Information Literacy

[Page 365]Information literacy is a foundation for learning in out-of-school settings because being able to find, evaluate, and use information is fundamental for developing and mastering an interest, especially in informal learning where the information needed may be solely up to the learner to procure. This entry further defines information literacy, discusses different perspectives on information literacy, and describes the importance of information literacy for out-of-school learning.

Paul Zurkowski is credited with having coined the term information literacy in a 1974 government report created for the National Commission of Library and Information Science. Zurkowski offered no concrete definition for information literacy but described it broadly as applying to people trained in the information tools they use at work. More than a decade later, the American Library ...