What is Information Literacy?
Information Literacy may be conceptualized as
- a competency, the ability to recognize “when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use the needed information” (American Library Association, 1989)
- “a cluster of interconnected core activities, frameworks” that constitute information ecosystems (ACRL 2015)
- a subject of study
- Consuming, evaluating, producing, managing, using, and archiving information–these are topics of ongoing scholarship in Information Studies, Writing Studies, and related disciplines. This academic field is under constant evaluation as its responsive to new communication technologies.
Why Does Information Literacy Matter?
In order to thrive, much less survive in a global information economy, people need to be strategic about how they consume and use information.
The cluster of competencies associated with information literacy are a prerequisite to survival in an information economy. Information Literacy competencies can protect you from
- being spammed, tricked, or fooled by bad actors
- making decisions based on emotions rather than reason, being overly swayed by appeals to pathos
- being uninformed about the best information on a topic
- making poor decisions, contrary to the decisions you would make if you had been informed, evidence-based decisions.