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Information Literacy Instruction

Provides resources to help with information literacy instruction.

Authority Is Constructed and Contextual refers to the recognition that information resources are drawn from their creators’ expertise and credibility based on the information need and the context in which the information will be used. Experts view authority with an attitude of informed skepticism and an openness to new perspectives, additional voices, and changes in schools of thought.

Association of College and Research Libraries, Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Chicago: ALA, 2015. American Library Association. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.

Learning goals:

  • Students recognize that credibility may vary by context and information need.

  • Students understand the importance of critically assessing a source's credibility.

  • Students are able to identify how a credible source could be used for a particular need.

Use SIFT to Investigate the Source's Credibility

You can learn skills like the ones listed below to evaluate sources from the library guide SIFT - A Method for Evaluating Online Information - Investigate the Source

  1. Evaluate sources with lateral reading  - This step is a quick check into the expertise and agenda of the online content in question.
  2. The Wikipedia Trick - Using Wikipedia as a tool to check the credibility and reliability of the information from a source.