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Teaching Information Literacy

The Importance of Information Literacy

In 2003, representatives from 23 countries met in Prague, Czech Republic to discuss the global importance of information literacy. The document that resulted from this meeting has come to be known as the Prague Declaration. This document stated the importance of the creation of an information society as a key to future socioeconomic development worldwide, while also emphasizing that information literacy is a "basic human right of life long learning." Today we live in an increasingly information-rich world, and the beliefs espoused in Prague in 2003 resonate even louder today. As such, it is the responsibility of education institutions to prepare our students for the challenging information environment that faces them. This guide was created to assist instructors in infusing information literacy education into their instruction, through examples of classroom activities, assignments, lessons, etc.

The tabs at the left will guide you to content focused on the concepts of authority, information creation, the value of information, research, scholarly discourse, and searching, all of which are based on the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. From these tabs you will find explanations of the concepts, learner practices, learner goals, and links to example instructional materials focused on each concept.

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Conceptual Framework

The ACRL Framework, adopted in 2016, presents a flexible conceptual foundation for understanding and applying information literacy concepts in any number of educational settings. The Framework is composed of the following six frames:

  • Authority Is Constructed and Contextual
  • Information Creation as a Process
  • Information Has Value
  • Research as Inquiry
  • Scholarship as Conversation
  • Searching as Strategic Exploration  

Instructional Materials Repositories

See the following resources for more lesson plan and assignment ideas.

This collection of ACRL Framework for Information Literacy materials offers instructors the opportunity to peruse and utilize lesson plans, assessment materials, rubrics, and much more created by information literacy practitioners. To access materials based on a particular frame, simply select this frame from the pull-down menu  labeled "Information Literacy Frame(s) Addressed."

This site is a collaborative space for adapting and experimenting with research assignments. The assignments database contains reproducible research assignments. To search the database by frame, click on the "Assignments" heading on the menu bar and use the pull-down menu under "Information Literacy Concepts." From here, you can select the frame you are interested in and explore the assignments associated with it.

Project CORA also has a Teaching Toolkit featuring a wide range of resource types including pedagogy/theory, assessment, librarian blogs, classroom activities, technology tips, subject guides, citation tools, and information literacy tutorials.

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