About Information Competency

What is Information Competence?

Definition and Scope of the Term

One of the most difficult tasks faced by the Work Group (CSU Work Group on Information Competence), by the participants at the systemwide conference, or by anyone who wants to ensure that students are able to function well in the Information Age, is to provide a universally agreed-upon definition of "information competence." It is a term that means different things to different people. On one hand, it is used to denote "library literacy" or "bibliographic instruction." Another definition equates "information competence" with "computer literacy." At the other extreme, it is almost synonymous with "critical thinking." At the systemwide workshop on information competence, however, there was general consensus on the broad outlines of a definition. If one needs a concise, one-sentence definition of information competence, it is generally agreed that information competence, at heart, is the ability to find, evaluate, use, and communicate information in all of its various formats.

A definition that emerged from the systemwide workshop, and which is recommended by the Work Group, is that information competence is the fusing or the integration of library literacy, computer literacy, media literacy, technological literacy, ethics, critical thinking, and communication skills.

Also emerging from the systemwide workshop were three aspects of information competence that are not always included in definitions of the term, but which seemed to be important to workshop participants. First, there was significant interest in the ethical and legal dimensions of information competence. Many participants emphasized the need for student awareness of issues like access and privacy, intellectual property, copyright and fair use, and the power and influence of information. Second was an emphasis on the "media literacy" component of information competence; that is, as information is increasingly conveyed through nonprint media, universities (which have been very successful at inculcating skills at reading, analyzing, understanding, and writing print materials) must ensure that students are equally successful at evaluating, interpreting, and generating other media as well. Third was an emphasis on the production and application as well as the consumption of information; in other words, in addition to finding, analyzing, and synthesizing information, students must be able to create information and communicate it effectively using various media.

Information Competence in the CSU: A Report, Work Group on Information Competence CLRIT Task 6.1, Dec 1995