IL Competency Standards for Higher Education (Association of
College & Research Libraries, 2000) The information literate
student determines the nature and extent of the information
needed. 1. The information literate student defines and
articulates the need for information. a. Confers with
instructors and participates in class discussions, peer
workgroups, and electronic discussions to identify a research
topic, or other information need b. Develops a thesis statement
and formulates questions based on the information need c.
Explores general information sources to increase familiarity
with the topic d. Defines or modifies the information need to
achieve a manageable focus e. Identifies key concepts and terms
that describe the information need f. Recognizes that existing
information can be combined with original thought,
experimentation, and/or analysis to produce new information 2.
The information literate student identifies a variety of types
and formats of potential sources for information. a. Knows how
in