Information literacy combines skills or competencies that together make for effective use of information. As the professional body responsible for the information profession, CILIP sees a need to define the term in a way that is understandable by all information-using communities in the UK. In an era of lifelong learning, this effectively means that information literacy has relevance for all ages from primary school to senior citizens. Information literate people understand more than how to find information, they understand its limitations and the need to examine how they use information, and they understand how to manage and communicate information. Information literacy is an essential and discrete dexterity – everyone relies on information everyday.
Perhaps one important point that can be drawn out, and which it is useful to emphasise here, is that IL is about information in all forms. Information may come from another person, from a paper-based magazine or book, report or newspaper, from a digital source such as a database, a search engine or a e-book accessed through a computer, or it may come from any other form of media: film, video, DVD, radio, television, etc. The definition and skills or competencies above cross all media.
Other definitions
Perhaps the most recent alternative definition to the one offered here is that originating in the UNESCO-sponsored Meeting of Experts on Information Literacy in Prague:
"Information Literacy encompasses knowledge of one's information concerns and needs, and the ability to identify, locate, evaluate, organize and effectively create, use and communicate information to address issues or problems at hand; it is a prerequisite for participating effectively in the Information Society, and is part of the basic human right of life long learning." (US National Commission on Library and Information Science, 2003)
The United States and Australia have used the same construct in their earlier definitions:
"To be information literate, a person must be able to recognise when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information." (American Library Association, 1998)
"Information literacy is an understanding and set of abilities enabling individuals to 'recognise when information is needed and have the capacity to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information'." (CAUL, 2004)
While Sheila Webber, who was instrumental in developing this CILIP definition had also developed an earlier definition:
"… information literacy is the adoption of appropriate information behaviour to obtain, through whatever channel or medium, information well fitted to information needs, together with a critical awareness of the importance of wise and ethical use of information in society." (Webber and Johnston, 2003)
Some common threads can immediately be seen in these (and our) definitions. In ours:
"Information literacy is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner"
We have tried to encapsulate the important elements simply, and in plain English, so that the definition can serve as a base-line interpretation of information literacy for all communities in the UK. The skills serve to explain in greater detail what it means to be information literate. SCONUL have used a similar approach using seven "headline skills". (SCONUL, 1999)
ICT and media literacy
Information Technology (IT) and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) often are used largely without any attributed definitions; some see ICT and Information Literacy (IL) as deeply intertwined, with the term ‘e-literacy’ sometimes used to convey the union of the two, while others see no need for a distinction. For example, the Department of Education and Skills’, Towards a unified e-learning strategy, made reference to "raising ICT literacy" and noted that, "[f]or skills for Life: e-learning can help adults in developing their literacy and numeracy skills, while also building ICT skills for life and work" (Department of Education and Skills, 2003). It made only one reference to IL, despite frequently referring to "econom[ies] of scale through wide access to digital resources and information systems, combined." CILIP does not subscribe to the view that all these terms are synonyms.
The term 'media literacy' was also coined in mid-2004 to join visual and other literacies (Ofcom, 2004). Ofcom say that while there is no agreed definition, "media literacy is a range of skills including the ability to access, analyse, evaluate and produce communications in a variety of forms" and that "it moves from merely recognising and comprehending information to the higher order critical thinking skills such as questioning, analysing and evaluating that information." Confusing similarities with the information literacy concept can be seen, indeed, it should be noted that these elements are included in our definition of information literacy and have always been included in the other definitions mentioned above.
Like media literacy, information literacy has no agreed, universally accepted definition, but unlike media literacy there have been repeated attempts to define or circumscribe it. A useful and comprehensive review by Professor Sirje Virkus was recently published (Virkus, 2003). In an attempt to draw a line under this debate – at least for the UK – CILIP has produced this simple definition, supported by a list of skills or competencies, with examples of issues for each of these skills.
A context for information literacy
IL is here defined as a part of knowledge or learning, and this is in accordance with the views of the Department of Education and Skills. It comprises a series of skills or competencies that must be acquired. There are other aspects. One might say that an information literate person should have an ability to be a lifelong learner and to reflect on what they are doing. That is not part of information literacy; rather it is a necessary attitude, as you cannot develop information literacy without it. The converse view is that knowing that you may need more information to evaluate and assess is a very valuable life skill. IL is also about commitment to value, to worth and to success. The information literate person cares about the quality of the answer to what he or she is investigating and is prepared to work to guarantee that quality.
Finally, we acknowledge that IL will mean slightly different things to different communities; it may also require a greater degree of skill or understanding by some communities than others. IL is relevant (and an important skill to be learned and used) in primary and secondary schools, in further and higher education, in business, and in leisure.
References
American Library Association (1998) A Progress Report on Information Literacy: An Update on the American Library Association Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report, American Library Association, Chicago. Visited 2/11/2009
CAUL (2004) Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework: principles, standards and practice. 2nd ed. Editor: Alan Bundy. Adelaide, Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy, 2004. c. Australian and New Zealand Institute for Information Literacy (ANZIIL) and Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) Revised version of CAUL's Information Literacy Standards published in 2001. Available at: http://www.caul.edu.au/info-literacy/InfoLiteracyFramework.pdf.
Visited 2/11/2009
Department of Education and Skills (2003) Towards a unified e-learning strategy. London: Department of Education and Skills. Visited 2/11/2009
Johnston, B. & Webber S. (2003). Information Literacy in Higher Education: a review and case study. Studies in Higher Education 28 (3): 335-352.
Ofcom (2004) Ofcom's strategy and priorities for the promotion of media literacy: statement. Visited 2/11/2009
SCONUL (1999) Information Skills in Higher Education: A SCONUL Position Paper. Visited 2/11/2009
US National Commission on Library and Information Science (2003) The Prague Declaration: 'Towards An Information Literate Society' Visited 2/11/2009
Virkus, S. (2003) Information literacy in Europe: a literature review. Information Research 8 (4). Available at: http://InformationR.net/ir/8-4/paper159.html.
Visited 2/11/2009
