ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 892 / C&RL News Information literacy B y B a rb a ra J. F ord A C R L Vice-President/President-Elect A L A 's stand on information literacy and lifelong learning. T he Final R eport o f the American Library Association Presidential Committee on In­ formation Literacy was issued in January 1989. The Committee was appointed in 1987 by ALA Presi­ dent Margaret Chisholm, chaired by Patricia Senn Breivik, director of the Auraria Library, University of Colorado at Denver, and consisted o f leaders in education and librarianship. The report recom ­ mends educational reforms and new roles for li­ braries and discusses the importance of informa­ tion literacy to an informed citizenry and effective businesses in the Information Age. The Committee defines an “information literate person” as one who is able to recognize when information is needed and has the ability to locate, evaluate, and use it effectively. Information literate people have learned how to learn and are prepared for lifelong learning. The report discusses why information literacy is necessary to reap the bene­ fits of the Information Age; it has an impact on individuals’ fives, on business, and on society. While the report’s recommendations cover a range of topics, several of the recommendations are addressed to librarians. The report recom­ mends that librarians reconsider the ways informa­ tion is organized, assessed, and defined. Research and demonstration projects related to information and its use are also recommended. Both o f these recommendations provide many opportunities for academic and research librarians to make im por­ tant contributions to information literacy. O ther recommendations include restructuring the learning process away from textbooks, work­ books, and lectures to one based upon information resources available for the learning and problem solving that continues throughout an individual’s lifetime; changing teacher education and perform ­ ance requirem ents so that teachers become facili­ tators of student learning; making information lit­ eracy a top agenda item for the next White House Conference on Library and Information Services; and forming a national Coalition on Information Literacy with other national organizations. Follow­ ing up on this last recommendation, ALA is one of the founding members of the National Forum on Information Literacy, a coalition that will focus public attention on the importance of information literacy to individuals, the economy, and society. The Final Report o f the Committee on Informa­ tion Literacy has been widely distributed. U.S. Senators and Representatives on appropriate committees, state and territorial governors, the American Association for Higher Education Lead­ ership, 2,000 business leaders, the American Asso­ ciation of School Administrators leadership, the Council of C hief State School Officers leadership, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education leadership, deans of library schools, the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation leader­ ship, deans of education, and library directors have received the report. It has been extremely well received by many people outside our field and November 1989 / 893 provides th e o pportunity to forge new alliances. Articles about inform ation literacy are being w rit­ te n for professional journals and a series o f video­ tapes rela ted to inform ation literacy are being produced. Efforts are cu rren tly underw ay in A CRL to w ork w ith th e A m erican Association for H ig h er E ducation on a program on th e issue o f inform ation literacy. Copies o f th e Final R eport are available from th e ALA office in Chicago. T h e A CR L B oard has ch o ­ sen inform ation literacy as th e th e m e for 1990-1991, and it will be th e topic o f my p resi­ d e n t’s program at th e ALA A nnual C o nference in 1991. Inform ation literacy is an essential survival skill for th e Inform ation Age an d libraries are an im portant p a rt o f th e inform ation universe. P re p ar­ ing college and University populations to be effi­ cient and effective inform ation seekers and con­ sum ers is cen tral to th e mission o f academ ic and research libraries. This is reflected in several places in th e ACRL Strategic Plan including enhancing th e capability o f libraries to serve th e needs o f users an d prom oting study, research, and publication relevant to academ ic and research librarianship. I t also builds on th e th em es o f rec en t A CR L p resi­ d en ts and provides th e o pportunity to build upon p ast A CR L activities. I w ould like to h ear your ideas about how we, as an association, m ight continue to w ork on projects an d program s relating to inform ation literacy th ro u g h efforts in A CR L and in academ ic and research libraries. This is an excellent o p portunity to w ork w ith o th e r units in ALA and o th e r hig h er education groups an d explore an im p o rtan t topic cen tral to o u r functions as academ ic and research librarians. Sources for inform ation an d ideas, in addition to th e Final R ep o rt o f the A m erican L ibrary Associa­ tion Presidential Com m ittee on Inform ation L iter­ acy include: Patricia Senn Breivik, “Libraries P rep are for an Inform ation Age,” E ducational Record 70 (W inter 1989): 13-19. Patricia Senn Breivik. “Making th e M ost o f Li­ braries Searching for Academic Excellence,” Change 19 (July/August 1987): 44-52. Patricia Senn Breivik and E. G ordon G ee, Infor­ m ation Literacy: R evolution in the Library. N ew York: A m erican C ouncil on E ducation, 1989. Patricia Senn Breivik and R o b ert W edgew orth, Libraries an d the Search f o r A cadem ic Excellence. M etuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1988. Larry H ardesty, Nicholas P. Lovrich, Jr., and Jam es M annon, “L ibrary Use Instruction: Assess­ m en t o f th e L ong-T erm E ffects,” College h R e­ search Libraries 43 (January 1982): 38-46. Jam es A. H yatt and A urora A. Santiago, Univer­ sity Libraries in Transition. W ashington, D.C.: N ational Association o f College and University Business Officers, 1987. T hom as Kirk, “T eaching and Technology: T he Im p act o f U nlim ited Inform ation Access on Class­ room T eaching,” L ibrary Issues: Briefings f o r Fac­ u lty a nd A dm inistrators 9 (July 1989): 1-4. D avid W . Lewis, “Inventing th e E lectronic University,” College & Research Libraries 49 (July 1988): 291-304. B arbara B. M oran. A cadem ic Libraries: The changing Knowledge Cen te r o f Colleges an d Uni­ versities. A S H E -E R IC H ig h er E ducation R e­ search R eport, No. 8. W ashington, D .C.: Associa­ tion for th e Study o f H ig h er E ducation, 1984.■ ■ ACRL Statement on the Certification and Licensing o f Academic Librarians At th e 1989 ALA Annual C o nference th e A CR L B oard o f D irectors approved th e following sta te­ ment: “T h e Association o f C ollege an d R esearch Li­ braries has affirm ed th a t th e m aster’s d egree from a program accred ited by th e A m erican Library Association is th e ap p ro p riate term in al profes­ sional d eg ree for academ ic librarians. T h erefo re, it opposes certification o r licensing in lieu o f th at degree for academ ic librarians, e ith er by state agencies o r by state o r local professional associa­ tions.” T h e statem ent, p re p a re d by A CR L’s A cademic Status C om m ittee, does n o t oppose licensing o r certification o f librarians as an addition to an al­ ready ob tain ed M LS, b u t only opposes it w hen it is su b stitu ted for earn in g an MLS. F o r fu rth e r inform ation, contact M ary E llen Davis, A CRL P rogram Officer, ACRL/ALA, 50 E. H u ro n St., Chicago, IL 6 0 6 1 1 ; (800) 545-2433.B ■