INFORMATION LITERACY
Don't believe everything you read!
WHAT IS INFORMATION LITERACY? The American Library Association defines information literacy as a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.
Information literacy involves these steps:
- Planning research or posing a question
- Organizing a way to search for the answer
- Finding resources — such as databases, Web sites (like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), print sources, and local experts.
- Evaluating the resources and thinking critically about them — Who made the message and why? What is left out of the message?
- Expressing the information learned in meaningful way
HINT : The Library Commons can be especially helpful with # 3 and # 4. Visit the RESEARCH PAGE and the USING SOURCES PAGE for more help.