Information Literacy is the term used to describe the ability to effectively locate, evaluate, and communicate information. This skill set is critical not only in the realm of academia, where it is necessary for proper research and writing, but outside of academia, where it is necessary to navigate the constant flood of information (and mis/disinformation) that characterizes life in the 21st century. The Association of College and Research Libraries identifies six important concepts that compose a successful understanding of information literacy:
Some or all of these may sound familiar to you as concepts that you already include in your instruction; intentionally weaving information literacy into your curriculum can assist in reinforcing those concepts. For more details on each of these points and on information literacy in general, see the "Helpful Resources" tab.
The teaching materials on this page (see the "Teaching Materials" tab) are designed to be presented to students in order to help cultivate the skill of information literacy. Ideally, the lessons you choose to implement should precede students' research projects, so that students are able to properly benefit from developing these skills. The instructor is encouraged to modify the lessons as necessary in order to fit them into the course.
Before implementing the lessons provided on this page, it may help to determine one's students' current level of knowledge. For this purpose, we have created the Pre-Assessment Activity found in the "Teaching Materials" tab. If you have questions about any of the assignments or activities or how to embed them into your course, please contact Kristin Leaman: leamankb@purdue.edu.
Below are information literacy activities designed by the Purdue Libraries. If you have questions about implementing these activities into your course, please email Kristin Leaman: leamankb@purdue.edu.
Below are information literacy activities designed by the Purdue Libraries. If you have questions about implementing these activities into your course, please email Kristin Leaman: leamankb@purdue.edu and Adriana Harmeyer: aharmey@purdue.edu.
The documents in this section are helpful examples of AI/ChatGPT and Information Literacy Statements that can be embedded into a Cornerstone course syllabus. While these materials are centered for Cornerstone, they can be utilized for other courses.
The Association of College and Research Libraries has provided a detailed framework regarding the nature of information literacy and how to implement it in higher education. That framework can be found here. Above is a PDF version.
The Society of American Archivists has prepared guidelines for primary source literacy -- i.e., information literacy skills and knowledge as applied specifically to primary sources. Their work is likewise intended for educators to use in teaching their students these skills; if you intend to ask your students to use archives, databases that contain primary sources, or primary source documents in general, you should consider using this resource to instruct them on how to do that. Information about the guidelines can be found here, and you can read the document itself in PDF form above.
The tutorials found at the above link include content in both text and video forms. Topics covered include how to identify whether an article is scholarly, how to do effective research, and how to navigate aspects of the Purdue Libraries system.