[My mother, the librarian says:] October is National INFORMATION LITERACY Awareness Month

Before the month ends, my mother (the librarian) wanted you to know that October is National Information Literacy Month! (The President recognized the importance of information literacy on October 1, 2009 and issued a proclamation to that effect.)

President Barack H. Obama – National Information Literacy Month, October 2009

“Every day, we are inundated with vast amounts of information. A 24-hour news cycle and thousands of global television and radio networks, coupled with an immense array of online resources, have challenged our long-held perceptions of information management. Rather than merely possessing data, we must also learn the skills necessary to acquire, collate, and evaluate information for any situation. This new type of literacy also requires competency with communication technologies, including computers and mobile devices that can help in our day-to-day decision making. National Information Literacy Awareness Month highlights the need for all Americans to be adept in the skills necessary to effectively navigate the Information Age.”

Much of what we are learning in this Web 2.0 course concerns Information Literacy (IL) in addition to Information Technology (IT) fluency. The IT gives us the tools we need to develop our IL. As professionals, we need both these skill sets to develop and maintain our PLN – our lifelong learning. We should strive to make every day Information Literacy Day.