In the mid 1400s, before the emergence of a print culture, memory was prized as the scholar's most important intellectual tool, and literacy was a secondary skill. After Gutenberg invented the printing press, literacy was synonymous with scholarship and memory less used. There was a shift from the use of the brain as storage to processor of print based information. The intersection of tool and skill can change the fabric of society, and computerized tools are changing our societies today. The changes in formats and organization of information mean that users need guidance and may have unrealistic expectations.
Information literacy is a concept that has emerged to describe the task ahead.
The phrase information literacy was first used in the 1970s, but its current meaning and use came in response to education reform and has become an international movement. Information literate people are those who have learned how to learn because they know how knowledge is organized, how to find information, and how to use information in a way that others can learn from them. Information literacy Information literacy is knowing when information is needed and having the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information. Information literacy is an important and challenging concept in addressing a changing and varied library clientele with differing preparations for library use. Computers can create the misimpression that library research activities can be accomplished quickly and effectively.