Dr. Roukana

Testing information literacy skills is a crucial aspect of measuring individual or organizational progress towards becoming fully versed in information literacy.

Fortunately, there are several tools and methods available that can help in evaluating information literacy levels. Here are a few examples of tools and methods:

1. Rubrics: Rubrics help to evaluate the quality of performance in different aspects of information literacy, including searching, evaluating, and creating information. Rubrics are typically organized according to different levels of performance, such as poor, average, good, or excellent.

2. Standardized tests: Standardized tests, such as information literacy certification tests or the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards, can detect individuals’ or organizations’ information literacy level. These tests are typically conducted through a series of knowledge assessments and evaluation exercises.

3. Peer Reviews: Peer reviews involve examining individuals’ or organizations’ assignments or projects to identify areas of information literacy that could improve, promoting critical thinking and knowledge application. Reviewers typically provide feedback, suggestions, and overall recommendations related to the assessment of the project’s quality.

4. Observation: Observing individuals’ or organizations’ information-seeking behaviors in real-life scenarios, such as during a project, using trackers, or logs, can reveal necessary insights into individuals’ or organizations’ information literacy capabilities. This method provides a first-hand view of the information needs and information-seeking strategies used by the people under the microscope.

5. Self-reflection assessments: Self-reflection assessments involve evaluating one’s own skills through a series of written or online reflection exercises, where individuals answer prompts that challenge them to assess their information literacy. This method aims to foster critical reflection and self-assessment, identify knowledge gaps, and provide a platform for the current development of the person or organization.

In conclusion, having tools to evaluate one’s performance in information literacy helps in seeing the effectiveness of the training and identify areas that need improvement. Using any of these tools is only as good as the information provided, and can be repeatable and used to observe the progress and recommendations at different stages towards the development of desired proficiency levels. The availability of these tools can help drive performance, create awareness, identify areas of improvement, and promote lifelong learning towards developing information literacy competencies in people and organizations.

Do you need ILS evaluations? Please feel free to contact me: roukana@gmail.com, and start thriving.