Digital Literacy: Information Literacy

“Information literacy is the ability to think critically and make balanced judgments about any information we find and use. It empowers us as citizens to develop informed views and to engage fully with society” CILIP: Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, 2018.

Developing Digital and Information Literacy skills, capabilites and behaviours empowers individuals to "evaluate, use and create information effectively to achieve their personal, social, occupational and educational goals" (UNESCO, 2005); it is a key skill expected by all employers.

The skills you need to effectively use the resources and tools provided through the Library and elsewhere in the University College are a part of your academic and professional development. They are generally termed 'Information Literacy'.  Your information literacy skills influence the knowledge and understanding you bring to your subject as well as your ability to complete assignments to an acceptable standard. Just as with essay writing (one part of academic literacy) and digital literacy, your abilities will improve as you practice and gain expertise searching for, selecting, and critically evaluating information.

The Library and Learning Services Team run training sessions on Information Literacy including all aspects of 'Finding, Evaluating and Using Information' including:

• Planning a search, using different search techniques, such as phrase searching
• Searching subject databases effectively for journal articles
• Getting hold of other quality material, such as ebooks and reports
• Critically evaluating information 
• What is a Reference, how to 'Do Referencing' and manage your references using online tools
  For more details contact the team.