Information Literacy Assessment

The Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education were developed in 2000 from an ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy, and establish five Standards of information literacy. These Standards include various aspects of information literacy, ranging from knowledge of the research process to critical thinking to documentation of sources:

• Standard One: The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed
• Standard Two: The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently
• Standard Three: The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system
• Standard Four: The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
• Standard Five: The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally

  Split among the Standards are 22 performance indicators that can be used to codify general information literacy goals and be used for assessment. The standards are interdisciplinary in lower levels, though learning outcomes can be established to fit to any specific discipline.

The Framework and the Standards address different models of learning, with the Framework addressing conceptual models and the Standards representing a skills-based approach. While the Framework is a more recent expression of best practices regarding information literacy, the Standards remain a well-tested and useful resource that includes a thorough set of information literacy learning outcomes.