Words by Julianna Speer, Director of Library Services
Our access to information through technology and the internet is an amazing advancement to an interconnected world. The ability to receive and communicate information is both quicker and more necessary than ever within every level of society. Information literacy is a key component in education to promote successful students in the Information Age.
What is information literacy?
Information literacy is an essential skill in the Information Age. It refers to evaluating the quality of information, not merely comprehending it. Information literacy is the ability to find, evaluate, use, and effectively communicate information on all platforms, with emphasis on digital and internet based mediums.
Why is information literacy important in education?
Fake news permeates society, causing arguments and division. AI, while an exciting tool with endless possibilities, has powerful potential pitfalls. The interconnectivity of the internet makes information effortless to create, upload, and push out to the masses, cutting out the valuable editing process.
As educators and parents, we want our students to understand what quality sources are and can differentiate them from what is negative, harmful, and fake. This skill will keep our students from being fooled by catchy taglines, fabricated photos, and hearsay. They will break the chain of false information and advocate for the truth, becoming leaders in academic and professional settings.
How does Academy at the Lakes support this?
Academy at the Lakes is a learning community designed to create successful individuals in our school and the world. Information literacy is a relevant skill for students who want to create an online presence that positions them as experts in their fields, becoming leaders in their communities. In order to promote information literate students, we provide our students with:
1. Access
Students access quality academic sources found on our LibGuide, a website made specifically for the library. Sources include:
-
-
- Peer-reviewed academic journals
- Periodicals
- National and local newspapers
- eBooks
- Primary source documents
- Reference sources, including online dictionaries and encyclopedias
-
2. Practice
Students cultivate information literacy skills through research based assignments with increasing difficulty throughout the years. Lower Division students as young as kindergarten are taught how to differentiate source types. By third grade, students complete research projects using reference materials. In the Middle Division, students locate, evaluate, and use various online information resources for STEM and civics projects. The Upper Division offers rigorous courses such as AP Seminar and AP Research to perfect college-level research and writing skills, with current interdisciplinary topics.
3. Support
Support staff, such as academic coaches and librarians, help students with their pursuit of knowledge through co-curricular experiences. They present on topics like citation, organization, and AI. They start open conversations on current events using informational vocabulary and critical thinking. They also provide spaces for students to pursue their interest, guiding them towards academic sources.
Students master information literacy when they understand their informational needs, find relevant and appropriate sources, evaluate materials, and use them effectively. We hope our students use this skill to become strong researchers, critical thinkers, and excellent communicators, ready to tackle the challenges of the Information Age.
Julianna Speer is the School Librarian and Director of Library Services at Academy at the Lakes in Land O’ Lakes, Florida. As the librarian, Julianna collaborates with Academy teachers to bring more research-focused lessons into the classroom. She also provides library lessons to Lower Division students and supplements Middle and Upper Division classes with information literacy, research, and citation lectures.