Information Literacy & Critical Appraisal: The Basics
What is information literacy?
The American Library Association defines information literacy as a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.
To be 'information literate' you'll need to learn how to:
- access the information you need - effectively and efficiently
- evaluate information and its sources critically
- use information effectively
- evaluate information for credibility and authority
- understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information
Selections from our Collection
Going Beyond Google Again
The Invisible Web, also known as the Deep Web, is a huge repository of underutilized resources that can be richly rewarding to searchers who make the effort to find them.
Pop Culture and Power
"Literacy education has historically characterized mass media as manipulative towards young people who, as a result, are in need of close-reading "skills." By contrast, Pop Culture and Power treats literacy as a dynamic practice, shaped by its social and cultural context. It develops a framework to analyze power in its various manifestations, arguing that power works through popular culture, not as everyday media.
Disinformation
Does the idea of a world in which facts mean nothing cause anxiety? Fear? Maybe even paranoia? Disinformation:The Nature of Facts and Lies in the Post-Truth Era cannot cure all the ills of a post-truth world, but by demonstrating how the emergence of digital technology into everyday life has knitted together a number of seemingly loosely related forces-historical, psychological, economic, and culture-to create the post-truth culture, Disinformation will help you better understand how we got to where we now are, see how we can move beyond a culture in which facts are too easily dismissed, and develop a few highly practical skills for separating truth from lies. Disinformation explains: How human psychology--the very way our brains work--can leave us vulnerable to disinformation.
Think
"This accessible guide to critical thinking will help you think like a scientist, see through most scams at first glance, and learn how your own brain can trip you up. This fresh and exciting approach to science, skepticism, and critical thinking will enlighten and inspire readers of all ages. With a mix of wit and wisdom, it challenges everyone to think like a scientist and embrace the skeptical life. If you want to improve your critical thinking skills, see through most scams at first glance, and learn how your own brain can trip you up, this is the book for you.
Paradoxes of Media and Information Literacy
Paradoxes of Media and Information Literacy contributes to ongoing conversations about control of knowledge and different ways of knowing.
Teaching Students to Decode the World
In our media-saturated environment, how can we teach students to distinguish true statements from those that are false, misleading, or manipulative? How can we help them develop the skills needed to identify biases and stereotypes, determine credibility of sources, and analyze their own thinking and its effect on their perceptions?
Foundations of Information Literacy
It's not hyperbole to conclude that in today's world, information literacy is essential for survival and success; and also that, if left unchecked, the social consequences of widespread misinformation and information illiteracy will only continue to grow more dire. Thus its study must be at the core of every education. But while many books have been written on information literacy, this text is the first to examine information literacy from a cross-national, cross-cultural, and cross-institutional perspective.
Teaching Information Literacy
From high schools and colleges to technical and graduate schools, research involves making sense of information: learning the basics of planning, winnowing, and evaluating the quality of sources. As information proliferates, it's tempting to use the handiest tool rather than working to identify the best one. But there's a better way! Updated for today's ever-expanding world of electronic information, Teaching Information Literacy: 50 Standards-Based Exercises for College Students, Second Edition is the best single resource for fundamental information literacy instruction.
Using Context in Information Literacy Instruction
Librarians know that information literacy is much more complex and nuanced than the basic library research skill that it's often portrayed as; in fact, as outlined by the ACRL Framework, research is a contextual activity. But the settings in which we teach often constrain our ability to take a more layered approach. This book not only shows you how to teach information literacy as something other than a basic skill, but also how to do it in whatever mode of teaching you're most often engaged in, whether that's a credit-bearing course, a one-shot session, a tutorial, a reference desk interaction, or a library program.
Information Now, Second Edition
Today's information environments are complex, and learning how to find relevant and reliable information online, as well as how to fact-check and evaluate that information, is essential. Enter Information Now, a graphic guide that uses humor and sequential art to teach students about information, research, and the web. This second edition of the popular guide incorporates critical analysis of information systems, asking students to think about the biases and problems in how databases and search engines are designed and used. It also addresses how different populations of people are disproportionately affected by the algorithmic biases built into information systems. And it includes revised critical thinking exercises in every chapter. Written and revised by library professionals, Information Now is a fun and insightful tool for high school and college students, writers, and anyone wanting to improve their research skills.
A Guide to Teaching Information Literacy
The role of the librarian increasingly involves delivering information literacy using a range of teaching methods, from delivering induction sessions to informal one-to-one support on a day-to-day basis. Although this is increasingly recognized, many practitioners do not have teaching qualifications and are often left to fulfil a role for which they feel ill-equipped. Even when they do have teaching qualifications, these are often gained from mainstream courses that do not always adequately address the delivery of information literacy.
Ask A Librarian
We a can help you learn how to use the library's online resources to get started with your research, locate books, or answer other general questions. Contact a librarian by
email: library@corning-cc.edu
phone: 607-962-9251
or schedule an appointment.
