to a variety of cultural groups, and I did not perceive any culturally insensitive content.

This title is not a textbook in the traditional sense. Instead of a text that provides a cohesive list of strategies or an exploration of the Framework in a variety of distinct contexts, this title is a loosely grouped collection of chapters dealing with information literacy. The content of the book leans towards Writing Studies Professionals, those working with first-year writing and writing across the curriculum for example. Despite this, individual chapters could be useful for those in a variety of disciplines. This text would be most useful for an institutional working group or a committee that is charged with integrating information literacy into the curriculum, or as professional development for faculty who are interested in integrating information literacy into their course work. It would be less useful in an undergraduate information literacy class, or in a graduate level Library Science or Writing Studies course.

Reviewed by Andrew Kulp, Information Literacy and Undergraduate Studies Librarian, Shenandoah University on 5/21/18

This is not a comprehensive approach to information literacy research or collaboration across disciplines, nor does it claim to be one. Instead of broadly illuminating the book’s titular concerns, these chapters shine focused spotlights on a sampling of issues, discussions, and studies, unified by facets of 2015’s Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education and the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.

This book would benefit from an index, but the PDF files are easily searchable in their present arrangement. Even though the book is peppered with privileged terminology, a glossary will not be missed, since Google is usually one tab away from the reader.

No errors were observed in the content of this book.

The only perceived bias was that of the place of information literacy in the university curriculum. The authors in this text posit that information literacy deserves an equal standing with other disciplines or at least a secure place within each discipline.

This book is relevant to higher education in 2018. Its underlying theme is the Association of College & Research Libraries’ Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education and Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education documents from 2015. These guidelines should be influential for several years to come, but will eventually be replaced by the next new recommendation.

Updating the book to remain relevant to advancing technologies and pedagogies would be difficult. Far more useful would be a second edition that addresses new information literacy topics with updated perspectives and renewed inquiry.

The longevity of this collection varies from one chapter to the next. For example, chapter twelve’s discussion on the value and use of infographics as emerging content delivery and assessment pieces is already dated. Similarly, chapter four’s insightful handling of our modern research environment of competing levels of accuracy and authority is weakened by the chapter title: "Creating and Exploring New Worlds: Web 2.0, Information Literacy, and the Ways We Know." “Web 2.0” is the timestamp for a specific generation of websites, and limits this chapter’s longevity.

Overall, the book’s language is accessible to faculty, university librarians, and graduate-level students, which are the targeted readers for these topics. Jargon and technical terminology are plentiful, but almost always within an adequate context for the target audience of this book.

It is doubtful that a reader who is unfamiliar with higher education writing, research, and library terminology or issues would benefit from this book. For example, a chemistry or communications professor interested in improving an undergraduate research assignment might encounter this book as a wall of acronyms and impenetrable discussions of "Frameworks" and "Outcomes."

Any book with this many authors will struggle with consistency. The editors have succeeded in smoothing out the difficulties that can arise between disciplines and approaches.

This book would benefit immensely from a description of each author’s role or position, as well as their institutional affiliation. Knowing the authors’ disciplines would lend context to their terminologies and perspectives.

This book is highly modular; each chapter easily stands alone. Instructors could assign any chapter as a course reading, exactly like assigning individual articles. Similarly, the four major parts of the book could be approached individually. Several chapters across this book could be reorganized into new sections with common themes or approaches to information literacy. The text is not overly self-referential; each chapter approaches its topic without consideration of the other chapters.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

The major sections of the book progress from positioning information literacy in its pedagogical context to collaborating across higher education to promote information literacy implementation. This intuitive approach to the subject suffers from a poor organization in the middle of the book, specifically the lack of cohesion in the chapters that comprise Parts II and III.

Part II: Researching Information Literacy (chapters 6-10) is too generic a category for the overall objective of the book or the chapters in this section. Every chapter in the book deals with researching information literacy in some form; these chapters could have been organized to reflect a more nuanced dissection of the book’s theme. Part III: Incorporating and Evaluating Information Literacy in Specific Courses (chapters 11-15) seems to act as a catch-all for chapters that fit together only loosely.

Within their larger sections, each chapter is placed amid chapters with similar enough topics, though to say that one chapter flows naturally to the next would be an overstatement.

This book is displayed clearly on both desktop and mobile browsers. The text and few graphics are easy to read with no distracting abnormalities. Navigation was mostly straightforward and simple. However, instead of forcing the reader to navigate conflicting book and PDF page numbers, the PDF option would benefit immensely from a linked table of contents, similar to the ePUB format.

The text contains no observed grammatical errors.

The content, language, and approaches to information literacy presented here should be accessible to any diverse university community. No cultural insensitivity was observed in this text.

This book buries the title's “collaboration” lede. Instructors or librarians seeking an organized, authoritative collection of strategies to enable collaboration across disciplines may be disappointed that this is not a textbook in the traditional sense. Readers will instead encounter 20 loosely-related chapters, each addressing separate topics while considering the Association of College & Research Libraries’ Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education and Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education documents from 2015. For many, this may diminish the book’s usefulness in the classroom.

Reviewed by Teagan Decker, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina at Pembroke on 2/1/18

The book covers an important topic in its interdisciplinary complexity. As a writing teacher, I appreciate the multiple perspectives this collection brings to a topic that affects students and teachers across disciplines. Multiple aspects of information literacy are covered, and I believe that most readers involved in college-level teaching will find a topic of interest here.

The text represents my field (writing studies) in a fair and informed fashion. This gives me confidence that other fields, especially library/information science, are also represented well.

The content is quite relevant to the evolving fields of both writing studies and library/information science.

Although multiple authors have contributed to the book, the clarity and readability is uniform throughout.

I found it helpful that the text uses key references throughout as touchstones: the "Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education" and the "Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing."

The 20 chapters in the collection allow for specific topics to be addressed in each. These could be useful to assign in courses where the full text would not be practical.

All chapters are clearly titled so that readers can choose topics of interest. The entire collection is organized in a clear and understandable manner.

There are no problems with the book's interface.

The book reads smoothly with few, if any, typographical errors.

The text demonstrates cultural sensitivity.

Reviewed by Jill Stefaniak, Assistant Professor, Old Dominion University on 2/8/17

I really like that this textbook addresses information sources as they apply to different technologies and web platforms. It addresses today's needs and provides examples to help the reader determine appropriate information sources. read more

I think the authors have done an excellent job providing an objective book addressing the nuances associated with information literacy. They provide the reader with lots of examples to explain how, when, and why to use certain sources other overs.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The text is up-to-date addressing a variety of web tools that are used when seeking information. I have not seen a book that addresses information literacy in general and expands on how sources can be found using a variety of tools and platforms.

The text is written clearly and uses consistent terminology throughout.

The book does a great job using consistency as it explains information literacy through various technological lenses. With today's every changing technology, the authors do a great job to help the reader identify and discern between different information sources.

Modularity rating: 4

This book is organized into several chapters that address a variety of topics. The authors have done an excellent job demonstrating how information literacy is valued across disciplines. This is an excellent book for courses that have students representing different majors.

The book is certainly organized so that it increases in complexity. I particularly appreciate that emphasis has been placed on alignment between information sources and the focus of a given project.

The interface is very clear. It's very easy to navigate through the open textbook.

the text contains no grammatical errors.

The book provides a variety of examples that can be found in different academic disciplines. The examples provided a suitable for an introductory course on information literacy.

Reviewed by Cheryl Knott, Associate Professor, University of Arizona on 2/8/17

The book is partitioned into four sections that together provide a comprehensive treatment of the broad topic of information literacy across different subject disciplines. The editors provide a helpful introduction explaining how they conceptualized the book and what the book's purpose is. The introduction offers an excellent discussion of the "Information Literacy Standards" issued in 2000 by the Association of College and Research Libraries and the association's more recent development of a "Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education" addressing the changed context of information seeking and discovery and the changed relationship of students to information as both consumers and producers. Although there is no index, readers of the pdf can easily use a keyboard command to find keywords throughout the text. No glossary is included, but since the book's readers will mostly be teaching and library faculty familiar with information literacy topics, that is not an issue, and, in any case, terms are defined as they are introduced throughout the book.

Information provided is up-to-date and accurate. The diversity of the chapter authors and the involvement of four editors help ensure a balanced, error-free, and unbiased presentation of material.

The book coincides with the new "Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education" issued by the Association of College and Research Libraries in 2015. Because the framework can be understood as a rethinking and revising of the 2000 standards, it likely will be used and referred to for years to come. Consequently, the book can be seen as a thorough consideration of information literacy at a watershed moment. The book's combined breadth and depth and its connection to a major advance in the theory and practice of information literacy acquisition indicate it will be useful for many years.

The text is clearly written, with helpful subheadings and, in some chapters, helpful graphic elements that illustrate or supplement the text.

The editors have done a very good job of keeping the work consistent and cohesive within each of the four topical sections and throughout the book as a whole.

The book is well organized. Its division into four sections will make it possible for some users to focus on one aspect of a broad subject. For example, instructors, librarians, and graduate students interested in designing and carrying out research on some aspect of information literacy may choose to read only the introduction and the five chapters that constitute the research section of the book.

The arrangement of the sections and chapters support the reader's development of a deep understanding of the history, theory, and practice of information literacy as a collaboration by different categories of professionals across a variety of academic subject areas. Although each of the book's sections and each chapter can stand on its own, reading the sections and chapters in the order given allows a reader to build knowledge from the conceptual/theoretical to the empirical/practical.

The text and graphic elements are clearly displayed.

No grammatical errors appear to be present in the text.

Although there are some references to race and ethnicity, the book does not offer systematic coverage of the current discussion of "critical information literacy" and its relationship to social justice.

Given the "collaboration across disciplines" focus of the book, it is surprising that the list of contributors indicates only where the various authors work but not in what capacity. It would have been useful to include titles and departments as a way to represent the variety of perspectives expressed in the text.

Front Matter
Introduction, Barbara J. D'Angelo, Sandra Jamieson, Barry Maid, and Janice R. Walker

Part I. Situating Information Literacy

Chapter 1. Writing Information Literacy: A Retrospective and a Look Ahead, Rolf Norgaard and Caroline Sinkinson
Chapter 2. Threshold Concepts: Integrating and Applying Information Literacy and Writing Instruction, Barry Maid and Barbara D'Angelo
Chapter 3. Employer Expectations of Information Literacy: Identifying the Skills Gap, Dale Cyphert and Stanley P. Lyle
Chapter 4. Creating and Exploring New Worlds: Web 2.0, Information Literacy, and the Ways We Know, Kathleen Blake Yancey
Chapter 5. Information Literacy in Digital Environments: Construct Mediation, Construct Modeling, and Validation Processes, Irvin R. Katz and Norbert Elliot

Part II. Researching Information Literacy

Chapter 6. What the Citation Project Tells Us about Information Literacy in College Composition, Sandra Jamieson
Chapter 7. Preliminary Paths to Information Literacy: Introducing Research in Core Courses, Katt Blackwell-Starnes
Chapter 8. Approximating the University: The Information Literacy Practices of Novice Researchers, Karen Gocsik, Laura R. Braunstein, and Cynthia E. Tobery
Chapter 9. Understanding and Using Sources: Student Practices and Perceptions, Patti Wojahn, Theresa Westbrock, Rachel Milloy, Seth Myers, Matthew Moberly, and Lisa Ramirez
Chapter 10. Writing Information Literacy in First-Year Composition: A Collaboration among Faculty and Librarians, Donna Scheidt, William Carpenter, Robert Fitzgerald, Cara Kozma, Holly Middleton, and Kathy Shields

Part III. Incorporating and Evaluating Information Literacy in Specific Courses

Chapter 11. Up the Mountain without a Trail: Helping Students Use Source Networks to Find Their Way, Miriam Laskin and Cynthia R. Haller
Chapter 12. Ethics, Distribution, and Credibility: Using an Emerging Genre to Teach Information Literacy Concepts, Christopher Toth and Hazel McClure
Chapter 13. Information Literacy Preparation of Pre-Service and Graduate Educators, Susan Brown and Janice R. Walker
Chapter 14. Not Just for Citations: Assessing Zotero While Reassessing Research, Rachel Rains Winslow, Sarah L. Skripsky, and Savannah L. Kelly
Chapter 15. Quantitative Reasoning and Information Literacy in Economics, Diego Méndez-Carbajo

Part IV. Collaborating to Advance Programmatic Information Literacy

Chapter 16. Moving Ahead by Looking Back: Crafting a Framework for Sustainable, Institutional Information Literacy, Lori Baker and Pam Gladis
Chapter 17. Supporting Academics to Embed Information Literacy to Enhance Students' Research and Writing Process, Angela Feekery, Lisa Emerson, and Gillian Skyrme
Chapter 18. Building Critical Researchers and Writers Incrementally: Vital Partnerships Between Faculty and Librarians, Alison S. Gregory and Betty L. McCall
Chapter 19. Impacting Information Literacy through Alignment, Resources, and Assessment, Beth Bensen, Denise Woetzel, Hong Wu, and Ghazala Hashmi
Chapter 20. Bridging the Gaps: Collaboration in a Faculty and Librarian Community of Practice on Information Literacy, Francia Kissel, Melvin R. Wininger, Scott R. Weeden, Patricia A. Wittberg, Randall S. Halverson, Meagan Lacy, and Rhonda K. Huisman
Afterword, Trudi E. Jacobson
Contributors

Ancillary Material

About the book.

This collection brings together scholarship and pedagogy from multiple perspectives and disciplines, offering nuanced and complex perspectives on Information Literacy in the second decade of the 21st century. Taking as a starting point the concerns that prompted the Association of Research Libraries (ACRL) to review the Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education and develop the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (2015), the chapters in this collection consider six frameworks that place students in the role of both consumer and producer of information within today's collaborative information environments. Contributors respond directly or indirectly to the work of the ACRL, providing a bridge between past/current knowledge and the future and advancing the notion that faculty, librarians, administrators, and external stakeholders share responsibility and accountability for the teaching, learning, and research of Information Literacy.

About the Contributors

Barry Maid is Professor and Founding Head of the Technical Communication Program at Arizona State University. He was head of that program for ten years. Previously, he was Chair of English at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where he helped lead the creation of the Department of Rhetoric and Writing. He is the author of numerous articles and chapters primarily focusing on technology, independent writing programs, and program administration including assessment. He and Barbara D'Angelo have written multiple articles on information literacy and writing. In addition, he is a co-author, with Duane Roen and Greg Glau, of The McGraw-Hill Guide: Writing for College, Writing for Life.

Barbara J. D'Angelo is Clinical Associate Professor of Technical Communication at Arizona State University and Graduate Advisor for the MS in Technical Communication Program. She formerly served as Director of Assessment and Curriculum for the undergraduate technical communication degree program and coordinated a multi-section professional writing course for nurses. She has presented and published on topics related to information literacy, technical communication, writing assessment, and curriculum development at the Conference on College Composition and Communication, the Association for Business Communication annual convention, and the International Writing Across the Disciplines conference among others. She is the recipient of the 2011 Francis W. Weeks Award of Merit from the Association for Business Communication.

Sandra Jamieson is Professor of English and Director of Writing Across the Curriculum at Drew University, where she teaches first-year writing and writing studies and pedagogy courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. She is one of three principal researchers in the Citation Project, a multi-site quantitative and qualitative study of student source-use practices. Her publications include the co-edited collection Coming of Age: The Advanced Writing Curriculum (with Shamoon, Howard, and Schwegler—winner of the Council of Writing Program Administrators Best Book of the Year Award, 2000-2001) and The Bedford Guide to Writing in the Disciplines: An Instructor's Desk Reference (with Rebecca Moore Howard). She has published articles and chapters on information literacy, research, plagiarism, reading, the writing major, writing across the curriculum, the vertical writing curriculum, textbooks, and multicultural education.

Contribute to this Page

Media and Information Literacy

UNESCO IITE Unit for Digital Pedagogy and Learning Materials is working consistently through a variety of projects to promote media and information literacy (MIL) that is crucial for insuring quality and inclusiveness of learning and teaching, and vital for the success of lifelong learning.

Media and information literacy is a complex concept proposed by UNESCO in 2007. MIL covers all competencies related to information literacy and media literacy that also include digital or technological literacy. It focuses on different and intersecting competencies to transform people’s interaction with information and learning environments online and offline.

MIL constitutes a composite set of knowledge, skills, attitudes, competencies and practices that allow effectively access, analyze, critically evaluate, interpret, use, create and disseminate information and media products with the use of existing means and tools on a creative, legal and ethical basis. It is an integral part of so-called “21 st century skills” or “transversal competencies”.

Our activities in the field include:

raising awareness and policy advocacy on the significance, role and scale of MIL for education;
contributing to the development of MIL-related policies and professional strategies at international, regional and national levels;
providing MIL-related training for educators and university and school librarians, and developing relevant education materials and tools;
facilitating cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration among stakeholders.

Related publications:

Artificial Intelligence: Media and Information Literacy, Human Rights and Freedom of Expression https://iite.unesco.org/publications/artificial-intelligence-media-and-information-literacy-human-rights-and-freedom-of-expression/
Media and Information Literacy in the Digital Era: How to Teach the Teachers https://iite.unesco.org/ru/publications/medijno-informatsionnaya-gramotnost-v-tsifrovom-mire-kak-nauchit-uchitelej/
Pedagogies of Media and Information Literacies
Media and Information Literacy Curriculum for Teachers
Media Literacy and New Humanism
Media and Information Literacy: Policy and Strategy Guidelines
Media and Information Literacy: Reinforcing Human Rights, Countering Radicalization and Extremism
Media and Information Literacy for the Sustainable Development Goals
Guidelines for broadcasters on promoting user-generated content and media and information literacy
Media and Information Literacy for Building Culture of Open Government
Media and Information Literacy for Knowledge Societies
Digital Literacy in Education
Policy Brief “Social Media for Learning by Means of ICT”
UNESCO Policy Guidelines for Mobile Learning
Mobile Learning for Quality Education and Social Inclusion
UNESCO IITE Youtube Channel on Media and Information Literacy https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDz6ciPqMAqiY7F0qCiAyTkiSw29oz79Q
Media and Information Literacy (partnership page of UNESCO IITE and UNESCO Chair on MIL and Media Education)
UNESCO page on Media and Information Literacy https://en.unesco.org/themes/media-and-information-literacy
UNESCO MIL Alliance https://en.unesco.org/themes/media-and-information-literacy/gapmil
UNESCO Chair of Media and Information Literacy and Media Education of Citizens at Moscow State Pedagogical University

University Libraries

Media literacy.

Information Literacy Defined
Videos Covering the Basics of Information Literacy
The Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education
Fact Checking
Social Media
Newspaper Databases

Need help evaluating your sources? Contact a Subject Librarian. The subject librarians can help you with finding and evaluating research and sources. You can contact them by phone, email, or in-person.

Subject Librarians by College

If you select "no," please send me an email so I can improve this guide.

Definitions & Standards

" Information Literacy in a Nutshell " created by David L. Rice Library on YouTube . Accessed 2016.

Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." 1 Information literacy also is increasingly important in the contemporary environment of rapid technological change and proliferating information resources. Because of the escalating complexity of this environment, individuals are faced with diverse, abundant information choices--in their academic studies, in the workplace, and in their personal lives. Information is available through libraries, community resources, special interest organizations, media, and the Internet--and increasingly, information comes to individuals in unfiltered formats, raising questions about its authenticity, validity, and reliability. In addition, information is available through multiple media, including graphical, aural, and textual, and these pose new challenges for individuals in evaluating and understanding it. The uncertain quality and expanding quantity of information pose large challenges for society. The sheer abundance of information will not in itself create a more informed citizenry without a complementary cluster of abilities necessary to use information effectively.

Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education . American Library Association. 2006. (Accessed June 4, 2013). Library instruction sessions, LibGuides and the Research 101 course are based on these standards. Information literacy skills are essential in today's world. Student development of information literacy is a process that spans the entire college experience.

Information literacy is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner. http://www.cilip.org.uk/cilip/advocacy-campaigns-awards/advocacy-campaigns/information-literacy/information-literacy Information literacy is the ability to recognize the extent and nature of an information need, then to locate, evaluate, and effectively use the needed information. (Plattsburgh State Information and Computer Literacy Task Force, 2001) http://www.plattsburgh.edu/library/instruction/informationliteracydefinition.php 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, and access and use information ethically and legally http://libguides.unitec.ac.nz/infolitstaff (from Unitec Institute of Technology in New Zealand)

Information literacy is…..the set of skills enabling students to recognize when they need information, how to competently locate it from appropriate sources and evaluate its use and potential. Being able to critically evaluate and effectively use information does not just create successful students, it makes them independent lifelong learners, helping them succeed in the workplace and beyond.

Through IL instruction, students learn to:

Recognize the need for information and determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
Find needed information effectively and efficiently.
Critically evaluate information and the information seeking process.
Manage information collected or generated.
Apply prior and new information to construct new concepts or create new understandings.
Use information with understanding and acknowledge cultural, ethical, economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information.

Definitions & Standards continued

Information Literacy Defined http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency Information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." 1 Information literacy also is increasingly important in the contemporary environment of rapid technological change and proliferating information resources. Because of the escalating complexity of this environment, individuals are faced with diverse, abundant information choices--in their academic studies, in the workplace, and in their personal lives. Information is available through libraries, community resources, special interest organizations, media, and the Internet--and increasingly, information comes to individuals in unfiltered formats, raising questions about its authenticity, validity, and reliability. In addition, information is available through multiple media, including graphical, aural, and textual, and these pose new challenges for individuals in evaluating and understanding it. The uncertain quality and expanding quantity of information pose large challenges for society. The sheer abundance of information will not in itself create a more informed citizenry without a complementary cluster of abilities necessary to use information effectively. 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:

Information literacy is…..the set of skills enabling students to recognise when they need information, how to competently locate it from appropriate sources and evaluate its use and potential. Being able to critically evaluate and effectively use information does not just create successful students, it makes them independent lifelong learners, helping them succeed in the workplace and beyond.

At Unitec all our information literacy classes are based on the Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy (ANZIIL) standards . Students learn to:

Recognise the need for information and determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
Use information with understanding and acknowledge cultural, ethical, economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information. http://unitec.v1.libguides.com/content.php?pid=294846

Five Laws of Media and Information Literacy

UNESCO Launches Five Laws of Media and Information Literacy

<< Previous: Media and Information Fluency
Next: Videos Covering the Basics of Information Literacy >>

Copyright © University of North Texas. Some rights reserved. Except where otherwise indicated, the content of this library guide is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license . Suggested citation for citing this guide when adapting it:

This work is a derivative of "Media Literacy" , created by [author name if apparent] and © University of North Texas, used under CC BY-NC 4.0 International .

Last Updated: Aug 21, 2024 1:23 PM
URL: https://guides.library.unt.edu/medialiteracy

Additional Links

UNT: Apply now UNT: Schedule a tour UNT: Get more info about the University of North Texas

Evaluating Information: Information Literacy

Information Literacy
Citation Guides

Also referred to as "Information Competency" or "Information Fluency"

From the ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report, released January 10, 1989:

"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. Producing such a citizenry will require that schools and colleges appreciate and integrate the concept of information literacy into their learning programs and that they play a leadership role in equipping individuals and institutions to take advantage of the opportunities inherent within the information society. 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."

Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report Contents: The Importance of Information Literacy to Individuals, Business, and Citizenship Opportunities to Develop Information Literacy An Information Age School Conclusion Information Literacy Bibliography

Standards and Guidelines

AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner From the American Association of School Librarians, these standards offer vision for teaching and learning to both guide and beckon our profession as education leaders. They will both shape the library program and serve as a tool for school librarians to use to shape the learning of students in the school.
ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education Adopted in 2016, the Framework offered here is called a framework intentionally because it is based on a cluster of interconnected core concepts, with flexible options for implementation, rather than on a set of standards or learning outcomes, or any prescriptive enumeration of skills.
RUSA Information Literacy Guidelines and Competencies for Undergraduate History Students. Developed by the Instruction and Research Services Committee, History Section, Reference and User Services Association, American Library Association, 2013.
Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing Developed collaboratively with representatives from the Council of Writing Program Administrators, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the National Writing Project.
Seven Pillars of Information Literacy From the Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL), which represents all university libraries in the UK and Ireland, irrespective of mission group, as well as national libraries and many of the UK’s colleges of higher education.

Additional standards and guidelines on information literacy for academic libraries may be found on the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) website, www.ala.org/acrl/standards .

Books and Print Resources

Academic Integrity Listing of books on --Plagiarism -- and its prevention --Commonly used Style guides --Evaluation of resources. (Does not include general material on bibliographic instruction or copyright.)
Information Literacy Books on all aspects of Information Literacy

Initiatives

ACRL Student Learning & Information Literacy Maintained by the Student Learning & Information Literacy Committee, these resources will help you advocate for, develop, and apply information literacy programming, to enhance teaching, learning, and research in the higher education community.
Project Information Literacy Project Information Literacy (PIL) is an national and ongoing series of research studies that investigates what it is like being a college student in the digital age.
AdLit.org AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers. AdLit.org is an educational initiative of WETA, the flagship public television and radio station in the nation's capital.
Resources for School Librarians Directory of lesson plan sites for information skills instruction, maintained by Linda Bertland, retired school librarian, Philadelphia, PA
Applying Big6™ Skills, AASL Standards and ISTE Standards to Internet Research Tabular analysis by Janet Murray.
Because we are asked ... The 1998 "Information Power" included "The Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning." These have been updated in more recent standards, but are sometimes referenced. Here is a PDF of them from a school website.

Evaluating Websites

Primary Sources on the Web: Finding, Evaluating, Using From the History Section of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA)
Evaluating Websites Published as part of the AASL Learning4Life Lesson Plan Database (PDG)
Great Websites for Kids Selection Criteria Criteria used by the committee of the Association for Library Service to Children.
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Next: Citation Guides >>
Last Updated: Jun 27, 2022 3:28 PM
URL: https://libguides.ala.org/InformationEvaluation

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Teaching information literacy.

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Critical thinking skills — analyzing facts to make reflective and informed decisions — are essential for students when it comes to civic engagement. However, in today’s fast-paced news cycle, it’s become increasingly difficult for students to discern fact from fiction to make informed decisions. This is especially true of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new educational report from Project Information Literacy (PIL) uses the first 100 days of the COVID-19 news story to help educators and high school and college students revisit the early coverage and think critically about how journalism shapes the national narrative and often defines what we see and learn, what we think, and who we are.

“Familiarity with news is a powerful social practice, one that nurtures civic literacy,” principal investigator Alison Head said. “In our 2018 study on news engagement , we found seven in 10 students got their news from the classroom, so this time we asked, ‘What if we focused on coronavirus, arguably the biggest story of the century, and made it into a unique and timely learning experience during a critical election year?’”

According to Head, the novel resource emphasizes two critical areas of development: information agency and visual literacy.

Information agency is the ability to reclaim some control over the news. It takes pulling back and looking at the “shape of news” to identify critically important themes and pieces of information.

To help students build this skill, the first part of the report presents interactive graphs and a timeline narrative to show the coronavirus story’s development over time. Learning resources include exercises for seeing how news stories develop and managing readers’ attention over time.

Visual literacy is the ability to understand how the composition and presentation of images adds meaning to a news event, while eliciting certain emotional responses. The second part of the report looks at news images in the coronavirus coverage and how lighting, angle, or cropping played a role in visual messaging. Learning resources let students code news images on their own to see firsthand the effect visuals can have on viewers.

Within the classroom context, educators can use this study as a reading and teaching resource to nurture civic literacy.

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1 Introduction to Information Literacy

Academic research is a form of structured inquiry with specific rules and techniques. There is no single “right” way to do it. As with any other complex activity, like learning a language, the best way to learn is by doing: the more you practice, the more fluent you will become. Expectations about academic research often mistakenly assume that a) one can rely solely on the Internet, and b) research simply means gathering and summarizing sources. However, this is an oversimplification. The research process requires information literacy skills, and vice versa.

This introduction will provide you with an explanation of what information literacy is and its applications in school, in the workplace, and in everyday life. This chapter will also provide information on your options for meeting Weber State University’s (WSU) information literacy requirement.

Before we address questions about information literacy, we first need to define information. Michael Buckland (1991) stated there are three main definitions for information: Information-as-knowledge , Information-as-process , and Information-as-thing . Information-as-knowledge is what you perceive in your consciousness; what you think you know. Information-as-process is information you receive that alters, dismisses, or supports what you know. Finally, information-as-thing are objects that transmit information; this includes documents, data, recordings, or any other purveyor of information. These three forms of information work together as a system. Let’s examine how it works.

Imagine you have a lifelong interest in a particular subject. You are not an expert, but you know quite a bit about it ( Information-as-knowledge ). Upon deciding that this subject is something you would like to pursue even further, you begin to research it. You collect books, magazine articles, journal articles, and videos ( Information-as-thing ) on the subject to further your knowledge. As you interact with the materials, you find that some are credible, and others are not. You take in these new materials and compare and contrast them to what you already know, which furthers your knowledge of the subject ( Information-as-process ). Knowing how to successfully navigate the relationships between these three forms of information to gain insights to further your knowledge is much of the information literacy process.

INFORMATION LITERACY DEFINITIONS

The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) recently expanded its definition of information literacy to emphasize flexibility, individual growth, critical self-reflection, and collaboration. According to ACRL (2016), information literacy is a “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” (p. 3). In 2018, the UK’s Information Literacy Group, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), released an updated definition of information literacy, including the following:

Information literacy incorporates a set of skills and abilities which everyone needs to undertake information-related tasks; for instance, how to discover, access, interpret, analyse, manage, create, communicate, store and share information. But it is much more than that: it concerns the application of the competencies, attributes and confidence needed to make the best use of information and to interpret it judiciously. It incorporates critical thinking and awareness, and an understanding of both the ethical and political issues associated with using information…. Importantly, information literacy is empowering, and is an important contributor to democratic, inclusive, participatory societies; as interpreted by UNESCO, it is a universal human right. (p. 3)

These are two widely accepted definitions of information literacy from respected organizations that share common themes around using information from the perspective of consumer, collaborator, creator, and life-long learner.

BECOMING INFORMATION LITERATE: APPLICATIONS IN EVERYDAY LIFE, SCHOOL, & THE WORKPLACE

In a nutshell, information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning . It is common to all disciplines, learning environments, and levels of education. It refers to a set of characteristics that transforms an ordinary student into a wise information consumer, creator, and life-long learner.

Everyone has a certain level of information literacy. For instance, children know that if they need help, they can ask their parents or teachers. As they get older, they become more independent and learn how to find other sources of information through libraries and the Internet. When students enter college, they should have a set of fundamental information literacy competencies. However, these skills will continue to increase and improve through college, the workplace, and beyond.

Some aspects of information literacy involve using various information technologies. Others include critical evaluation of the information you find and the ethical use of information. An information-literate individual can problem-solve by using technologies to find, manage, critically evaluate , and ethically apply information. They possess a spirit of inquiry and perseverance to learn what is necessary to solve problems or complete tasks.

Information literacy is more than just a general education requirement. You become information literate through your coursework, personal experiences, and interactions with information at home, throughout life, and in the workplace. At school you will use the research process extensively, write research papers, learn about your field of study, and use information technologies to find sources. Through experiences with information at home, you may need to choose the safest car for your teenager, which doctor would be best for your family, or which roofing contractor does the best quality work. Throughout your life, you will make many decisions that affect your future and the future of those around you. You may be looking for a new job, need to relocate to a different state due to a poor local economy, or educate yourself on the candidates for political office in an upcoming election. In the workplace, you may encounter customer-service issues and need to solve them by finding data, drawing conclusions, and presenting your findings to upper management. Because information literacy skills in the workplace make an individual a much more attractive job applicant, we will discuss this in more detail in the following paragraphs.

Today’s employers are looking for people who can understand and adapt to the characteristics of the information age. According to Forster (2017), “In a world in which information is the very lifeblood of business and the professions, the quality of performance is dependent on the ability to use that information efficiently, effectively and creatively” (p. 2). Lawyers, doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers, or those in the financial or business sectors deal with information daily. To address issues or problems at work, they must know when legal, business, personal or other information is required, how to conduct complex information searches, critically evaluate and ethically use information, and synthesize it into their knowledge base. Employees without these skills, who are information illiterate, could potentially cause significant financial or legal problems for themselves or their employers (Forster, 2017).

Information-literate employees have strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. They also make valuable contributions because they are prepared to adapt to a changing environment and think through work assignments or problems. Employees with information literacy skills can also build professionalism and set themselves apart from their co-workers. In the business world you are expected to do your “due diligence,” or research. If you work in the cell phone industry and your team has been assigned to improve a phone’s liquid crystal display, your research must back up your recommendations and strategies. However, you are also expected to evaluate your research for credibility . If you are using another person’s work, or ideas, you must understand how to use it ethically. The stakes are significantly higher when you conduct research in the business world, and a competent information-literate professional understands the need to use and develop these skills.

CONSTRUCT OF INFORMATION LITERACY

For our purposes, the construct of information literacy is made up of a set of six interconnected core concepts that cover ideas about information, communication, research, and scholarship, focusing on students as both consumers and creators of information (ACRL, 2016). (A construct is a complex idea encompassing many simpler elements.) The following are the six core concepts of this course:

1. Authority Is Constructed and Contextual An information-literate person will always consider the source(s) of the information they use. Authority is constructed; what is considered an authority in one field may differ from what is considered an authority in another. People will have different opinions about what makes a person an “expert.” It is contextual in that the information needed may help someone determine the level of authority required. For example, sometimes it is necessary to limit a search to materials created by people with advanced degrees or extensive experience; other times it may be appropriate to consider a source whose credentials are not academic.

2. Information Creation as a Process Information is any format produced to convey a message shared via a selected delivery method. The iterative (involving repetition) processes of researching, creating, revising, and disseminating information vary, and the resulting product reflects these differences. Sometimes the quality of a source can be determined by the process used to create it. For example, consider the process of formulating an X post versus a peer-reviewed article.

3. Information Has Value Information possesses several dimensions of value, including as a commodity, a means of education, influence, and a means of negotiating and understanding the world. One way we acknowledge the value of information is through copyright and citation. Some information is not free, and some people cannot afford to pay for it; this is an example of the monetary value of information. Another example of the value of information is personal value. For example, some share information about themselves freely, while others are more private. The information you share via your online presence can be manipulated by others for specific purposes.

4. Research as Inquiry Research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers develop additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field. When investigating a topic, it is important to consult various sources and multiple kinds of sources.

5. Scholarship as Conversation Communities of scholars, researchers, or professionals engage in sustained discourse with new insights and discoveries occurring over time as a result of varied perspectives and interpretations. In other words, scholarship is the product of people interacting through various means such as technology, publications, and personal interactions. These interactions can occur in informal settings like conversations in the hallway at work, through social media or blogs , as well as in formal publications in scholarly journals . Both formal and informal interactions contribute to the development of scholarship.

6. Searching as Strategic Exploration Searching for information is often a non-linear and iterative process. It involves evaluating various information sources and the mental flexibility to explore different paths as understanding evolves. While it typically begins with a topic or question, it is not a simple series of steps to follow from start to finish.

At WSU, the general education information literacy requirement is based on these six core concepts, which have been summarized in the learning outcomes for this course. These learning outcomes are listed in your class syllabus.

MEETING WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY’S INFORMATION LITERACY REQUIREMENT

At WSU, you meet the information literacy requirement by taking a library science (LIBS) course. However, information literacy is embedded throughout your coursework at WSU, into both general education and your major field of study. You might not notice that you are becoming more information literate, just like it is hard to notice someone is growing taller if you see them every day. Information literacy goes beyond just completing a class; it is an ongoing process and a way of thinking. As you continue your education, you will gain skills and abilities to utilize in other classes.

Before starting this course, it is important to know there are several ways to meet this requirement. If you earn a C (73%) or better in any of the specified LIBS courses, you will fulfill WSU’s information literacy requirement. For more information on these course options, go to https://library.weber.edu/services/information-literacy .

LIBS 1704: Information Navigator. This is a one credit hour course for students in all majors.
LIBS/EDUC 2604: Information Resources in Education. This is a one credit hour course intended for education majors or those interested in this field.
LIBS/HTHS 2904: Information Resources in the Health Professions. This one credit hour course is cross-listed in health professions and is intended for those majoring in or interested in the health professions fields.
ENGL 2015: Intermediate College Writing & Research. This four credit hour course combines elements of English 2010 with the information literacy content of LIBS 1704.

If you aren’t sure which is the best option for you, contact a library representative via phone or email and discuss your options:

801-626-7068
Relay Utah 711; en Español 1-888-346-3162
Via email: [email protected]

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Along with offering student assistance at the library, several free resources are available to assist you with all stages of the research process, from searching, writing, formatting, and general support.

FOR WRITING

Writing Center https://www.weber.edu/WritingCenter Elizabeth Hall, Room 210 (801) 626-6463 Email help: [email protected]

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Using your own words to restate and condense information from a source; summarized passages will often be shorter than the original passage.

The concept of scientific inquiry as a nonlinear and iterative process composed of several components, including Investigate , Search , Locate , Evaluate , Document , and Utilize .

A Construct defined by the American Library Association as the skills necessary to know when information is needed, and to find, evaluate, and utilize it effectively.

One of three parts of Michael Buckland’s concept of Information; the information contained in your own mind; what you know.

One of three parts of Michael Buckland’s concept of Information; the information you receive that supports, contradicts, or alters what you know.

One of three parts of Michael Buckland’s concept of Information; a vehicle of information that allows it to be transmitted, such as a document or website.

Formal and informal learning that occurs throughout life for employment, advancement, and personal fulfillment.

One of the components of the Research Process , which involves the practice of appraising the value of an information source both in its own right and as it relates to your topic, typically by investigating its Authority , Credibility , Currency , Bias , and Documentation .

The quality of believability; the ability of an author or work to inspire trust based on the author’s expertise, training, credentials, objectivity, or other factors of Authority . An important consideration in the Evaluation of Information .

An idea or theory composed of several conceptual elements.

One of the criteria used in the Evaluation of Information , which considers the qualifications of the author to write with Credibility on the topic in question; these may include academic credentials, extensive work experience, or other considerations.

Involving repetition. Utilizing repetition of a sequence of operations, steps, or procedures.

One of the Short Formats of information: a brief message posted by a user on the social media platform, X .

A process some scholarly articles go through prior to publication, where scholars in that field read and review articles submitted for publication, usually with the option to require edits, approve, or deny publication, and often without knowing the name of the authors.

The exclusive legal right of the creator of a work, such as a poem, story, video, or song, to print, perform, record, publish, post online, or profit from the work, whether or not the creator has published it, which limits the work’s use by others to activities allowed under Fair Use . In the United States copyright is assigned automatically to all new works, with a few exceptions including facts, statistical data, and government publications, and may be sold, transferred, or modified, by using a Creative Commons or Open Access license. When copyright expires, a work enters the Public Domain .

One of the components of the Research Process , which involves understanding the information need and articulating it in the form of a Research Question or Thesis Statement .

A regularly updated website or web page written in an informal or conversational style, usually by one person or a small group of contributors; short for “Web Log.” One of the Long Formats of information.

A type of Periodical containing articles written by experts in specific disciplines, often Peer Reviewed .

One of the components of the Research Process , which involves discovering information sources to fulfill the information need identified during the Investigation component.

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Information & Research Literacies

Why is information literacy important.

Digital and Information & Research Literacies Framework
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July 16, 2018
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In 2003, the UNESCO supported conference which developed The Prague Declaration: Towards an information literate society agreed that “the creation of an Information Society is key to social, cultural and economic development of nations and communities, institutions and individuals” (UNESCO, 2003). It also identified that “information literacy plays a leading role in reducing the inequities within and among countries and peoples” the use of information through multicultural and multilingual context promotes tolerance and mutual understanding (UNESCO, 2003).

In the higher education sector, there are three main groups that are affected by the development of skills and knowledge in information literacy.

For Students

Students have the skills and behaviours they need to develop a deeper understanding of their discipline. Information literacy is a building block for lifelong learning, it encourages and informs problem solving and critical thinking. They can locate, use and evaluate information to inform their decision making. Students use appropriate resources to produce high-quality assessments. A critical part of a student’s information literacy development is their ability to use information ethically, including the respect for intellectual property and privacy, fair representation and the concept of doing no harm (Schulz-Jones, 2016).

For Employers

Employers value graduates who are self directed learners and who display self efficacy and creativity in determining information needs, and are able to evaluate and use diverse information sources (Wu, 2018). Information resilience in the workplace provides employees the ability to to use information to solve problems, adapt to change or novel situations, transform practices in the workplace – reducing possible sources of stress when the need to locate the information that is required (Lloyd, 2013, p. 225).

For Graduates

Graduates can take their place in the workforce with a strong understanding of information practices in their discipline, and with a well developed transferable skill set. Graduates are able to efficiently source evidence to inform their practice and critical evaluate multiple sources to make decisions. These skills are not only important for the individuals needs, but assist in the skills required for collaborative aspects of their work, providing the foundation for co-participatory work practice and a shared understanding about work (Lloyd, 2010). This skill set assists their work, life and future study and provides a key skill in their lifelong learning journey.

Wu, M.-S. (2018). Information literacy, creativity and work performance. Information Development, 0266666918781436.

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Publication

Media and information literacy

ISBN : 978-92-3-001239-7, 978-92-3-600052-7 (ara)

Collation : 196 p., illus.

Montenegrin

Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is a basis for enhancing access to information and knowledge, freedom of expression and quality education. It describes skills and attitudes that are needed to value the functions of media and other information providers, including those on the Internet, to find, evaluate and produce information and media content; in other words, it covers the competencies that are vital for people to be effectively engaged in all aspects of development.

This comprehensive MIL Policy and Strategy Guidelines resource is the first of its kind to treat MIL as a composite concept, unifying information literacy and media literacy as well as considering the right to freedom of expression and access to information through ICTs. These guidelines offer a harmonized approach, which in turn enables all actors to articulate more sustained national MIL policies and strategies, describing both the process and content to be considered.

The MIL Policy and Strategy Guidelines resource is divided into two parts. Part 1 is the MIL Policy Brief, and is designed for policy or decision makers and can serve as a summary of the publication. Part 2 is divided into several comprehensive chapters and suggests:

how to enlist MIL a development tool;
conceptual frameworks for MIL policies and strategies; and
model MIL policy and strategies that can be adapted by countries globally.

UNESCO encourages all countries to develop national MIL policies and strategies by using these guidelines. In this way, governments and all stakeholders can ensure the integration of MIL policies and strategies with policies, regulations and laws relating to access to information, freedom of expression, media, libraries, education and ICTs.

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Media and Information Literacy is for all, it is an integral part of education for all. Yet we cannot neglect to recognize that children and youth are at the heart of this need. Data shows that 70% of young people around the world are online. This means that the Internet, and social media in particular, should be seen as an opportunity for ...
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Information Literacy: Concepts and Teaching Strategies

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