This page is moving! Its new address will be:
http://library.nyu.edu/research/health/tutorial/competencies.htm

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES INFORMATION LITERACY COMPETENCIES STATEMENT

Competency 1: INFORMATION NEED

A. Recognize when information is needed (e.g. to solve a problem, complete an assignment, answer a question)

B. Effectively communicate that need

Competency 2: THE SCHOLARLY PROCESS

A. Understand that scholarly information is the result of original research conducted in a discrete discipline and that
each discipline has distinct research methodologies and publications

B. Understand the process involved in publishing scholarly information (research - presentation - peer review - publishing)

Competency 3: ORGANIZATION OF INFORMATION

A. Recognize that information in collections needs to be organized in order to be useful

B. Realize that libraries use systematic methods to describe, index and organize materials

Competency 4: INFORMATION SOURCES

A. Recognize that information sources come in a variety of forms (e.g. periodicals, books, documents, reports, dissertations, manuscripts, sound recordings, images, interviews)

B. Understand that information sources exhibit different characteristics (e.g. primary/secondary, scholarly/non-scholarly, general/specific, current/historical, fact/opinion)

C. Recognize that information sources appear in various physical formats (e.g. print, digital, audio, video)

Competency 5: ACCESSING INFORMATION

A. Effectively use a variety of search tools (e.g. online catalogs, print and electronic periodical indexes, Web search engines)

B. Understand and apply essential information seeking concepts and practices (e.g. Boolean searching, truncation, controlled vocabulary, limiting results)

C. Acknowledge that the research process is nonlinear, iterative and requires flexibility

D. Realize the unique challenges in finding certain kinds of information (e.g. illustrations, musical scores, chemical formulas)

E. Apply strategies for finding relevant information within a source (e.g. table of contents, headings, index pages)

Competency 6: EVALUATING INFORMATION

A. Understand the importance of evaluating the relevance and quality of information

B. Consistently analyze information for relevance and quality

Competency 7: SYNTHESIZING INFORMATION

A. Synthesize accumulated information into an existing body of knowledge

B. Communicate research results clearly and effectively

Competency 8: INFORMATION AND SOCIETY

A. Acknowledge the unethical nature of plagiarism and consistently document sources following an accepted style (e.g. APA, MLA, Chicago)

B. Understand the social issues and ethical concerns related to the provision, dissemination, and sharing of information (e.g. privacy and security, intellectual property, freedom of speech)

Competency 9: INFORMATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING

A. Possess a conceptual framework for information seeking that can be applied to a variety of research questions and environments

B. Appreciate the relationship between information literacy and lifelong learning

Adapted from: Association of College and Research Libraries.Objectives for Information Literacy Instruction: A Model Statement for Academic Librarians. January, 2001. http://www.ala.org/acrl/guides/objinfolit.html