From the course: Information Literacy

What is information literacy?

From the course: Information Literacy

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What is information literacy?

- We are now living in a time referred to as the information age. The world of information is big, and it's growing, exponentially. Some say that the amount of information in the world is doubling every two years. This includes everything from print versions of books and magazines in libraries, to digital information on websites and databases. That's why everyone can benefit from continuing to learn about information literacy. The most basic definition of information literacy is that it's a set of skills that are useful in finding, evaluating, and effectively using information. All kinds of information. An expanded definition of information literacy, includes deepening your understanding of the entire information ecosystem. This means all formats. Including print, media, and the internet. If you have knowledge about how information gets created and about the types of information that are available for your use, you become better at navigating the massive and growing world of information. This graphic illustrates the conversation prism, which tracks the dominate forms of the social media landscape. This is ever-evolving, and is one way to envision how a broad network of creators can contribute to the online ecosystem. This shows how we are all creators of information, and the various forms that it can take. Information literacy is the set of skills needed to navigate research, but it's also an approach to a broader understanding of the information in our world. If you have an understanding of how information is created, the relative value of the information that you find, and the ability to synthesize what you find into something useful for you, you have attained a precious fluency that will help you in all avenues of your life. Imagine you're in the position to unlock the potential of a wealth of human knowledge, and contribute to the conversation.

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