Library Instruction and Information Literacy

Information Literacy Mission Statement

The primary purpose of the University of Hawaii is to provide an environment in which faculty and students can discover, examine critically, preserve, and transmit the knowledge, wisdom, and values that will help ensure the survival of the present and future generations with improvement in the quality of life. (Controlled Growth for the University of Hawaii, 1970)

The University places a high priority on the importance of creating and disseminating knowledge through research and scholarship "permeated by a multicultural focus and experiences that are distinctly Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific." Providing access to the world of knowledge, imparting knowledge through excellent teaching, fostering creative expression and encouraging the creation of new knowledge through research are at the core of the University's mission.

Information literacy empowers students by imparting critical thinking and problem solving skills essential in academic, professional, and personal pursuits. Information literate individuals:

• know how and why information is created, reviewed, and disseminated;
• recognize when information is needed and knows how to effectively search, retrieve, and evaluate it for truthfulness and relevancy;
• use information ethically, and when combined with intellectual inquiry, analysis, and synthesis, creates new information; and
• carry these skills throughout life as citizens and professionals.

Instructional and library faculty share the responsibility for ensuring that each student master these skills.

The Library seeks to promote information literacy by teaching how knowledge (in multiple formats) is organized, accessed, retrieved, and how it is evaluated for relevance and authority. The Library provides resources and services in an environment that promotes free and open inquiry and serves as a catalyst for the interpretation, integration, and application of knowledge in all fields of learning.