Information Literacy: An Expanded Definition

Information literacy is the ability to locate, evaluate, and apply the content of print, non-print, and digital resources both to academic study and to professional, public, and personal life. Information literacy competencies facilitate fundamental academic tasks and processes such as framing a question, defining a thesis, and assessing the value and relevance of texts. They promote the achievement of both general and disciplinary learning by enabling students to retrieve, manage, and apply disciplinary literatures. The goals, content, and methods of information literacy instruction primarily derive from those of contemporary library instruction but also draw upon elements of many academic disciplines to address issues such as scholarly communication, the presentation of information, protocols of networks and digital interfaces, and socioeconomic and legal aspects of knowledge and information. At its more basic level, information literacy instruction is offered through workshops and integrated into existing courses and their assignments. At the more advanced level, instruction for it is like other cross-disciplinary competencies -- meaningfully taught and learned only in a disciplinary context.

• View the standards for information literacy, briefly.
• View all standards, goals & outcomes statements in .pdf.
• View just the standards & goals in .pdf.
• More information literacy resources.