"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" (American Library Association).
Information Literacy is one of McHenry County College's 5 general education goals. The MCC Library uses ALA's definition of information literacy in conjunction with the concepts described in the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education as the foundation of our Information Literacy program.
We see AI as another search tool students can use to support their research goals as they work towards developing the knowledge practices and dispositions as defined by the Framework. But not all AI tools function the same. Generative AI and Research Assistant AI are two types of AI tools that students can use to gather new ideas, organize and support their research, and build their information literacy skills.
Generative AI tools like ChatGPT can help students narrow their research topics or be used as a tool to locate keywords. Research Assistant AI tools like Research Rabbit and Consensus can help students more easily see connections between their research topic and similar existing research, which can lead them to sources and perspectives that they might not have encountered otherwise. A tool like Semantic Scholar highlights frequently cited authors, which can help students identify experts in the field "while remaining skeptical of the systems that have elevated that authority and the information created by it" (ACRL Framework, Authority is Constructed and Contextual, p. 12)
The AI tools discussed in this guide can support students' research and help them make connections between output from the tools and the concepts described in the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.
