Information Literacy

Information Literacy

Just as the capacity to read, write, and understand has evolved to include the current technology of the day, the learned ability to understand information, be it called Information Literacy, critical literacy, digital literacy, functional literacy, information literacy, information skills, study skills and even environmental literacy is evolving and seems to be changed by how it’s used and the perspective of who’s using it (Langford,  1998)    

An intriguing argument arises where 'information literacy is a concept that has been developed by academics, business and government’, but I find it a bit strange that they cannot agree on what comprises Information Literacy, while we as TL’s (and Librarians) have to develop programs that will achieve this and in the meantime still instruct students what is, how it’s used and when they might use information literacy skills.

• reflect on their ability to identify a purpose for and creative use of information and ideas both within the school and elsewhere

• transfer information skills across subjects and year levels in the school

• transfer relevant information skills from school to further/higher education and to the workplace

• learn and adapt to new information skills required in many workplace setting

The last 4 points of Herring and Tarter’s (2006, p.3) view of information literacy is close to the model that we use at TAFE. Where the literate student can:

I instruct students every day on ‘information literacy’, but after the reading I find that I still have so much to learn.