Information Literacy and First-Year Composition

One of the key terms we will be discussing all semester is the concept of "information literacy," a term that basically describes a person's ability to navigate all of the source materials that are new available to us in our daily lives. The term has been defined in many different ways, but one common definition comes from the Western Michigan University libraries:

"Information Literacy is the ability to identify, retrieve, evaluate, and use information that is appropriate to a need. Students who develop information literacy skills will be more successful in their studies and their daily lives. They will find that these skills are an essential element in becoming a lifelong learner."

Throughout the semester, I will be introducing you to a variety of tools and methods that will hopefully make this process a little more manageable. As the course unfolds, I will also add a series of links in the sidebar to the right that can help guide your research process.