LIS 105: Information Literacy Basics

"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" (American Library Association).

With students' academic progression in mind, and embracing flexibility, growth, and continuous learning, the Association of College & Research Libraries expanded the definition of information literacy to describe "the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning" (Association of College & Research Libraries).

The ACRL's Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education is a set of interconnected core concepts of understanding that are meant to support acquisition, development, and use of information literacy skills:

• Authority Is Constructed and Contextual
  • Information resources reflect their creators’ expertise and credibility, and are evaluated based on the information need and the context in which the information will be used. Authority is constructed in that various communities may recognize different types of authority. It is contextual in that the information need may help to determine the level of authority required.
• Information Creation as a Process
  • Information in any format is produced to convey a message and is shared via a selected delivery method. The iterative processes of researching, creating, revising, and disseminating information vary, and the resulting product reflects these differences.
• Information Has Value
  • Information possesses several dimensions of value, including as a commodity, as a means of education, as a means to influence, and as a means of negotiating and understanding the world. Legal and socioeconomic interests influence information production and dissemination.
• Research as Inquiry
  • Research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers in turn develop additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field.
• Scholarship as Conversation
  • Communities of scholars, researchers, or professionals engage in sustained discourse with new insights and discoveries occurring over time as a result of varied perspectives and interpretations.
• Searching as Strategic Exploration
  • Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring the evaluation of a range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as new understanding develops.

Information Literacy graphic © 2023 by Sara Klein is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 

What is the information cycle? Why is it important? 

The information cycle follows the creation of information and how it changes over time, as shown in the chart below (University of Illinois Library). "The University of Illinois Library defines it as "the progression of media coverage of a particular newsworthy event"."

This is important because the amount of information that's available on a particular topic might be very difficult to find, especially if the topic is a very recent or current event. First-person accounts such as interviews, newspaper articles, videos, or social media posts might be all you are able to find during or immediately after an event. More detailed or analytical accounts such as in-depth reporting or academic articles and books take time to produce, and so won't be available right away.