Information Literacy

Information literacy: a definition

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.

This definition implies several skills. We believe that the skills (or competencies) that are required to be information literate require an understanding of:

  • a need for information
  • the resources available
  • how to find information
  • the need to evaluate results
  • how to work with or exploit results
  • ethics and responsibility of use
  • how to communicate or share your findings
  • how to manage your findings.

These are explained in more detail on this website.

The above definition has been sourced from the CILIP website.

The table available for download below shows the information literacy skills which students might be expected to develop at the various stages of their course. Your Faculty Librarian can help you tailor these skills to the particular needs of your discipline.

Information Literacy Framework [Acrobat (.pdf) - 24kb Tue, 20 Feb 2007 10:25:00 GMT]

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