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Yes, it’s time for another food-related post!  Cooking involves a great deal of information literacy.

Before a recent party, for example, I asked myself some questions:  What new recipe could I try at my skill level and in my time frame?  What dishes do I already make well?  What items could I buy within my budget?  These questions reflect ACRL (2000)  Standard I.3: “Considers the costs and benefits of acquiring the needed information (p. 8).”  In this case the information would be recipes or ingredients.

Since the event was pot luck, I also considered what my guests were bringing.  Such thoughts speak to Standard IV.1: “applies new and prior information to the planning and creation of a particular product or performance (ACRL 2000, p. 12).”   A meal is a very real product.

We and our students bring real-world information literacies into the classroom.  How can we draw upon these strengths in fostering academic information literacies?

Reference

Association of College & Research Libraries. (2000). Information literacy competency standards for higher education. Chicago, IL: Author.