University of South Florida
Learning Communities

Information Literacy Goals

Version 0.2 (draft)
18 March 1999

1.0 Purpose

The purpose of this document is to establish a minimal set of goals relating to information literacy that are to be achieved by the students enrolled in the Learning Communities program at the University of South Florida.

2.0 Definition of information literacy

For the purpose of this document, the term "information literacy" is defined as follows:

"the abilities to recognize when information is needed and to locate, evaluate, effectively use, and communicate information in its various formats" - State University of New York (SUNY) Council of Library Directors. Information Literacy Initiative. 30 Sept. 1997. http://olis.sysadm.suny.edu/ili/final.htm

3.0 Defining information literacy goals

Using the definition above, goals relating to information literacy can be assigned to the following categories:

1. Recognizing when information is needed
2. Locating information
3. Evaluating information
4. Using information
5. Communicating information

3.1 Recognizing when information is needed

Goals relating to the recognition of when information is needed include:

• Understanding the nature of the entire research process
• Being able to define a viable research question/topic
• Identifying the format(s) of the desired results (paper, speech, web page, etc.)
• Identifying the quantity of information required, including level of detail
• Identifying the relevant evaluation criteria for the information required, including:
• authority (including primary vs. secondary sources)
• bias
• currency
• Identifying the relevance of the format of sources

3.2 Locating information

Goals relating to the location of information include:

• Understanding the organization of information in a typical academic library
• Being able to use a web browser
• Understanding the use of print-based and electronic-based finding aids, including:
• tables of content
• indexes
• abstracts
• bibliographies
• online catalogs
• electronic databases
• Internet-based directories and search engines
• Boolean searching

3.3 Evaluating information

Goals relating to the evaluation of information include:

• Being able to apply appropriate evaluation criteria
• Being able to recognize logical fallacies

3.4 Using information

Goals relating to the use of information include:

• Being able to select appropriate information for use
• Being able to organize and synthesize information

3.5 Communicating information

• Being able to define the audience for the communication
• Being able to define the purpose of the communication
• Being able to compose and send an appropriate e-mail message
• Being able to compose and post an appropriate discussion board message
• Being able to produce an undergraduate-level research paper, using appropriate citation styles and paraphrasing
• Being able to create and publish a web page
• Being able to deliver a public speech, both with and without multimedia aids