Clearly information literacy should be a key component in each student's education, and the University Libraries encourages the University of Iowa to implement information literacy throughout the curriculum. Instruction in the role of information in the research process and training in the techniques of access to information is a vital part of the foundation for a life of learning. They know how to learn because they know how knowledge is organized, how to find information and how to use information in such a way that others can learn from them. They are people prepared for lifelong learning, because they can always find the information needed for any task or decision at hand. Ideally, information literacy is integrated into the fabric of each course by faculty who are the best judge of which information skills are appropriate to the particular course and level of study and which information resources in their discipline are of high quality.
Librarians are eager to work with faculty to help build information literacy into the curriculum.
Librarians can help faculty develop assignments that enrich learning through the effective use of instructional technology and information resources. They can visit the faculty member's classroom to teach search strategies and evaluation of resources and to make students aware of the important resources available in their discipline. Faculty members and librarians can work together to develop Web pages and other instructional materials to be used in a class. Feedback from the students will enable faculty and librarians to refine and further develop information literacy and critical thinking course components. Feedback can be sought through student course evaluations and through evaluation by faculty of the quality of work performed by students throughout the course of study.