Scholarship, Practice, Leadership Essay

Scholarship, Practice, Leadership Essay
University of Phoenix










Scholarship, Practice, Leadership Essay
Introduction
The American Library Association (ALA) defines information literacy as being able to recognize when information is needed, the ability to locate the information, and evaluate the relevance of the information. The ease of accessing information has helped people advance in their professions and in life (American Library Association, 1989). Being informational illiterate impedes a person’s ability to contribute and succeed in society (Lauer, 2004).   There are different perspectives on how information literacy affects a society and its people.  
Analysis
The advancement of technology has given people access to countless sources of information. This information can be used to make decisions to enhance the personal and professional lives of people (American Library Association, 1989). In a report presented to the Presidential Committee, the ALA discusses the importance of information literacy, the drawback of being information illiterate, and recommendations to help citizens benefit from the information age. The ALA (American Library Association, 1989) believes that everyone should have the right to access information for personal growth. Opportunities are created when individuals are able to use the knowledge they have to locate them. Being information literate gives a person a sense of power (American Library Association, 1989). Information illiterate people are lacking the tools to make sound decisions. These individuals rely on others to make decisions for them. To discover and fix the inequalities of a nation, people need to be information literate.   The number of people who are information literate will affect the nation’s ability to compete in the global economy (American Library Association, 1989). According to this report in order to produce more information literate individuals, schools and colleges must integrate the...