Information Literacy Competency

1
Information Literacy/ Competency

• Being able to recognize an information need, and
  having the ability to access, evaluate, organize
  and use information from a variety of sources.
• (American Library Association)

2
Why is IC/IL Important?

• Information competency forms the basis of
  lifelong learning.
• Crosses all disciplines
• Allows you to direct your own learning path.
• Allows you to tame information overload.

3
Why Do We Need Information?
4
Why Do We Need Information?

• Students need information to complete term
  papers, reports, etc.
• Employees need information to complete projects,
  or learn new skills.
• Everyone uses information on a daily basis to
  make decisions.

5
How Do We Find the Information That We Need?

• Our strategy will depend on the need (how will
  the information be used), and the amount of time
  that we have for research.
• Informal vs. formal research

6
Informal Research

• Ask family, friends, acquaintances
• Useful for certain needs, but not always the best
  source of information
• Relies on the opinions and knowledge of people
  that you know

7
Formal Research

• Fact finding using a research strategy based upon
  the information need.
• Uses a variety of sources that are indexed and
  available through libraries, the Internet,
  government agencies, professional organizations
  and other institutions.
• Browsing library shelves is NOT formal
  research.

8
Choosing a Topic

• Choose a topic, not a subject area.
• General subject areas are too broad.
• Examples of broad subject areas sports,
  education, ecology

9
Choosing a Topic

• The topic should not be too broad or too narrow.
• Choose a topic that interests you! If you care
  about the topic, the research will be a quest,
  not just another class assignment.

10
Defining your Topic (Chapter 1 of Text)

• Construct a topic statement that summarizes your
  topic in one or two sentences (see p. 3-4 of text
  for examples).
• List major questions about your topic that you
  want to answer.
• Topic statement due at next class meeting.

11
Creating a Search Strategy

• Summarize topic
• Identify key concepts
• Select appropriate words and phrases
• Use search strategy worksheet