Information Literacy in the Digital Age

by Welsh; Wright

• ISBN13: 9781843345152
• ISBN10: 1843345153
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-07-27
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

Aimed at those who teach information literacy, this book is about 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.

Table of Contents

List of figures and tables	p. xi
List of abbreviations	p. xiii
About the authors	p. xvii
What is information literacy?	p. 1
Models of information literacy	p. 2
Information competency	p. 5
What does research indicate about information literacy?	p. 5
Why is it important to be information literate?	p. 7
Exercises	p. 8
Additional sources	p. 9
Notes	p. 9
Cultural literacy	p. 13
What is culture?	p. 13
Origins of culture: oral tradition	p. 16
Exercises	p. 20
Additional sources	p. 21
Notes	p. 21
Library literacy: history, types, and roles	p. 23
Early libraries	p. 23
Types of libraries	p. 32
Roles of libraries	p. 33
Exercises	p. 34
Additional sources	p. 35
Notes	p. 35
Library literacy: information sources, classification systemsp39
Information source types	p. 39
What primary sources can be found in libraries?	p. 40
What secondary and tertiary sources can be found in libraries?	p. 40
How are resources organized and arranged in a library or archive?	p. 45
How are resources classified and cataloged in a library or archive?	p. 45
How can one search for materials in a library or archive?	p. 48
Exercises	p. 49
Additional sources	p. 52
Notes	p. 52
Ethical literacy: scholarly communication and the academic code of conduct	p. 53
Scholarly communication	p. 53
What is the 'invisible college'?	p. 53
Scholarly publication cycle	p. 54
How can one distinguish between scholarly journals and popular magazines?	p. 55
Accreditation and the academic code of conduct	p. 56
Exercises	p. 64
Additional sources	p. 67
Notes	p. 68
Network literacy: database searching	p. 71
What is a database?	p. 71
How does one search a database?	p. 72
Evaluating information sources	p. 76
Exercises	p. 77
Additional sources	p. 78
Notes	p. 79
Computer literacy: computer hardware and software	p. 81
What is a computer?	p. 81
How did the computer develop?	p. 81
What is the difference between computer hardware and software?	p. 83
Exercises	p. 86
Additional sources	p. 90
Notes	p. 91
Network literacy: the Internet and the World Wide Web	p. 93
When and why was the first computer network developed?	p. 93
ARPAnet → NSFnet → Internet	p. 94
What is the World Wide Web?	p. 99
What is Web 2.0?	p. 100
What will the Web be in the future? Web 3.0: the semantic web	p. 101
Web directories and search engines	p. 101
Internet archive	p. 103
Exercises	p. 103
Additional sources	p. 105
Notes	p. 105
Media literacy and visual literacy	p. 107
What is media literacy?	p. 107
What are 'old media' and 'new media'?	p. 108
What is computer-mediated communication?	p. 110
What is visual literacy?	p. 112
Digital multimedia collections	p. 114
Exercises	p. 115
Additional sources	p. 119
Notes	p. 120
Government literacy	p. 123
Early influences on Western governments	p. 123
Examples of Western governments	p. 125
Exercises	p. 127
Additional sources	p. 128
Notes	p. 128
Financial literacy	p. 129
What is financial literacy?	p. 129
What is a credit report?	p. 130
Compound interest	p. 130
Financial resources	p. 131
Exercises	p. 132
Additional sources	p. 133
Notes	p. 133
Writing a research paper	p. 135
How does one begin to write a formal research paper?	p. 135
Additional sources	p. 142
Notes	p. 142
Conclusion	p. 143
Top tips for evaluating information on the Web	p. 143
Notes	p. 145
Appendices
Information Competency Assessment Instrument	p. 147
Information Literacy Assessment Trial Study of Students in the 11th Grade in Mississippi	p. 151
An Examination of the Scholarly Literature Related to School Libraries and Their Impact on Student Achievement	p. 79
A Bibliometric Analysis of Scholarly Literature Related to Information Literacy and Critical Thinking	p. 197
Index	p. 215
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