Information Literacy
Information literacy and fluency (sometimes referred to as ICT literacy - information, communications, and technology) are core interests of faculty and students of the iSchool. The faculty and doctoral students working in this area conduct research related to information problem-solving; programs in schools, libraries, and the general society; and the nature and impact of information literacy across audiences and contexts.
Researchers
Centers & Institutes
Current Projects
Mike Eisenberg, Principal Investigator
The Information School is working with other institutions to investigate the issues of credibility of Internet information. The purpose of this exploration was to determine the scope of the problem, determine the existing state of knowledge in the area, and develop practical next steps in addressing issues of the credibility of Internet information. Initial work indicates that the credibility of Internet information is a tractable problem given an ongoing effort between industry, government, nonprofits, and education.
Mike Eisenberg, Principal Investigator
Changing the size and nature of high schools also requires a change in the library program of those schools. This project will determine: the information and library needs of students and teachers in small schools and the most effective and efficient ways to realign the library program (functions, governance, staffing, budget, systems, physical space, collections, and direct impact on teaching and learning) to meet the learning and teaching needs of small schools.
Alison Head and Michael Eisenberg, Co-Principal Investigators
Project Information Literacy is a national research project, led by Co-Principal Investigators Dr. Alison Head and Dr. Michael Eisenberg. The study is sponsored by a gift from ProQuest and a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to the iSchool. The project seeks to understand how sophomores, juniors, and seniors conduct course-related research and everyday life research in the digital age. The project is currently collecting data from early adults enrolled in community colleges, and public and private colleges and universities in the U.S. The goal of Project Information Literacy is to understand how early adults conceptualize and operationalize research activities for course work and everyday use and especially how they resolve issues of credibility, authority, relevance, and currency in the digital age. By project conclusion, PIL will be the largest research study about information literacy in the U.S. that has ever been undertaken.