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Charles Stuart University (Australia) states:
"Students have the skills and behaviours they need to develop a deeper understanding of their discipline. Information literacy is a building block for lifelong learning, it encourages and informs problem solving and critical thinking. They can locate, use and evaluate information to inform their decision making. Students use appropriate resources to produce high-quality assessments. A critical part of a student’s information literacy development is their ability to use information ethically, including the respect for intellectual property and privacy, fair representation and the concept of doing no harm,: (Schulz-Jones, 2016).
The term "information literacy" may be new to you; but you have been practicing information literacy skills in several ways. Being an information literate person means you know you need information on a subject, you find and evaluate the information you need, decide what information to use and use that information ethically.
You used information literacy skills to evaluate universities and decide which one to attend. If you have a vehicle, you used skills to research and evaluate which car is best for you. You use information literacy skills every day in making decisions.
Information literacy skills are skills you will use throughout your life; to make informed professional and personal decisions.
From the ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report, released January 10, 1989:
"To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information. Producing such a citizenry will require that schools and colleges appreciate and integrate the concept of information literacy into their learning programs and that they play a leadership role in equipping individuals and institutions to take advantage of the opportunities inherent within the information society. Ultimately, information literate people are those who have learned how to learn. They know how to learn because they know how knowledge is organized, how to find information, and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them. They are people prepared for lifelong learning, because they can always find the information needed for any task or decision at hand."
According to the University of Illinois Library:
The information cycle is the progression of media coverage of a newsworthy event. Understanding the information cycle can help you determine what kind of information you are likely to find about your topic.
The infographic below illustrates the Information Cycle. The text version is below the infographic.
