Information Literacy Standards and Outcomes

Our information literacy standards are based on the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and support the University mission, vision and values.  

Framework

Information literacy is 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.”

Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. ACRL Chicago 2016.

This framework is founded upon the concept of metaliteracy, or the idea that information is increasingly not only acquired, but produced and shared in collaborative communities. Success in this environment requires critical thinking and metacognition skills to use information, data and scholarship ethically.  Students, faculty and librarians share a responsibility to develop and foster these skills.

Learning Outcomes

Our goal is that the following general competencies be acquired by all students:

Undergraduate Students:

• Understand how materials are organized in the UNE Libraries’ physical and online environments.
• Construct effective search strategies.
• Use a general academic database, such as ProQuest Central or Academic Search Complete.
• Understand when to use citations and how to format them.
• Distinguish between scholarly and popular information sources.
• Distinguish between free and fee-based web sources.
• Evaluate an information source for currenty, relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose.
• Understand how to use information ethically.

Graduate Students:

In addition to the above, graduate students will be able to:

• Define and articulate their need for information.
• Identify the subject librarian for their discipline or subject area.
• Identify, access, and use a variety of relevant resources specific to their discipline, including books, e-books,  journals, databases, government documents, primary or secondary sources, and websites.
• Locate a library resource and request through Interlibrary Loan if necessary.
• Demonstrate an understanding of copyright and fair use.

Library Instruction Services

Ensuring that your students achieve these critical information literacy outcomes is our first priority. Learn more about our classroom teaching & support services to support information literacy in the classroom and how we can be a partner.

Questions & Help

If you have questions on this, or another, topic, contact a librarian for help!