Thinking About Information Literacy

Information literacy refers to a set of skills developed over time to help us:

determine when we need information

find the information best suited to our needs

evaluate the information we find

communicate what we learn

A person with these skills recognizes the different levels, types and formats of information and their appropriate uses.

As we become information literate, we begin to analyse and interpret information. Information literacy develops our abilities to respond critically and creatively to problems.


In today's world, computer literacy is often encompassed in definitions of information literacy because the web, the internet, and computers are often used in the search for information.