Information Literacy

Information Literacy Standards from the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) as published in Information Power, 1998

Standard 1: The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.

  1. Recognizes the need for information.
  2. Recognizes that accurate and comprehensive information is the basis for intelligent decision making.
  3. Formulates questions based on information needs.
  4. Identifies a variety of potential sources of information.
  5. Develops and uses successful strategies for locating information.

Standard 2: The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently.

  1. Determines accuracy, relevance, and comprehensiveness.
  2. Distinguishes among fact, point of view and opinion.
  3. Identifies inaccurate and misleading information.
  4. Selects information appropriate to the problem or question at hand.

Standard 3: The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively.

  1. Organizes information for practical application.
  2. Integrates new information into one's own knowledge.
  3. Applies information in critical thinking and problem solving.
  4. Produces and communicates information and ideas in appropriate formats.

Standard 4: The student who is an independent learner is information literate and pursues information related to personal interests.

  1. Seeks information related to various dimensions of personal well-being, such as career interests, community involvement, health matters, and recreational pursuits.
  2. Designs, develops, and evaluates information products and solutions related to personal interests.

Standard 5: The student who is an independent learner is information literate and appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.

  1. Is a competent and self-motivated reader.
  2. Derives meaning from information presented creatively in a variety of formats.
  3. Develops creative products in a variety of formats.

Standard 6: The student who is an independent learner is information literate and strives for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation.

  1. Assesses the quality of the process and products of personal information seeking.
  2. Devises strategies for revising, improving, and updating self-generated knowledge.

Standard 7: The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and recognizes the importance of information to a democratic society.

  1. Seeks information from diverse sources, contexts, disciplines and cultures.
  2. Respects the principles of equitable access to information.

Standard 8: The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and practices ethical behavior in regard to information and information technology.

  1. Respects principles of intellectual freedom.
  2. Respects intellectual property rights.
  3. Uses information technology responsibly.

Standard 9: The student who contributes positively to the learning community and to society is information literate and participates effectively in groups to pursue and generate information.

  1. Shares knowledge and information with others.
  2. Respects others' ideas and backgrounds and acknowledges their contributions.
  3. Collaborates with others, both in person and through technologies, to identify information problems and to see their solutions.
  4. Collaborates with others, both in person and through technologies, to design, develop, and evaluate information products and solutions.

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