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Information literacy is a survival skill in the Information Age. Instead of drowning in the abundance of information that floods their lives, information literate people know how to find, evaluate, and use information effectively to solve a particular problem or make a decision---whether the information they select comes from a computer, a book, a government agency, a film, or any number of other possible resources.
(American Library Association, 2006)
Choosing a club to join? Building an argument for a research paper? Deciding on a career path? The ability to find, evaluate, and use information effectively will determine the success of these endeavors. Just as the ability to use information wisely has become an integral part of 21 st century life, we recognize the importance of making information literacy a more integral part of an Armstrong education. The First Class seminar is designed to teach information literacy skills you can strengthen throughout your years at Armstrong and use the rest of your life.
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has described five major ways in which we interact with information. No matter what career or academic discipline we pursue, a First Class education prepares us to:
- Determine the extent of information needed
- Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
- Evaluate information and its sources critically
- Incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base
- Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
- Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally
Fall 2013 First Class will provide students and instructors opportunities to explore strategies for making information literacy a more explicit part of core classes in the Armstrong curriculum.