Why is information literacy important to me?
Information literacy is the ability to ‘recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed information’ American Library Association
Information literacy skills underpin effective research. Developing your skills in this area will help you to:
- plan a systematic and comprehensive search of the literature
- use advanced search techniques to find the most relevant information
- develop strategies to keep up to date with the latest research in your subject area
- critically evaluate information using a structured approach
- manage the large amounts of information that you accumulate during your research
- present information in an effective way
- understand the legal and ethical issues relating to information gathering and how you go on to use that information.
Research Councils UK (RCUK) and information literacy
The Research Councils and the Arts and Humanities Research Board have produced a joint statement detailing the skills that doctoral research students are expected to develop during their studies. Their skills list includes information literacy.
We have provided a table (PDF | Text file) linking the content of this website with the RCUK’s document, ‘Skills training requirements for research students’.
Transferability
Information literacy skills transfer well into employment and daily life. Even the most seemingly rudimentary skill, such as learning better ways to search the internet, can save you time and make you more independent of others.
More information on the transferability of information literacy skills, as well as the benefits of information literacy to both the individual and the institution, can be found in Investing in Staff i-Skills on the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) website.
Personal development planning
As well as improving your existing skills and maybe learning a few new techniques, it is also important to be able to evaluate and recognise your own skills and information seeking behaviour. This self-awareness will help you to recognise skills gaps and to plan your own development. Planning your own development is one of the skills listed by RCUK.