Our topic this week is information literacy.
This is important to consider as you begin working on your next assignment (the
literature review).
What is information literacy? Well, it is
something you have been working on your entire college career (and hopefully
before). According to Plattsburgh State (my alma mater), Information literacy is the ability to recognize the extent and
nature of an information need, then to locate, evaluate, and effectively use
the needed information. Some more information from your
future alma mater as well as the University of Idaho and Wikipedia.
Many people make the mistake that it is about
finding information but it is much more than that – it is about evaluating and
effectively using it.
We live in a knowledge economy
(remember Drucker
and the rise of the knowledge worker) and we are surrounded by more
information than we can possibly process, use, or even store. This means we
need to become good at Crap
Detection.
Traditionally information comes to us in a
variety of forms. Periodicals traditionally offer more current information than
books, although of course the web usually has the most current information. Newspapers,
popular magazines, trade journals, and academic journals are all examples of
periodicals. You have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages for your particular
rhetorical context. Different communities and different genres will privilege one
over another – although even then that may depend on purpose. Some strategies you can use to evaluate
information.
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