Q: What is information literacy?
A. Information literacy is vital in today's society. The 1989 Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report noted "To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information. Producing such a citizenry will require that schools and colleges appreciate and integrate the concept of information literacy into their learning programs..."
The process begins in elementary school and continues through college ... and beyond.
The Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning (PDF file), are designed to help students become skillful producers and consumers of information. They are excerpted from Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning (Chicago: American Library Association, 1998). They have been joined by Standards for the 21st-Century Learner, released in October 2007 at the AASL National Conference in Reno, Nevada.
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