Information Literacy Concepts

There are different concepts that are related to information literacy that will clearly provide direction to Busitema's Faculty of Engineering information literacy programme. This section contains a brief definition of the relevant terms followed by the key concepts of information literacy.

 B.1 What is information?

Information is a resource that has varied definitions according to the format, and media used to package or transfer it, as well as the discipline that defines it. Case (2002) provides a broader definition. Here the term is synonymous with:

  • Encapsulated knowledge
  • Packaged human experience
  • A source that can provide a myriad of data
  • A resource that takes different formats, packaging, transfer media, and varied methods of delivery
  • People: family, friends, tutors, fellow students
  • Institutions, i.e., national health service professionals or help facilities

 B.2 The need for effective use of information.

Information has become a vital source for world economies and is certainly the basic component of education. Information is a vital element to technological and scientific change. It poses several challenges to individuals of all walks of life: students, workers, and citizens of all types. The current information overload requires people to validate and assess information to verify its reliability. Information by itself does not make people information literate. Information is certainly a:

  • A vital element for creativity and innovation
  • A basic resource for learning and human thought
  • A key resource in creating more knowledgeable citizens
  • A factor that enables citizens to achieve better results in their academic lives, with regard to health, and at work
  • An important resource for national socio-economic development

 B.3 What is literacy?

The basic definition of literacy is “the condition of being literate” according to the Chambers English Dictionary (2003). This reference work, on the other hand, defines literate as “…learned; able to read and write; having a competence in or with” (p. 1856). In education parlance, “Basic Literacy” means the classic or traditional literacies of learning how to read, to write, and to perform numeric calculations and operations; basic literacies in almost all societies are learned in formal education settings, but sometimes basic literacies are learned at home or in community centers.

 B.4 Other “Literacy” concepts related to information literacy.

Information literacy is linked with other types of related literacies, but it should be differentiated from them, especially from information technology, media literacy, network literacy, digital literacy, network or Internet literacy, “Computer Literacy” and “Media Literacy” (Bawden, 2001). These last two literacies are clearly defined by Horton (F. Horton, Jr., personal communication, December, 2004) in the following terms:

  • Computer Literacy. The knowledge and skills necessary to understand information and communication technologies (ICTs), including the hardware, the software, systems, networks (both local area networks and the Internet), and all of the other components of computer and telecommunications systems.
  • Media Literacy. The knowledge and skills necessary to understand all of the mediums and formats in which data, information and knowledge are created, stored, communicated, and presented, i.e., print newspapers and journals, magazines, radio, television broadcasts, cable, CD-ROM, DVD, mobile telephones, PDF text formats, and JPEG format for photos and graphics.

 B.5 The Information Literacy Concept

There are several definitions assumed by associations and authors. The American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a precursor in the IL field, and the Association for Educational Communications and Technologies state that “information literacy is - the ability to find and use information – is the keystone of lifelong learning” (Byerly/Brodie, 1999). Under the component of information literacy, AASL states that: “information literate student accesses information efficiently and effectively, evaluates information critically and competently, and uses information accurately and creatively” (Byerly/Brodie, 1999). Users “should have both information-gathering strategies and the critical thinking skills to select, discard, synthesize, and present information in new ways to solve real-life problems” (Byerly/Brodie, 1999). This information literacy definition extends beyond library skills and beyond the use of discrete skills and strategies to the ability to use complex information from a variety of sources to develop meaning or solve problems (Kuhlthau, as cited in Stripling, 1999).

B.6 A Generally Used Definition

Attempts to define “Information Literacy” have been made for several years, mostly by librarians or professionals related to library science, and there are more similarities than dissimilarities in these definitions (Owusu-Ansah, 2003). The most commonly cited and used IL definition is the one adopted by the American Library Association (ALA), 1998:  

“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. The information literate individuals are those who have learned how to learn” (pp. 55-56). They know how to learn because they know how knowledge is organized, know how to find information, and know how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them (Byerly/Brodie, 1999). “Whatever semantics we assume for the IL term, the ALA definition, itself, is broad enough to encompass the entire spectrum of information skills; from Inuit traditional knowledge to high-tech search engines, and will probably be applicable for many decades” (Campbell, 2004).

B.7 Information competencies.

A competent engineer, whether a student, a professional or a worker is able to recognize her/his information needs, knows how to locate, identify access, retrieve, evaluate, organize, and use information. To be an information literate engineer, one has to know how to benefit from the worlds of knowledge, and incorporate the experience of others into one’s background. The information literate engineer is capable, in Mackenzie’s words, of:

  • “Prospecting: The ability to locate relevant information, to shift it, to sort it, and to select it.
  • Interpreting: The ability to translate the data and information into knowledge, insight, and understanding
  • Creating new ideas: Developing new insights”

B.8 Library actions that contribute to information literacy.

There are several terms that are part of or contribute to the information literacy (IL) concept. They each have their own semantic content in addition to differences characterized by the type of skills, level, the categories of learning, and instructional facilitating methods. Comprising many different concepts, IL has evolved beyond early library instruction and information skills-focused programs to the current concept of information literacy. While library instruction emphasizes the location of library materials, another IL concept focuses on information strategies, and in yet another concept, IL is used to describe the process of information-seeking and information use competencies. To reiterate, information literacy focuses on information use rather than on bibliographic skills, that is, STEM students must develop information competencies to become effective learners. Some of the IL-related terms are (See Glossary for additional definitions):

  • Information fluency – Capability or mastering of information competencies
  • User education – Global approach to teach information access to users
  • Library instruction – Focuses on library skills
  • Bibliographic instruction – User training on information search and retrieval
  • Information competencies – Compound skills and goals of information literacy
  • Information skills – Focuses on information abilities
  • Development of information skills – Process of facilitating information skills