Information Literacy is useful beyond the classroom. You use it whenever you consume or produce information. For example, whenever you read the news, browse social media, or make a major purchase (like a car) or other major life decision (like searching for a new job), you are applying information literacy skills. Below are some scenarios demonstrating how you might use information literacy in real life.

Finding Information: Searching for Health Information

During the fall semester, you keep waking up with hives. They fade after an hour or two, but they’re really itchy and annoying while they last. You haven’t eaten any new foods or started using any new hygiene products recently, so it seems unlikely to be an allergic reaction. You go to Google and type in “hives.” When all of the results are about allergies, you revise your search to read, “morning hives -allergy.” As you adjust your search strategy, you are using information literacy to find information.

Evaluating Information: Buying a Car

You find a car model on a popular review site with a 4.8-star rating. However, as you scroll through the hundreds of positive reviews, you notice that they are all remarkably similar: they use the same phrases (“game changer,” “best in class”) and were all posted within a three-day window. You conclude that the car company probably hired a review farming company to flood the site with positive feedback. To find real reviews, you look for the “verified purchase” tag, filter for reviews that do not have five stars, and click on the reviewers’ screen names to see whether they have written any other reviews. You are using information literacy to evaluate information.

Using Information: Making Dietary Changes

You have made a New Years Resolution to eat healthier this year. You spent the month of December collecting articles and books about healthy eating and popular diets (DASH, Mediterranean, intermittent fasting, Low FODMAP, Whole30). You take some time to evaluate your personal goals: you want to eat enough protein to build muscle while working out twice a week and find more filling snacks so you’re not tempted by junk food in the late afternoon. Based on these goals, you search for more information about which dietary practices would be the best fit, then choose which recommendations to implement. You are applying your information literacy skills to use information effectively.