Basic Information Literacy Concepts

Information Literacy

Information literacy is 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."

Basic Information Literacy• identify some basic information literacy concepts • identify and describe two distinct types of research • describe various characteristics of information sources • differentiate between scholarly and popular sources • recognize whether an information source is primary or

secondary • identify a variety of formats in which information is

available • describe the cycle of information creation and

dissemination

What do you do with Information?

• Make decisions or answer questions– What to eat– What class to take– What to write about– Where to buy a part for your car

Sources of InformationDictionary - knowledge

derived from: • studies• experiences• instructionThesaurus• synonyms vs antonyms• realism vs idealismEncyclopedia

Library • Databases• Catalogs• PeriodicalsInternet• search enginesCommunication-• Friends• News

Information Details

• Types of information• Information Format• Quality of information• Impact of information• Sources of information

Types of Information

• Critical analysis• Unbiased• Someone’s opinion• Current • Historical

Types of Information• Factual– Brief and answers specific questions– Sources for Factual Information

• Encyclopedias• Statistic compilations• almanacs

• Analytical– Analytical interpretation to form a conclusion – Sources for Analytical Information

• Books• Articles

Types of Information

• Subjective– One person’s opinion• Editorial

• Objective – Many points of view – Intended to be unbiased• News reporters

Types of Information• Current– Most recent dated• Cancer research

• Historical– Early recorded information• Edison’s light bulb

Dates are extremely important when viewing information

Types of Information

• Scholarly– Academic• Written or reviewed by experts in their fields

• Popular– General Interest• Written by publication staff writers

Types of Information• Primary– Original information• Creative work-Diary of Anne Frank• Interview/speech- Letter from president

• Secondary– One or more steps removed. • Articles in communication that are secondary

information to earlier event• Analytical interpretation of primary source

Information Format

• Printed material• Electronic materials• Microfilms• Audio/Video• Images/Art

Quality of information

• Traditional library resources– Evaluated by librarians and information

specialists• Library databases– Criteria established by organization or company

producing the databases• Web sites– Never assume quality in web sites

Impact of information• Business– Use of websites for policies (company

intranet) and doing business• Social– Use of websites to connect (Facebook)

• Family– Cell phone connect

• News