Issue 1, Volume 8
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Introduction
Information literacy (IL), according to the Association of College and Research Libraries, is “the set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information.” In the explosion of information output and information sources known as the Information Age, it has become increasingly clear that students cannot learn everything they need to know in their field of study in a few years of college. Information literacy equips them with the critical skills necessary to become independent lifelong learners.
Too often we assume that as students write research papers and read textbooks they are gaining sufficient IL skills. However, even though IL skills may be introduced through these activities, what is needed is a parallel curriculum in IL forming a strong foundation for a college education and lifelong learning. As the American Library Association Presidential Committee on Information Literacy (January 10, 1989, Washington, D.C.) states:
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.
The librarians at Capital Community College (Hartford, CT) embrace the concept of information literacy. We want our current students and graduates to possess the skills they need to be successful not only in the classroom but also throughout their lives. Over the course of several years, we have worked with faculty and administrators to improve the way students learn and practice IL at Capital, moving from an Information Literacy module in the First-Year Experience course to the creation and assessment of an “Information Literacy Portfolio.”
© Copyright by Carl Antonucci, Karen DeLoatch, and Marie Basche. The right to make additional exact copies, including this notice, for personal and classroom use, is hereby granted. All other forms of distribution and copying require permission of the author(s).
Lesley
Smith, Managing Editor of
inventio Robert
Bernard, Assistant Editor
of inventio