ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the concept of information literacy by drawing upon recent examinations of its use in the workplace and more generally. It includes ideas about information literacy as fundamental competency, ideas of how information literacy should be developed for work, an examination of information literacy in workplace practice, as well as ideas from the literature on efficient use of software and hypermedia. Information literacy will be confined to its meaning as a capacity to collect, store and transform the information required for workplace application. Descriptions by western governments have generally been cast in terms of seeing information literacy as workplace competence. Examination of workplace practice is starting to provide a better understanding of information literacy as it applies to specific tasks undertaken as part of various kinds of employment. The chapter attempts to show how research is able to provide important and often different insights regarding information literacy and how it might best be developed.
