In short, information literacy (IL) is the ability to know when information is needed, and find, evaluate, and use the appropriate information. We take our definition from the American Library Association's Presidential Report.

Information literacy is more than just an academic skill-it is a life skill that students will need in both personal and professional contexts. With the proliferation of information sources, students need guidance more than ever in learning to critically evaluate their information needs and the information they receive to meet those needs.

The IL program is based in the Libraries because information finding skills in the academic context begin in the library. We see the library as the starting point, but we feel that the teaching of information literacy can and should be a part of all disciplines. In partnership with teaching faculty, we are working toward the integration of IL instruction into all subject majors at U of L. Our mission statement addresses this succinctly.

While stand-alone information literacy courses certainly have their place and students can benefit from them, we believe students receive the maximum benefit when information literacy is placed in its disciplinary context and taught from that perspective.