How can anyone keep up?
Gone are the days when we could know everything there was to know about a particular subject. Fortunately, thanks to the many different formats of media and the free exchange of information, we can find what we need right at our finger tips. This sounds great until we realize the problems it brings with it. How do we know what is accurate? How do we select only what we need? How do we find what we are looking for? How do we stay informed in this information-rich world that bombards us from all directions?
The answer
Become information literate. Here at North Georgia we incorporate information literacy throughout the academic and co-curricular experience. We want you to be an informed leader in the classroom, on campus, and in the community.
What is Information Literacy (IL)?
Information literacy is the ability to know when information is needed and to access, evaluate, and use information effectively and ethically.
Know
What information do I need?
The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed
Access
How do I find the information?
The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently
Evaluate
How do I determine what is valid and useful?
The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system
Use
What is the best use of this information?
The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
Ethical/Legal
Am I using this information in an ethical way?
The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally
"The greatest challenge facing us today is how to organize
information into structured knowledge. We must rise above the
obsession with quantity of information and the speed of
transmission, and focus on the fact that the key issue for us is our
ability to organize the information once it has been amassed, to
assimilate it, to find meaning in it, and to assure its survival.
And that cannot be done without reading and literacy."
(Dr. Vartan Gregorian, President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York , Keynote Address at the White House Conference on School Libraries, 2002)
