Importance of Information Literacy skills for an Information Literate society

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present a broader analytical insight to the information literacy concept, in order to achieve an information literate society. The concept and its practical approach towards achieving an information literate society will be discussed in detail in this paper. Information literacy is a set of skills required by a person to find, retrieve, analyze and use information. Information literacy is directly linked with lifelong learning, critical thinking, and learning to learn concepts of education. Many Sri Lankans are badly handicapped with a lack of need of the essential skills to enter the information literate society. There are many reasons for this inadequacy, and the lack of information literacy skills have been identified as one of them. Information literacy skills are achieved by students, through student centered, resource based teaching learning methods that direct them towards deep learning, thus creating an information literate society. To achieve this goal all sectors of library staff in Sri Lanka need to be educated to commence information literacy projects. Basically information literacy programmes are action oriented, while helping to solve the real life problems and making the correct decisions. In addition this paper also proposes to discuss the available information literacy models and their practical approach, information literacy standards, and available frame works. A sample information literacy programme, curriculum, and assessment methods, are also elaborated in this study; with their practical approach in relation to the Sri Lankan context.