1. Information Literacy
For Success in School and Life
By Elaine Settergren, Online Librarian
http://www.globeeducationnetwork.com/library/
May 2009
An Introduction to Information

2. Today’s Lessons
• What is Information Literacy?
• Seeking information
– Information Cycles
– Types of information
– Globe Education Network [GEN] Library
• Using Information
– Evaluating information
– Citation and Academic Honesty

3. What is Information Literacy?
• Information literacy is a set of abilities
enabling individuals to recognize when
information is needed and to locate, evaluate,
and use the needed information effectively.
• Basically, Information Literacy is to know how
to think critically about information: why,
when, and how to use information

4. Information Literate?
• But it doesn’t happen overnight, your
research projects and other critical thinking
assignments will help you develop and polish
these skills.

5. Why Should I Care?
Information Literacy in the “real world” is
• self-directed lifelong learning
• excellent critical thinking and reasoning skills
• the ability to research faster and more
effectively
Here’s an example:
Say you’ve been diagnosed with a rare disease.
Your information literacy skills can help you
learn more about it: causes, cures, side-effects
of medicines, etc.

6. Seeking Information
• Where are you most likely to find the info you need?
• Types of sources include (but are not limited to):
They all have their unique strengths and uses

7. Seeking Information: Info Cycles
Timeline
For more info and explanations see
http://www.lib.washington.edu/uwill/research101/infocycle_00.htm
Based on http://www.lib.washington.edu/uwill/research101/intro02.htm

8. Types of Information
• Different types of sources are good for different uses
Scholarly
• hard facts, scientific
evidence, and research
findings
• “scholarly
communication” – for
scholars by scholars about
research
• rigid with citation – all
sources must be properly
cited
Trade
• Industry news and
practical advice
• written for
professionals/ workers
by professionals
• purpose: to keep
professionals informed
• mention research, but
often don’t cite
Popular
• personal or human
side of an issue
• popular culture and
trends
• written for general
public by editors/
journalists
• purpose: entertain or
inform
• rarely cite anything.
No bibliographies.

9. The GEN Library
• Use the library website to access all the library
research and help tools
http://www.globeeducationnetwork.com/library/
– there is also a link from your Blackboard course.
• Login to the library databases/ebooks with the
same username and password that you use for
your email
• Username: firstname.lastname
• Password: last 4 digits of your Social Security #

10. The GEN Library
Library Tools and Resources:
• Databases –> for finding articles and more
• Books and Ebooks
• Recommended Websites
• Help includes:
• Research guides/tutorials
• Librarian contact info -> ask us questions!

11. GEN Library: Databases
The Basics:
• Databases contain articles from e-journals and
many other types of info (i.e. e-books and parts
of e-books, images, podcasts, reports, etc.).
• When you need an article, search in a database.
• Many databases will help you cite your source.
• The library pays for the information in the
databases so you don’t have to

12. What’s the Difference?
Databases
 Information is from
professionals or experts in the
field
 Contain published works
where facts are checked
 Easy to cite in a bibliography
and may create the citation for
you
 Can help you narrow your
topic or suggest related subjects.
 Are updated frequently and
include the date of publication.
Websites
 Can be written by anyone
regardless of expertise
 Content is often not
checked by an expert
 Often don’t provide the
information necessary to
create a complete citation
 Often aren’t organized to
support student research
needs
 May not indicate when a
page is updated.
This chart is from: http://www.hclib.org/pub/search/Difference.cfm

13. GEN Library: Databases – continued
• Good Databases to Start with:
• EBSCO MegaFile,
• Gale (search all cross-searchable),
• ProQuest
• Also available:
• 360 Search
• E-Journal portal
• Both of these are good for finding stuff when you
have a citation or aren’t sure what database to
look in

14. Database: EBSCO MegaFile

15. Database: Gale
Click
“continue” to
search many
of the
databases at
once!

16. Database: Gale - continued

17. Database: ProQuest

18. GEN Library: Books and Ebooks
• Search the GU/MSB Catalog for books at the
GU/MSB campuses and for ebooks (for all GEN)
• Ebooks: NetLibrary is one of our e-book providers
and is searchable through the catalog
• For Business and Information Technology
ebooks search Books 24x7
• More ebooks and portions of ebooks are found
in the databases

19. GEN Library:
The
GU/MSB
Catalog for
E-Books
These ebooks
are for all GEN
members.

20. GEN Library: Books
• If you’re not an online-only student, you can
check out books at the campus libraries with
your student ID. You can also borrow books
from other school’s libraries (it’s called ILL).
Find out more:
http://www.globeeducationnetwork.com/library/about-the-
library/library-policies/
• If you are an online-only student, you can ILL
from campus libraries and your local public
library. If you have questions, let me (Elaine
Settergren – esettergren@globeuniversity.edu) know.

21. Using Information
• Once you’ve found information, the next step
is to use it ethically.
• Not all information is created equally
• All information you use in school, you need to
cite

22. Evaluating Information
• Evaluate your sources so you’re sure your
source is credible.
• Good sources = better papers and research
projects =  you!

23. Evaluating Information
Evaluate your sources by asking yourself some key
questions about the information:
• Who? – author, publisher, sponsoring
organization, company, etc.
• Why? – selling something, inform, entertain, joke?
• Can you trust it? – is it objective, biased, opinion?
– do they cite sources? Is research explained and
cited? Is it old and outdated?
• How does it compare? – how does the information
from this source compare to other sources on the
same topic?

24. Citation and Academic Honesty
• You cannot pass off someone else’s ideas as
your own because it’s unethical.
• You must give credit and citing is a way to do
just that.
• Classes will require APA citation style.
• http://www.globeeducationnetwork.com/libr
ary/research-guides/citation/apa/

25. Help!?! No Problem!
Questions?
Ask Your Librarian! Ask by IM, email, phone, or in
person. We’re here to help.
Find us on the library website:
http://www.globeeducationnetwork.com/library/

26. More About Information and Research
• Composition class
– You’ll learn more about searching and the GEN
Library during composition class
• Library Website –> tutorials
– Check the library website for additional
information about researching and using library
tools
– http://www.globeeducationnetwork.com/library/