Library Educational Services

Information Literacy is the set of skills needed to find, analyze, evaluate, use, and create information effectively and ethically.

Information Literacy Frames

The information literate IU Indianapolis student is familiar with the following six frames:

1. Authority of information is constructed and contextual and depends on where a source comes from, information need, and how the information will be used. Authority should be viewed with an attitude of informed skepticism and an openness to new and varied perspectives and changes in schools of thought.
2. Information Creation is a Process where information exists in different formats, which has an impact on how it is used and shared. The underlying processes of creation and the final product should be critically evaluated to determine the usefulness of the information.
3. Information has several dimensions of value as: a commodity, a means of education, a means of influence, and a means of negotiating and understanding the world. Legal and socioeconomic interests influence information production and dissemination.
4. Research as Inquiry, an iterative process that depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers prompt additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field.
5. Scholarship is a Conversation consisting of sustained discourse within communities of scholars, researchers, or professionals, with new insights and discoveries occurring over time as a result of a variety of perspectives and interpretations.
6. Searching is a Strategic Exploration encompassing inquiry, discovery, and flexibility. Searching means understanding how information is organized, identifying relevant sources, and how to access those sources.

Information Literacy Learning Outcomes

By the time an undergraduate student graduates or at the graduate level, the information literate IU Indianapolis student should be able to:

1. Authority is Constructed and Contextual
   • Identify authoritative information sources in any form.
   • Evaluate the authority of information from various sources (e.g., peer-reviewed journals, magazines, newspapers, website, etc.).
   • Acknowledge their own authority in certain contexts.
   • Recognize that authority or credibility is contextual in relation to time, discipline, methodology, and other factors.
2. Information Creation is a Process
   • Articulate the capabilities and constraints of various processes of information creation. 
   • Critique the presentation of information within disciplines.
   • Articulate traditional and emerging research processes. (e.g., literature review, statistical analysis, etc.).
   • Distinguish between format and method of access.
   • Select sources that best meet an information need based on the audience, context, and purpose of various formats.
3. Information has Value
   • Manage personal and academic information online with a knowledge of the commodification of that information.
   • Recognize that intellectual property is legally and socially constructed and varies by discipline and culture.
   • Cite sources through proper attribution.
   • Identify publication practices and their related implications for how information is accessed and valued (e.g., open movement, digital divide).
4. Research as Inquiry
   • Formulate questions for research of an appropriate scope, based on information gaps or by reexamining existing information.
   • Select research methodology(ies) based on need, circumstance, and type of inquiry.
   • Organize information systematically (e.g., citation management software).
   • Synthesize information from multiple sources and a variety of perspectives.
5. Scholarship is a Conversation
   • Contribute to the ongoing scholarly conversation at an appropriate level.
   • Identify the contribution that information sources make within a discipline or conversation.
   • Describe the ways that communication systems privilege some perspectives and present barriers to others.
   • Summarize the changes in scholarly perspective over time on a particular topic within a specific discipline.
   • Recognize that a given scholarly work may not represent the only or even the majority perspective on the issue.
6. Searching is a Strategic Exploration
   • Identify information need and potential sources of information (e.g., scholars, organizations, governments, industries).
   • Design searches strategically, considering and selecting systems to search and evaluate results.
   • Refine information need and search strategies based on results.
   • Identify how information systems are organized in order to access relevant information.
   • Apply different searching language types (e.g., controlled vocabulary, keywords).

By the time an undergraduate student finishes approximately 30 hours of the IU Indianapolis General Education curriculum, the information literate IU Indianapolis student should be able to:

1. Authority is Constructed and Contextual
   • Evaluate the authority of information from various sources (e.g., peer-reviewed journals, magazines, newspapers, website, etc.). #  
   • Recognize that authority or credibility is contextual in relation to time, discipline, methodology, and other factors. * (introduced)
2. Information Creation is a Process
   • Select sources that best meet an information need based on the audience, context, and purpose of various formats.
3. Information has Value
   • Cite sources through proper attribution. * #
4. Research as inquiry
   • Formulate questions for research of an appropriate scope, based on information gaps or by reexamining existing information. #
   • Synthesize information from multiple sources and a variety of perspectives. ‡
5. Scholarship is a Conversation
   • Contribute to the ongoing scholarly conversation at an appropriate level.
   • Describe the ways that communication systems privilege some perspectives and present barriers to others.
   • Recognize that a given scholarly work may not represent the only or even the majority perspective on the issue. ‡ *
6. Searching is a Strategic Exploration
   • Identify information need and potential sources of information (e.g., scholars, organizations, governments, industries).
   • Design searches strategically, considering and selecting systems to search and evaluate results. ‡
   • Refine information need and search strategies based on results. ‡

NOTE:  Although some Learning Outcomes may be taught in multiple classes, the following notations indicate stated Learning Outcomes for the following core courses:           

‡ = R110 Learning Outcome

* = W131 or W140 Learning Outcome (Note: Courses have additional Learning Outcomes beyond these identified for the Gen Ed curriculum.)

# = Bridge Learning Outcome

The University Library Information Literacy Learning Outcomes aligned with the IU Indianapolis Profiles of Learning for Undergraduate Success.