INFORMATION LITERACY

- It is the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information – Association of College and Research
Libraries (ACRL)
- Davis and Olsen in 1984 define information as data that have been processed into a form that is meaningful to the
recipient and is of real or perceived value in current or prospective action or decisions.
- Blokdijk (1987) enhance the definition with the insight “what reaches man’s conscience and contributes to his
knowledge”.
- Founder of Management Cybernetics Stafford Beer in 1979 declares that information is that “ which changes us”.

5 COMPONENTS OF INFORMATION LITERACY

1. IDENTIFY – the information literate student can identify the nature and extent of information needed.
Example. Reading background information on a topic before researching.
2. FIND - the information literate student can find needed information effectively and efficiently.
Example. Locating a book on the shelves by its call number.
3. EVALUATE – the information literate student can evaluate information and its sources critically.
Example. Exploring different sources of information (web, books, databases, primary sources) to understand a topic.
4. APPLY – the information literate student can apply information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
Example. Paraphrasing an expert essay to support a position in a persuasive speech.
5. ACKNOWLEDGE – the information literate student can acknowledge source of information and the ethical, legal, and socio-
economic issues surrounding information.
Example. Citing an information source in the text of a research paper.

IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION LITERACY SKILLS

1. It provides problem solving approaches and thinking skills
- asking questions and seeking answers
- finding information
- forming opinions
- evaluating sources and making decisions fostering successful learners
- effective contributors
- Confident individuals and responsible

STANDARD AND APPLICATION OF INFORMATION LITERACY

- The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) define information as what an information literate individual is
able to do on the basis of a set of standards with performance indicators.
- Michael Eisenberg’s Big6 skills of Task Definition (TD), Information seeking strategies (ISS), Locate and access (L&A), Use
of information (UI), Synthesis (S), and Evaluation (E).

The Similarities of ACRL and BIG6

ACRL: The information literate student BIG6 Skills
1. Determines the nature and extent of the information 1. Task Definition
needed. 1.1 Define the problem
1.2 Identify the information needed
2. Accesses needed information effectively and efficiently. 2. Information Seeking Strategies
2.1 Determine all possible sources
2.2 Select the best source
3. Evaluates information and its sources critically and 3. Location & Access
incorporates selected information into his or her 3.1 Locate sources
knowledge base and value system. 3.2 Find the information within sources
4. Individually or as a member of a group, uses 4. Use of Information
information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose. 4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view)
4.2 Extract relevant information.
5. Understands many of the economic, legal, and social 5. Synthesis
issues surrounding the use of information and accesses 5.1 Organize information from multiple sources
and uses information ethically and legally 5.2 Present the result
6. Evaluation
6.1 Judge the result (effectiveness)
6.2 Judge the process (efficiency
STAGES OF INFORMATION LITERACY

TASK DEFINITION
- In defining the problem an identifying the information needed, we need to choose a topic an narrow it down in such a
manageable way as to write or do a media project about it for information or for persuasion.
- Think of a topic you are interested in or enthusiastic about. Limit it to a specific aspect, a geographical area or a period of
time.
- Find the balance between you topics narrowness and broadness, If it is too narrow, you may not have anything much to
write or create, If it is too broad, you may have to drop some ideas and rewrite or rephrase the topic.
- Write down questions you may want to answer about the topic; these questions could be the what, who, why, where and
how of the chosen topic. If you feel that you need to present a side or your point of view about a topic, consider the
arguments you can use to persuade your readers.

INFORMATION SEEKING STRATEGIES (ISS)

- To determine all possible sources, you need to know the types of sources, how and where to find sources and
planning your time.
- You must have used before various print, non-print and electronic sources in answering your assignments.
- Think the types of sources where your topic may be discussed or presented well.
- Example: if you are doing a media project on history and biography, your primary sources are people through
interviews, their letters, diaries and documents. You get first-hand information about an event when your
source is a person who was in the middle of the action or a witness to or spectator of the event.

LOCATE AND ACCESS (L & A)

- There are tools that can help you locate and find the information resources you need.
- The indexes could be in card or online formats. The card catalogue and periodical index may still be in use in
your library or have an online public access catalogue (OPAC), this will lead you to books. When you have the
books, search the index at the back to save time by going straight to the pages given.
- Surfing the internet also will do but make sure to select the most authoritative and reliable sites through the
use of internet domain name with extension of .org .edu .com .gov .net .tv

USE OF INFORMATION (UI)

- It is now time for you to read, hear, or view your sources and extract relevant information. You need note
cards where you write the author, tittle, the website address and facts of publication about your source, If it a
video, you need to write the producer or performer in place of the author.
- In extracting information, when you copy word for word, you need to use quotation marks at the beginning and
end of what you copied. When you use your own words to express the idea as you understand it, you are
paraphrasing but be sure to write clearly what the author means to convey. You still need to cite the source.
You must credit to your source for anything that you get from it.

SYNTHESIS (S)
- This is the part where you have to put the information you have extracted and thought about into one whole
presentation.
- The whole process involves re-thinking and re-writing. You can still ask yourself if you are going to write a paper
or prepare a media project such as a video recording, a poster, an electronic collage or a monologue.
- You can always go back to Task Definition where you identified your information need and decided on a topic.
Arrange and re-arrange your questions into an outline as you see fit with the information you have
incorporated into you knowledge about the topic now.
- Refine your statement of the problem. Write a rough a draft or make a storyboard. Revise, decide on the final
presentation and make a final copy.

EVALUATION (E)
- Is a one way of doing better the next class requirement.
- Ask a question such as:
 Did I set out on a well-defined task?
 Did the information gathering process I used lead to the task I set out to do?
 Did I use the best skills I know in locating and accessing information?
 Did I make a good presentation?
 Was I able to make the information I gathered into a coherent synthesis? Was I able to list all my references
consistently according to an approved style?
 What am I proud of my work? If I were to do it all over again, what will I improve?
-