Hugh Thurlow Memorial Library

Information Literacy

Information Literacy is the ability to find, identify, evaluate, and use information. The Association of College and Research Libraries defines Information Literacy as :

the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning.

Information Literacy is an important component of the RMCAD curriculum, particularly in Art History and Liberal Arts classes. These are important skills in department classes, in studio work, in your future workplace, and in your personal lives. You will need developed skills to successfully navigate information sources in order to select and effectively use what you discover.

The Framework for Information Literacy, adopted by the Association of College and Research Libraries in 2016, is a conceptual map of information, research and scholarship. Organized into six frames, each consists of a concept central to information literacy, a set of knowledge practices, and a set of dispositions. The six concepts that anchor the frames are presented alphabetically:

• Authority Is Constructed and Contextual
• Information Creation as a Process
• Information Has Value
• Research as Inquiry
• Scholarship as Conversation
• Searching as Strategic Exploration

To learn more about the Framework for Information Literacy visit the ACRL Standards here.