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An information Literate individual is one who can do the following:

Determine the extent of information needed

Access the needed information efficiently and effectively

Evaluate information and its sources critically

Incorporate selected information into his or her knowledge base

Use information to accomplish a specific purpose

Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding access and use of information

Access and use information ethically and legally.

Information literacy is an important skill in life. An individual who is literate in the location, access, evaluation, and use of information also display a certain sense of critical literacy. When you are information literate, you are able to evaluate what information you need, what to disregard, and how to use the information you selected. As a students, you unknowingly and unwittingly display information literacy when you search for information to address certain tasks such as projects, assignments, or research papers  

information takes many forms. It is often interchanged with data which is essentially “raw information” and knowledge which is characterized by effective use of information.

What determines your need for information?

Information seeking is relatively synonymous to the idea of research. When you locate information, you employ the necessary skills to engage in the research process. You need for information depends on your prior knowledge and experiences, as well as your goals and objectives. Your information needs to rely on what questions or problems you would like to solve, simply, what you need the information for. These needs also depend on the relevance of the information you seek to the task you are supposed to accomplish.

The effective and efficient information seeker:

A successful search strategy in one that allows you to judge at the onset what information is relevant, thus, limiting the possible overload of information sought. It also involves an understanding of information search systems such as indexes, online catalogs, or Boolean logic. When you are able to judge the “potential value of information,” you will be able to maximize its use. According to Callison and Tilley (2006), an effective and efficient information seeker is one who can do the following:

Understand how to utilize a variety of information sources and agencies, as well as human resources, in order to gain useful information.

Understand the value of consulting with resource specialists and critical peers to reframe and refine questions and inquiries, if necessary.

Identifies information important to a need and assesses its reliability, bias, authority, and intent.

Organizes new information in meaningful ways to determine where gaps may exist and to formulate the central question or thesis that can be addressed (Doyle, 1994)

Aside from being information literate, you are also expected to display information fluency which refers to the “ability to analyze information needs and to move confidently among media, information, and computer literacy skills, resulting in the effective application of a strategy or strategies that will best meet those needs (Callison & Tilley, 2016)”

Typology of information

According to www.lib.odu.edu, the kind of information you are looking for may be categorized as the following:

Factual vs. Analytical

Factual information is based on evidences and findings provided by reliable sources. These sources may include academic texts such as books, encyclopedias, periodicals, or technical supports by agencies and institutions.

Analytical information, on the other hand, is an analysis or interpretation of facts by an individual, usually an expert on the subject. 

Examples of such would be feature articles, commentaries, or reviews.

Subjective vs. Objective

when you consult an expert opinion, such as those found in the editor