Information is available from many sources and in many formats, such as
printed text, television, videos, library databases, web sites, and more.
To be "information literate" you need to know why, when, and
how to use all of these tools and think critically about the information
they provide.
You won't become information literate overnight. Just as with speaking skills and writing skills, your abilities will improve over time as you gain expertise in the topics you choose to investigate and as you practice searching for, selecting, and evaluating the information and ideas you encounter.
This tutorial contains four modules. We hope to convey
- Quality is the key to research
- Library Resources (physical, electronic and human) are great assets for college papers, projects and your personal life
- The Internet is a great resource, but has its limitations, pitfalls and dangers
- The Internet is a collaborative information space, not managed by any one group
- Lots of useful information isn't (and may never be) available in electronic format
Certainly we will use the Internet and libraries throughout our lives. Understanding issues like censorship, privacy and electronic commerce will help you become more informed and better able to make quality decisions about the information sources, tools and techniques available.
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