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Kajian Dalam Bidang Ilmu Perpustakaan dan Informasi: Filosofi, Teori, dan Praktik

understand and interact effectively with their ever-changing information
world. Recognition of this need is described in terms of empowerment
of the individual, which also contributed to the development of the
information literacy concept (Bruce, 1997).
However, as the concept of information literacy continuously discussed,
there are researchers, librarians, and other information professionals who
defining the concept of information literacy from different perspectives.
But, despite growing discussions about information literacy definition,
there are some commonalities between them. For example, information
literacy is about critical thinking and the ability to apply information in all
aspects of people’s lives (Grassian and Kaplowitz, 2001; Harding, 2008).
Others have also mentioned that information literacy is a theoretical as
well as a practical response to social, cultural, and economic developments
related to the information society (Johnston & Webber, 2000). Furthermore,
it is been regarded as an essential requirement for decision-making in
personal, professional, and community context, which means that anyone
who has the knowledge and skills to connect with and interact with
information would enable them to solve their problems and address their
life concerns (Todd, 2000). In other word, information literacy is enabling
people to engage with information in meaningful ways and to place it in
purposeful use.
This research is looking at a variety of ways some scholars looking at the
concept of information literacy from different meaning and perspectives.

II. LITERATURE REVIEW

A. Information Literacy: Background

The term information literacy was first used in 1974 by Paul Zurkowski,
in a proposal submitted to the United States National Commission on
Libraries and Information Science. The proposal stated that an information
literate individual was someone “who had learned to use a wide range of
information sources in order to solve problems at work and in his or her
daily life” (Grassian & Kaplowitz, 2001, p. 4). Over time, the concept
of information literacy has been described in numerous ways with many
different attempts at the definition (Welsh & Wright, 2010). The most
commonly cited definition, however, is one provided by the American
Library Association in 1989: “To be information literate, a person must
be able to recognize when information is needed, and have the ability to
locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed information” (p. 1).
Information literacy is often promoted for its capacity to provide
individual empowerment, providing someone with the ability to recognize

218 Ways Of Understanding Information Literacy: The Identification ...