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LIS 105: Information Literacy Basics

This guide accompanies LIS 105: Information Literacy Basics at Truman College.

Week 7: Evaluating Information

This section will discuss the idea that information has value, and how to evaluate sources. 

Click on the topics above to access content.

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.

- Association of College and Research Libraries

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) observes that "information has value." But what does this really mean?

"Value" refers to the importance, worth, or usefulness of something. We can think of information as a commodity of sorts, and understand that its relative value comes from the context it's placed in (where it's coming from and who's using it). Contextual examples include the publishing process, who has access to information, whose voices and what information are heard, the price of personal information, and intellectual property laws. 

Consider the following questions:

  • How can certain voices be marginalized or silenced in terms of sharing information?
  • How do powerful organizations or individuals manipulate the ways in which they use and control information?
  • How can information be used to effect change for civic, economic, or personal gains? 
  • Where do you fit into this ecosystem of valued information? 

Here are some best practices for understanding the value of information, and applying this knowledge in your own life (according to ACRL): 

Knowledge Practices

Learners who are developing their information literate abilities

  • give credit to the original ideas of others through proper attribution and citation;
  • understand that intellectual property is a legal and social construct that varies by culture;
  • articulate the purpose and distinguishing characteristics of copyright, fair use, open access, and the public domain;
  • understand how and why some individuals or groups of individuals may be underrepresented or systematically marginalized within the systems that produce and disseminate information;
  • recognize issues of access or lack of access to information sources;
  • decide where and how their information is published;
  • understand how the commodification of their personal information and online interactions affects the information they receive and the information they produce or disseminate online;
  • make informed choices regarding their online actions in full awareness of issues related to privacy and the commodification of personal information.

Dispositions

Learners who are developing their information literate abilities

  • respect the original ideas of others;
  • value the skills, time, and effort needed to produce knowledge;
  • see themselves as contributors to the information marketplace rather than only consumers of it;
  • are inclined to examine their own information privilege.

Look back at last week's lesson about examining the credibility of sources: the 5 Ws & How and the SIFT method can also be used to examine the value of information. 

Here are some more tips for evaluating information from the American Library Association (ALA):  

  1. Consider the source. Click away from the story to investigate the site, its mission and its contact info.
  2. Read past the headline. Headlines can be outrageous in effort to get clicks. Go beyond headlines.
  3. Assess the credibility of the author. Do a quick Google search on the author. What is their expertise? What organization do they represent?
  4. Look at the links and sources supporting the article. Click those links. Determine if the subsequent information supports the story. Consider the reliability of the sources.
  5. Check the date.
  6. Consider that the item might be satire. If it seems too outlandish, it might be satire. Do some quick research on the site and author to find out.
  7. Consider that it might be promotional. Is the purpose of the site to sell a product?
  8. Check your biases.
  9. Search other news outlets to see if the news is widely reported.

Take a look at these fact-checking sites as well: