CILIP Council acknowledges ethical dimension to using and communicating information
Expert definition of information literacy covers responsible use of information as well as how to find it
"Information literacy is knowing when and why you need information, where to find it, and how to evaluate, use and communicate it in an ethical manner."
This is the definition of information literacy developed by an expert group chaired by CILIP's first President Sheila Corrall and accepted by the governing Council of CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals at its final meeting of 2004. Drawn up by the CILIP-appointed Information Literacy Executive, and presented for initial approval to the Institute's Policy Development Committee, the definition covers not simply the skills and competencies associated with information literacy, but also the ethics that underlie it.
Knowing why information should be used in a responsible, culturally sensitive and ethical manner is an essential skill associated with information literacy, the Group says. Anyone claiming to be information literate should: "Respect confidentiality and always give credit to other people's work. Understand the nature and uses of bias, in order to report appropriately. Where appropriate, provide a balanced (unbiased) report."
Other skills cover the ability to "evaluate information for its authenticity, accuracy, currency, value and bias", and to assess the means by which the results were obtained "to ensure that your approach did not produce misleading or incomplete results". Also considered are the ability to "analyse and work with the information to provide accurate, presentable research results, or to develop new knowledge and understanding", and to "communicate/share information in a manner or format that is appropriate to the information, the intended audience and situation".
"As the professional body responsible for the information profession, CILIP sees a need to define the term in a way that is understandable by all information-using communities in the UK," the Information Literacy Executive concludes. "In an era of lifelong learning, this effectively means that information literacy has relevance for all ages from primary school to senior citizens."
The Information Literacy Executive's document 'CILIP on Information Literacy' is available on the web at:
www.cilip.org.uk/professionalguidance/informationliteracy
Details of the Information Literacy Group run by CILIP's Community Services Group are available at:
www.cilip.org.uk/groups/csg/csg_ilg/index.html
Contact: Tim Buckley Owen, Head of Membership, Marketing & Media.
Tel: 020 7255 0652
Email: tim.buckleyowen@cilip.org.uk
Notes to Editors
CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is the leading professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers, with around 23,000 members working in all sectors, including business and industry, science and technology, further and higher education, schools, local and central government, the health service, the voluntary sector, national and public libraries. For more information about CILIP, please go to www.cilip.org.uk.
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Updated: 07 January 2005