Library Instruction: Information Literacy

According to the American Colleges and University's website, the definition of Information Literacy is the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively and responsibly use and share that information for the problem at hand. - Adopted from the National Forum on Information Literacy.

Utah Tech Library bases its information literacy program on the AAC&U Information Literacy Value Rubric as well as the ACRL Frameworks.

AAC&U's set of five standards expressed in measurable outcomes for assessing the information literacy skills of students in higher education.

The five standards are:

• Determine the extent of information needed.
  • Students will determine key concepts and select types of information (sources) that relate to the concepts or answer the research question.
  • Students will access information using a variety of search strategies and relevant information (sources), and demonstrate the ability to refine search.
  • Students will choose a variety of information sources that are appropriate to the scope and discipline of the research question and select sources using multiple criteria (such as relevance to the research question, currency, and authority).
  • Students will communicate, organize, and synthesize information from sources in order to achieve their intended purpose.
  • Students will correctly use references and citations (including paraphrases, summaries, and/or quotations) while remaining true to the original context of sources.

  The ACRL's six frames in the Framework are:

  • Authority is Constructed and Contextual
  • Information Creation as a Process
  • Information has Value
  • Research as Inquiry
  • Scholarship as Conversation
  • Searching as Strategic Exploration