Employability
Information literacy in the workplace
Information literacy is an essential skill that is vital within academic studies, personal use of information and working life.
"I was required to write a research paper outlining what our current policy was...I used various sources such as legislation, published documents and internal documents. I had to make it clear which sources I had used."
"It is crucial to compare and evaluate the quality of each source and to report not only the information we find but the context in which it has been published."
Read our case studies to see what our recent graduates say about their experiences at work
Information literacy means:
- Recognising the need for information and data
- Scoping current knowledge and identifying information gaps – knowing what you don't know
- Developing effective strategies to locate data and information
- Gathering information and data using appropriate sources
- Evaluating and comparing information and data
- Managing and organising data and information effectively and ethically
- Presenting and communicating information and data effectively
For more information see:
SCONUL. (2011).The SCONUL seven pillars of information literacy: core model for higher education. Retrieved June 21, 2011 from http://www.sconul.ac.uk/groups/information_literacy/publications/coremodel.pdf
The Information Skills Resource can help you to develop your employability skills, covering skills such as evaluating information and effective internet searching.
Find out more about the importance of information literacy in the workplace:
- "The modern workplace requires employees who are confident and competent in interacting with information to deliver maximum business value"
Cheuk, B. (2008). Delivering business value through information literacy in the workplace. Libri, 58, 137-143. doi 10.1515/libr.2008.015 - "...you're giving me bad numbers and bad research information ...you're not credible"
Peter Jones. BBC. (2010). Dragons Den. Retrieved June 1, 2011 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/dragonsden/entrepreneurs/letitiavalentine.shtml - "There is now even more information for business people to find their way around and the need for improved skills amongst the workforce is even more urgent."
De Saulles, M. (2007). Information literacy amongst UK SMEs: an information policy gap. Aslib Proceedings, 59 (1), 68-79. doi 10.1108/00012530710725214