Information Literacy Toolkit

Information literacy is the ability to find information, evaluate it, and use it effectively and ethically to accomplish a specific purpose. In a rapidly changing information environment – an explosion in the quantity of information, harmful misinformation, and the expansion of Artificial Intelligence –  students need sophisticated skills to discern between misinformation and reliable sources in a variety of contexts. Information literacy is interrelated with writing; communication; critical thinking; digital, media and visual literacies; and other skills needed to create information in a variety of formats. 

The teaching of information literacy is a collaborative endeavor that involves faculty, librarians, and other experts whose collective expertise can develop effective information literacy activities, learning objects, assignments, rubrics, syllabi and curricula. Together, we can articulate learning goals, assessment strategies, and learning opportunities to ensure that Fresno State students develop the skills needed to succeed in college and beyond. 

How to use this guide

This guide brings together background information about information literacy programs and presents sample teaching materials developed by faculty and librarians on our campus. We recommend that faculty collaborate with their subjects librarian to plan activities and assignments to integrate these skills into the curriculum. Fresno State students are already sophisticated consumers of information, and we seek to provide every student with the tools they need to graduate with the ability to produce new knowledge that contributes to scholarly and professional conversations in our community and the world. 

This guide was created by a team of subject librarians at Fresno State Library.