The Information Age and the Information Literacy

In "Boomers, Gen X's, & Millennials: Understanding the New Students," Diana Oblinger states: The attitudes - and aptitudes - of students who have grown up with technology (or who have spent significant amounts of time with it) appear to differ from those students who rarely use technology. She then goes on to list "ten attributes of an information-age mindset" previously described by Jason Frand. The following list is taken from the original Frand article:

The Information Age Mindset

1. Computers are not technology but a given. … (Students) make the devices work without a manual, without an instruction set.
2. The Internet is better than TV … Many of our students do believe that everything they need to know is on the Web and it's free.
3. Reality is no longer real. (e-mail authorship and even photographs can be manipulated).
4. Doing is more important than learning … In many disciplines, the half-life of information is measured in months and years…. As our students enter the workforce, the ability to deal with complex and often ambiguous information will be more important than simply knowing a lot of facts or having an accumulation of knowledge."
5. Nintendo over logic. (Rephrased by Oblinger: "Nintendo symbolizes a trial and error approach to solving problems.")
6. Typing rather than handwriting.
7. Multitasking way of life.
8. Staying connected.
9. Zero tolerance for delays.
10. Consumer/ creator blurring. In a cut and paste world, distinctions between creator, owner, and consumer of information are fading. "

2. Jason L. Frand. "The Information-Age Mindset: Changes in Students and Implications for Higher Education." Educause Review 35.5 (200): 15-24.

Frand identified these attributes outside of any information literacy context. And yet, such attributes lend themselves naturally to the application of characteristics of the information literate individual identified in the standards from the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).

An information literate student:

1. understands the nature and the extent of the information needed,
2. accesses needed information effectively and efficiently,
3. evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system,
4. uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose, and
5. understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally.

See Expanding the Information Age Mindset.