Threshold Concepts: Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education: Searching as Strategic Exploration

Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring the evaluation of a range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as a new understanding develops.

--Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education

Learners who are developing their information literate abilities do the following:

• Determine the initial scope of the task required to meet their information needs
• Identify interested parties, such as scholars, organizations, governments, and industries, which might produce information about a topic and determine how to access that information
• Utilize divergent (e.g., brainstorming) and convergent (e.g., selecting the best source) thinking when searching
• Match information needs and search strategies to search tools
• Design and refine needs and search strategies, based on search results
• Understand how information systems (i.e., collections of recorded information) are organized to access relevant information
• Use different searching language types (e.g., controlled vocabulary, keywords, natural language)
• Manage searching processes and results

Learners who are developing their information literate abilities do the following:

• Exhibit mental flexibility and creativity
• Understand that first attempts at searching do not always produce adequate results
• Realize that information sources vary greatly in content and format and have varying relevance and value, depending on the needs and nature of the search
• Seek guidance from experts, such as librarians, researchers, and professionals
• Recognize the value of browsing and other serendipitous methods of information gathering
• Persist in the face of search challenges, and know when enough information completes the information task

Searching as Strategic Exploration (University of Washington)

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