The goal is to create a dynamic, functional relationship between information and people. The LRC faculty support the concept of information literacy as a means of personal empowerment for our students in today's information-rich environment and are committed to the integration of information literacy into the policies and academic programs of Harper College. Community colleges are in the forefront of those institutions seeking to provide quality learning opportunities for a great diversity of people with very different life goals.
Academic librarians know, however, that more information exists than can be mastered in a lifetime.
To become liberally educated persons, students require complex information skills to meet the challenges of a changing society. Higher education can fail to prepare students fully for the contemporary world of complexity when it isolates knowledge into abstract disciplines. Since the ethical commitment of librarians is to include diverse perspectives across disciplinary boundaries, libraries not only provide access to information, they also allow students to manage the full chaos of information sources. Educated people have the skills to analyze and evaluate complex information in order to verify or refute expert opinion and become independent seekers of truth. Information literate people are those who have learned how to learn.