What is Information Literacy?

“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.”(1)

The Presidential Committee on Information Literacy defined information literacy as a set of skills, which require an individual to:

“recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.”(2)

In January of 2000, the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education were approved and in February of 2004, the American Association for Higher Education and the Council of Independent Colleges endorsed them.(3) The Standards dictate that an information literate person:


Via Elizabeth E Charles