Workplace experiences of information literacy

The idea of information literacy, broadly defined as the ability to recognise information needs and identify, evaluate and use information effectively, has been of growing concern in the education sectors for a number of years; whilst in the workplace, employers and managers have perhaps attended more to the need for computer and information technology skill. New descriptions of information literacy, that may be of value to the business sector, are now beginning to appear as a result of qualitative research into how professional employees experience the effective use of information. This paper summarises the outcomes of an investigation into the experience of information literacy amongst various types of professionals; and explores the possible differences and interrelations between individual and organisational information literacy suggested by these outcomes. Seven different ways of experiencing information literacy were identified. These experiences are closely related to important workplace processes such as environmental scanning, information management, corporate memory, and research and development; confirming that information literacy should be considered a significant part of the character of learning organisations as well as being a key characteristic of the organisation's employees. Implications of individual and organisational information literacy for beginning and continuing professional education are explored. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.