Information Literacy in the Digital Age

Information Literacy in the Digital Age

by Teresa Welsh, Melissa Wright
Released July 2010
Publisher(s): Chandos Publishing
ISBN: 9781780630359

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Book description

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.

  • 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

Table of contents

  1. Cover image
  2. Title page
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. List of figures and tables
  7. List of abbreviations
  8. About the authors
  9. Chapter 1: What is information literacy?
    1. Models of information literacy
    2. Information competency
    3. What does research indicate about information literacy?
    4. Why is it important to be information literate?
    5. Exercises
  10. Chapter 2: Cultural literacy
    1. What is culture?
    2. Origins of culture: oral tradition
    3. Exercises
  11. Chapter 3: Library literacy: history, types, and roles
    1. Early libraries
    2. Types of libraries
    3. Roles of libraries
    4. Exercises
  12. Chapter 4: Library literacy: information sources, classification systems
    1. Information source types
    2. What primary sources can be found in libraries?
    3. What secondary and tertiary sources can be found in libraries?
    4. How are resources organized and arranged in a library or archive?
    5. How are resources classified and cataloged in a library or archive?
    6. How can one search for materials in a library or archive?
    7. Exercises
  13. Chapter 5: Ethical literacy: scholarly communication and the academic code of conduct
    1. Scholarly communication
    2. What is the ‘invisible college’?
    3. Scholarly publication cycle
    4. How can one distinguish between scholarly journals and popular magazines?
    5. Accreditation and the academic code of conduct
    6. Exercises
  14. Chapter 6: Network literacy: database searching
    1. What is a database?
    2. How does one search a database?
    3. Evaluating information sources
    4. Exercises
  15. Chapter 7: Computer literacy: computer hardware and software
    1. What is a computer?
    2. How did the computer develop?
    3. What is the difference between computer hardware and software?
    4. Exercises
  16. Chapter 8: Network literacy: the Internet and the World Wide Web
    1. When and why was the first computer network developed?
    2. ARPAnet → NSFnet → Internet
    3. What is the World Wide Web?
    4. What is Web 2.0?
    5. What will the Web be in the future? Web 3.0: the semantic web
    6. Web directories and search engines
    7. Internet archive
    8. Exercises
  17. Chapter 9: Media literacy and visual literacy
    1. What is media literacy?
    2. What are ‘old media’ and ‘new media’?
    3. What is computer-mediated communication?
    4. What is visual literacy?
    5. Digital multimedia collections
    6. Exercises
  18. Chapter 10: Government literacy
    1. Early influences on Western governments
    2. Examples of Western governments
    3. Exercises
  19. Chapter 11: Financial literacy
    1. What is financial literacy?
    2. What is a credit report?
    3. Compound interest
    4. Financial resources
    5. Exercises
  20. Chapter 12: Writing a research paper
    1. How does one begin to write a formal research paper?
  21. Chapter 13: Conclusion
    1. Top tips for evaluating information on the Web
  22. Appendices
    1. Appendix 1: Information Competency Assessment Instrument
    2. Appendix 2: Information Literacy Assessment Trial Study of Students in the 11th Grade in Mississippi
    3. Appendix 3: An Examination of the Scholarly Literature Related to School Libraries and Their Impact on Student Achievement
    4. Appendix 4: A Bibliometric Analysis of Scholarly Literature Related to Information Literacy and Critical Thinking
  23. Index

Product information

  • Title: Information Literacy in the Digital Age
  • Author(s): Teresa Welsh, Melissa Wright
  • Release date: July 2010
  • Publisher(s): Chandos Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781780630359