Information Literacy and Libraries

Many times we hear "Why do we need libraries now that we have the Internet?" and the State Library of Iowa's answer to that is "We need libraries and librarians more than ever."

In today's world, Iowans have access to diverse and abundant information choices.  However, the uncertain quality and expanding quantity of information poses major challenges.

Librarians, working in libraries of all types, have an important role in helping their communities become information literate. The role of the librarian is to teach people how to get the most value from information.  Iowa libraries have always played a critical role in lifelong learning, but not all Iowans are aware of the services and resources that libraries provide.  To thrive in the future, Iowa librarians need to aggressively promote themselves as information literacy experts, and must see this developing role for the success of libraries of all types.