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 reach and express informed views and to engage fully with society.
The Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP)
Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has adopted a new Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (2016) which provides a set of six frames, “which are those gateway or portal concepts through which students must pass to develop genuine expertise within a discipline”. The Framework is organized into:
| Frames | KNOWLEDGE PRACTICES | DISPOSITIONS |
| Each frame consist of one threshold concept. | The skills gained from understanding of these information literacy concepts, | The attitude resulted from understanding the concepts and acquiring the practices. |
The six concepts that anchor the frames are:
The Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL) updated the Seven Pillars of Information Literacy model in 2011 in order to be relevant to different user communities and ages, the new model is presented as a generic “core” model for Higher Education, to which a series of “lenses”, representing the different groups of learners, can be applied. This lens defines skills and competencies (ability) and attitudes and behaviours (understanding) which might be attributed to researchers in UK Higher Education. It is expected that as a person becomes more information literate they will demonstrate more of the attributes in each pillar and so move towards the top of the pillar.
The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) has compiled guidelines on information literacy for lifelong learning that aid information professionals involved in educational programs in delivering information competencies for their users.
The Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy developed The Australian and New Zealand information literacy framework in (2003) to provide the principles, standards and practice that can support information literacy education in all education sectors. The Framework incorporates standards and learning outcomes that consist of the characteristics, attributes, processes, knowledge, skills, attitudes, beliefs and aspirations associated with the information literate person. The standards are grounded in generic skills, information skills and values and beliefs. These will be affected by the specific disciplinary context. Generic skills include problem solving, collaboration and teamwork, communication and critical thinking. Information skills include information seeking, information use and information technology fluency. Values and beliefs include using information wisely and ethically, social responsibility and community participation. These dimensions of learning combine in information literacy.
Statement of principles
The Australian and New Zealand information literacy framework is based on four overarching principles. These are, that information literate people
Core standards
The principles frame six core standards which underpin information literacy acquisition, understanding and application by an individual. These standards identify that the information literate person: