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Information Literacy at UB
Information literacy is a concept near and dear to the hearts of many librarians. But what, exactly, is information literacy? The Association of College & Research Libraries has developed a very thorough set of Information Literacy Standards for Higher Education that contains the following definition:
Information literacy is 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 also is increasingly important in the contemporary environment of rapid technological change and proliferating information resources.
It is sometimes confused with "technology literacy" (i.e. the ability to use computers), but the way most librarians and most educators use the term, technological aptitude is only a small part of it. At its core, information literacy is about creating lifelong learners with good critical thinking skills, elements of which are probably part of every class. However the concept of a more formal information literacy component to the curriculum is gaining currency among many educational institutions, and UB is no exception. Recently, Heather Pfeifer and Caroline Ferree published an article an article about their criminal justice writing class that included information literacy sessions.1
Langsdale’s librarians continue to conduct information literacy sessions for existing classes, but the significance of information literacy in the curriculum is expanding. Spurred on by the Middle States accreditation process and the First-Year Initiative, UB is developing a new three-credit information literacy course that will be part of the first-year learning communities. Langsdale is proud of its role in bringing information literacy instruction into the UB curriculum.
1 Pfeifer, Heather L. and Ferree, Caroline W. “Tired of ‘Reeding” Bad Papers? Teaching Research and Writing Skills to Criminal Justice Students”.Journal of Criminal Justice Education; Mar2006, 17(1), p121-142.