definitions
An information literate person is able to:
  • determine the nature and extent of the information needed
  • access needed information effectively and efficiently
  • evaluate information and its sources critically and incorporate selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system
  • use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
  • understand many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally
Association of College and Research Libraries (2000). Information literacy competency standards for higher education. Available at http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlstandards/standards.pdf
A visually literate person is able to:
  • interpret, understand, and appreciate the meaning of visual messages
  • communicate more effectively by applying the basic principles and concepts of visual design
  • produce visual messages using computers and other technologies
  • use visual thinking to conceptualize solutions to problems 
Christopherson, J. T. (1997). The growing need for visual literacy at the university. Paper presented at Visionquest: Journeys Toward Visual Literacy. 28th Annual Conference of the International Visual Literacy Association, Cheyenne, WY. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED408963) Available at http://www.eric.ed.gov.
next: the coursehome