Las siete caras de la alfabetización en información en la enseñanza superior

Abstract

Information literacy is usually described as the ability to locate, manage and use information effectively for a range of purposes. As such it is an important ‘generic skill' which allows people to engage in effective decision-making, problem solving a nd research. It also enables them to take responsibility for their own continued learning in areas of personal or professional interest. Whilst there is growing advocacy for information literacy in higher education, comparatively little in known about how it is experienced by those who use information. The various faces of information literacy described here are drawn from the experienc e of higher educators in two Australian universities. They provide a picture of information literacy that is very different from the lists of skills and attributes that are usually found in literature on the subject. As a phenomenon, information literacy includes the full range of experience, and students need to be enabled to experience information literacy in these ways. They also need to reflect on the variations in experience which they encounter and understand which forms of information literacy are relevant to different situations. Learning to be information literate could be seen as coming to experience using information in these ways. Translated by Cristobal Pasadas-Urena.