Developing life-long learners is a key mission of higher education. One aspect of developing life-long learners is making sure they are information literate. In today's society there is a plethora of information, and students need to have information literacy skills to navigate their way through college.
The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) define information literacy as "a set of abilities requiring an individual to recognize when information is needed and having the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information."
There are five key standards to information literacy:

The information literate student determines the nature and extent of the information needed.
The information literate student accesses needed information effectively and efficiently.
The information literate student evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his/her knowledge base and value system.
The information literate student, individually or as a member of a group, uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose.
The information literate student understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

Information literacy standards should be built into each course curriculum. If you have questions or would like help incorporating information literacy into your curriculum please contact a reference librarian. For more information please visit the Association of College and Research Libraries Website on information literacy.