Information Literacy

Information literacy is essential for achieving goals in the workplace, education, citizenship, health, and everyday life. According to CILIP definition (IFLA, 2015), “information literacy is viewed as something that empowers people in all walks of life to achieve their life goals and that it underpins lifelong learning.”

On 6th April 2018 (Secker, 2018), the Information Literacy Group (ILG) issued the revised CILIP definition of information literacy at the LILAC 2018 as follow:

“Information literacy is the ability to think critically and make balanced judgements about any information we find and use. It empowers us as citizens to developed informed views and to engage fully with society”.

The new definition (CILIP, 2018) is addressed to multiple audiences, potentially to anyone who uses and handles information, and not just to information professionals.

Moreover, many IL models have been developed throughout the years in order to empower individuals to develop skills and competencies in occupational and personal life. The leading partner- the CUT team, has reviewed the most commonly used models for teaching information literacy, such as SCONUL Seven Pillars, Big6, CILIP, ISP, ANCIL, ACRL Standards. Analyzing their strengths and weaknesses, they concluded that there is a need to adopt a model that is more appropriate to teach IL in all levels of education and considers the skills that are necessary for life in the digital era. Attention needs to be given to covering concepts such as digital literacy, media literacy, computer literacy, information handling, critical skills, data literacy, and sustainability literacy. In conclusion, the IL curriculum is mostly based on ACRL IL Standards for Higher Education and contains the following five (5) modules:

1. Need for information
2. Locate information
3. Evaluate information
4. Synthesize and present information
5. Ethically use and communicate information

The aim of this course is to provide a resource that learners could use to improve and develop their information literacy (IL) and academic skills, addressing the process of using information, from planning, to selecting search tools and techniques, to critical thinking and sharing information. The content covers searching, managing and evaluating information and aims to support distance learners. To accommodate differing learning styles, and encourage learning by doing, activities such as drag-and-drop exercises, quizzes and videos were used (Thornes, 2012). The course is available via the virtual learning environment (VLE) and learners are encouraged to read all the content (Module 1- 5) and do the activities. 

Thornes, S. L. (2012). Creating an online tutorial to support information literacy and academic skills development. Journal of Information Literacy, 6(1), 81–95. https://doi.org/10.11645/6.1.1654