Overview of Information Competence

What is Information Literacy?
Information literacy, sometimes referred to as information competence or information fluency, encompasses the abilities to recognize when information is needed and to determine, locate, evaluate, use, and communicate information effectively in order to learn.

For more information, see the CSU Information Literacy Fact Sheet and the American Library Association Information Literacy in a Nutshell.

Information Literacy Standards
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has developed a comprehensive framework of international standards. This project is based on the those standards which recognize the importance of relational information literacy, which intentionally cultivates disciplinary expertise concurrent with information fluency. These standards also recommend embedding information literacy into disciplinary curricula.

 

In addition to the above general information-driven competencies, the following business and agricultural research competencies have been identified:
   

Business - Specific
  • Locate company information
  • Gather industry information
  • Understand industry classifications (SIC; NAICS)
  • Find demographic/marketing data
  • Understand GIS (Geographic Information Systems)
  • Locate international information & trade data
  • Understand international classification systems such as SITC and HS
  • Find regulatory information
  • Locate currency data
  • Create business and marketing plans
  • Secure Government data including Census data
  • Understand and find economic indicators

Agriculture - Specific
  • Knowledge of the Agricultural Experiment Station
  • Locate ag-related statistics (domestic and foreign)
  • Secure Government information including USDA, Census, and BEA data
  • Locate climate data
  • Find county agricultural reports
  • Understand and locate Environmental Impact Reports
  • Knowledge of GIS
  • Familiarization with map interpretation (including soil maps)
  • Locate Patents (plant or ag-related)
  • Experience searching Agricultural-driven databases and indexes such as AGRICOLA, Biological & Agricultural Index, and CAB Direct