Are You Information Literate?  

• Do you download music from the Internet?
• Do you like to surf the Internet?
• Do you rely on Wikipedia for your academic research?
• Have you ever watched a video on YouTube?

If you answered yes to any of the above, you might be tech savvy, but you might not qualify as information literate.

"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 Standards Step-by-Step, ALA, 2000).

What are the five information literacy standards?

• Know
• Access
• Evaluate
• Use
• Ethics

Being information literate enables everyone to effectively utilize information for school, work and personal lives.

The tremendous growth of information makes it essential that people acquire the skills to find and use information. You need to learn where to find information beyond Google or Yahoo!

Examples of information literate people include:

• a consumer who does in-depth research before making a purchase such as a car or home;
• an individual who does thorough background research before selecting a specialist for a particular illness;
• a family researches local laws to determine whether or not their landlord can legally evict them from their home;
• a scientist conducts a literature search to find out that his/her proposed research project had already been done by another company a year before.

Information Literacy skills apply not only to one's academic studies, but also to:

• career needs and goals;
• personal needs and goals.