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Information literacy is the ability to find and process new information effectively. It is related to computer and library literacy and is essential for conducting research. There are two types of information: what a person knows and what they can find. Information literacy involves understanding what information is needed and how to filter out irrelevant data.
Information literacy refers to a person’s ability to understand what information they need to know and then to find it effectively. This is often related to other types of literacy or proficiency in libraries and computer use and is typically a vital part of conducting research. While it is important for people to have actionable knowledge about various topics, this type of literacy determines how someone can discover and process new information. Computer literacy has evolved a great deal with the proliferation of personal computers and the Internet and has become increasingly important to a wider range of individuals.
The foundation of information literacy lies in the understanding that there are essentially two types of information that a person can access and use. One type of information is what a person actually knows, knowledge or skills that someone has learned and can practice at any time. The other type of information is knowledge that a person does not necessarily have, but which he can find and use in a relatively short amount of time. This second type of knowledge is based on that person’s information literacy and ability to find accurate and useful information.
Information literacy can use aspects of computer and library literacy or proficiency. While libraries have often been used as the primary means of gathering new information, the Internet has made computer systems extremely important for gathering information. This means that a literate person typically has a good deal of computer knowledge and literacy, but a person who is technically proficient with computers is not necessarily literate. Information literacy comes from understanding how to use a computer, library, or other information system to find what someone is looking for and process that information effectively.
While information literacy is greatly influenced by a person’s ability to find new information, it begins with their ability to understand what information is needed in the first place. If someone is searching, it is essential that they understand what information they should be looking for, to eliminate distractions and unimportant data. This aspect of information literacy has become increasingly important as Internet search engines can find thousands of pages of information, but only a small number of them may actually be of use to someone’s needs. Understanding what is needed and learning how to quickly filter out what is unimportant or unrelated is as important as being able to search for information.
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