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Information Literacy in the Digital Age: An evidence-based approach

Teresa S Welsh and Melissa S Wright, University of Southern Mississippi, USA

 - based on content, resources, assignments, and exercises developed for an academic information literacy course
 - in addition to scholarly content on particular topics, each chapter will include practical applications and activities related to information literacy concepts

This book examines the various types of literacy that are important in the Digital Age of rapid technological change and proliferating information resources in a variety of formats. According to the American Library Association (www.ala.org), “information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.” Information literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning and is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments, and to all levels of education. Information literacy is an umbrella term that includes a variety of specific competencies: cultural literacy, library literacy, computer literacy, network literacy, and media literacy. Each topic addressed in the book includes contextual background information, basic concepts, a resource list, exercises and activities to reinforce the important learning concepts addressed in each chapter.

ISBN 1 84334 515 3
ISBN-13: 978 1 84334 515 2
July 2010
236 pages  234 x 156mm  paperback  
£47.00 / US$80.00 / €60.00

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About the authors

Dr. Teresa S Welsh is an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Mississippi School of Library and Information Science. Ms. Melissa S Wright is a doctoral student in the University of Southern Mississippi Department of Adult Education.

Contents

What is information literacy?
 - Models of information literacy
 - Information competency
 - What does research indicate about information literacy?
 - Why is it important to be information literate?
 - Exercises
 - Additional sources
 - Notes

Cultural literacy
 - What is culture?
 - Origins of culture: oral tradition
 - Exercises
 - Additional sources
 - Notes

Library literacy: history, types, and roles
 - Early libraries
 - Types of libraries
 - Roles of libraries
 - Exercises
 - Additional sources
 - Notes

Library literacy: information sources, classification systems
 - Information source types
 - What primary sources can be found in libraries?
 - What secondary and tertiary sources can be found in libraries?
 - How are resources organized and arranged in a library or archive?
 - How are resources classified and cataloged in a library or archive?
 - How can one search for materials in a library or archive?
 - Exercises
 - Additional sources
 - Notes

Ethical literacy: scholarly communication and the academic code of conduct
 - Scholarly communication
 - What is the ‘invisible college’?
 - Scholarly publication cycle
 - How can one distinguish between scholarly journals and popular magazines?
 - Accreditation and the academic code of conduct
 - Exercises
 - Additional sources
 - Notes

Network literacy: database searching
 - What is a database?
 - How does one search a database?
 - Evaluating information sources
 - Exercises
 - Additional sources
 - Notes

Computer literacy: computer hardware and software
 - What is a computer?
 - How did the computer develop?
 - What is the difference between computer hardware and software?
 - Exercises
 - Additional sources
 - Notes

Network literacy: the Internet and the World Wide Web
 - When and why was the first computer network developed?
 - ARPAnet → NSFnet → Internet
 - What is the World Wide Web?
 - What is Web 2.0?
 - What will the Web be in the future? Web 3.0: the semantic web
 - Web directories and search engines
 - Internet archive
 - Exercises
 - Additional sources
 - Notes

Media literacy and visual literacy
 - What is media literacy?
 - What are ‘old media’ and ‘new media’?
 - What is computer-mediated communication?
 - What is visual literacy?
 - Digital multimedia collections
 - Exercises
 - Additional sources
 - Notes

Government literacy
 - Early influences on Western governments
 - Examples of Western governments
 - Exercises
 - Additional sources
 - Notes

Financial literacy
 - What is financial literacy?
 - What is a credit report?
 - Compound interest
 - Financial resources
 - Exercises
 - Additional sources
 - Notes

Writing a research paper
 - How does one begin to write a formal research paper?
 - Additional sources
 - Notes

Conclusion
 - Top tips for evaluating information on the Web
 - Notes

Appendices
 - Information Competency Assessment Instrument
 - Information Literacy Assessment Trial Study of Students in the 11th Grade in Mississippi
 - An Examination of the Scholarly Literature Related to School Libraries and Their Impact on Student Achievement
 - A Bibliometric Analysis of Scholarly Literature Related to Information Literacy and Critical Thinking