Library & Information Science, Course 250: Instructional Strategies.
Dr. David Loertscher
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www.acs.ucalgary.ca/library/ILG/litdef.html

The following are direct quotes from numerous papers, representing various definitions of information literacy.

•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. (p. 192)

Burnhein, Robert. (1992) Information literacy - a core competency. Australian Academic and Research Libraries. 23(4):188-96.

•At its broadest, information literacy refers to a person's ability to access and understand a variety of information resources. (p. 314)

•Implicit in a full understanding of information literacy is the realization that several conditions must be simultaneously present. First, someone must desire to know, use analytic skills to formulate questions, identify research methodologies, and utilize critical skills to evaluate experimental (and experiential) results. Second, the person must possess the skills to search for answers to those questions in increasingly diverse and complex ways. Third, once a person has identified what is sought, be able to access it. (p. 314)

Lenox, Mary F. and Michael L. Walker. (1993) Information literacy in the educational process. The Educational Forum. 57(2):312-324.

•Although Brevik and the American Library Association support the idea that information literate people know how to find, evaluate, use and subsequently communicate information effectively to solve particular problems or to make decisions, their definition of information literacy fails to account for sources of information - both visual and aural - beyond the traditional contents of libraries. Whether information comes from a computer, a book, a government agency, a film, a conversation, a poster, or any number of other possible sources, inherent in the concept of information literacy is the ability to dissect and understand what you see on the page or the television screen, in posters, pictures, and other images, as well what you hear. If we are to teach information literacy, we must teach students to sort, to discriminate, to select, and to analyze the array of messages that are presented. (p. 4-5)

Lenox, Mary F. and Michael L. Walker. (1992) Information literacy: challenge for the future. International Journal of Information and Library Research. 4(1):1-18.

•An information literate person is one who:

• recognizes that accurate and complete information is the basis for intelligent decision making;
• recognizes the need for information;
• formulates questions based on information needs;
• identifies potential sources of information;
• develops successful search strategies;
• access sources of information including computer-based and other technologies;
• evaluates information;
• organizes information for practical application;
• integrates new information into an existing body of knowledge;
• uses information in critical thinking and problem solving.

Doyle, C.S. (1992) Final Report to National Forum on Information Literacy. (ED 351 033).

•Information literate students are competent, independent learners. They know their information needs and actively engage in the world of ideas. They display confidence in their ability to solve problems and know what is relevant information. They manage technology tools to access information and to communicate. They operate comfortably in situations where there are multiple answers, as well as those with no answers. They hold high standards for their work and create quality products. Information literate students are flexible, can adapt to change and are able to function independently and in groups. (p. 3)

Colorado Educational Media Association. (1994) Model information literacy guidelines. (ED 373 797).

•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. Producing such a citizenry will require that schools and colleges appreciate and integrate the concept of information literacy into their learning programs and that they play a leadership role in equipping individuals and institutions to take advantage of the opportunities inherent within the information society.

•Ultimately, information literate people are those who have learned how to learn. They know how to learn because they know how knowledge is organized, how to find information, and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them. They are people prepared for lifelong learning, because they can always find the information needed for any task or decision at hand.

American Library Association. Report of the Presidential Committee on Information Literacy (Internet Address: gopher://ala1.ala.org:70/00/alagophiv/50417007)

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2002