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Library, Archival, and Information Studies

Welcome! This research guide has been developed to help UBC iSchool students, faculty and researchers find and navigate academic and professional resources relating to the study of Library, Archival and Information Studies.

What is Information Literacy?

Information literacy is 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." Information literacy also is increasingly important in the contemporary environment of rapid technological change and proliferating information resources. Because of the escalating complexity of this environment, individuals are faced with diverse, abundant information choices--in their academic studies, in the workplace, and in their personal lives.  

(ACRL, IL Competency Standards)

Core Information Literacy Documents

The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) is the higher education association for librarians. Representing more than 11,000 academic and research librarians and interested individuals, ACRL develops programs, products and services to help academic and research librarians learn, innovate and lead within the academic community. (ACRL, About ACRL)

A part of ACRL's mandate is the development of information literacy standards used by librarians in the development of their teaching curriculum.

 

Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education

Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (2015) is organized into six frames  consisting of a concept central to information literacy, a set of knowledge practices, and a set of dispositions.  The six frames are:

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

 

Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education

The Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (2000) were the previous concepts used in the development of library instruction.  These standards have since been retired for the framework (above) which addresses the complexity of a changing information ecosystem.

 

Project SAILS

Project SAILS  is the Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills test.  "The SAILS test is a nationally-recognized assessment of information literacy skills. Use our library skills test to determine how well your students can navigate the complex world of information." (SAILS, About the SAILS Test)

Project Information Literacy is a public benefit nonprofit dedicated to studying how early adults conceptualize and operationalize research in the digital age.  A list of the Project Information Literacy Reports can be found here: Publication.