On October 1st, President Obama signed a proclamation officially making October "National Information Literacy Awareness Month."
What does that mean, exactly?
The proclamation explains it thusly,
"Though we may know how to find the information we need, we must also know how to evaluate it. Over the past decade, we have seen a crisis of authenticity emerge. We now live in a world where anyone can publish an opinion or perspective, whether true or not, and have that opinion amplified within the information marketplace. At the same time, Americans have unprecedented access to the diverse and independent sources of information, as well as institutions such as libraries and universities, that can help separate truth from fiction and signal from noise."
In a nutshell a person is information literate when they have the tools and the skills to evaluate information effectively for some purpose. We cannot simply assume everything we read is true or that all information is created equally. We need skills to determine what information has value and what we can do with that information in our daily lives.
Information literacy skills are important for students in their research projects, but they are also helpful to regular everyday citizens as well. For example, if you're about to buy a house, send a child to college, create a retirement plan, or start a small business, you're going to need quite a bit of information to get you started.
Who, what, and where do you turn for help? Slowly sift through the information you have and evaluate it carefully. Ask a librarian for help. We enjoy helping people develop the skills necessary to become life-long learners.
So the next time you read something that makes you raise an eyebrow, consider your information literacy skills and get to the bottom of the issue.
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