Information Competency Requirement  

Welcome to the CSM Library's resource guide for the College of San Mateo's Information Competency Requirement. Please use the tabs above to learn more about the requirement.

Students with catalog rights for Fall 2010 must satisfy the new Information Competency requirement prior to graduation. The competency requirement can be satisfied by one of the following options:

As of Fall 2010 an Information Competency Requirement is a graduation requirement for all CSM students. This requirement must be satisfied in one of four ways:

• Earning a C or higher in a CSM course that satisfies the requirement
• Scoring 70% or higher on a proficiency exam
• Earning a C or higher in a qualifying class at Skyline College or Cañada College
• Earning a C or higher in an equivalent course taken outside of the SMCCCD that meets CSM's Information competency standards
  

Definition of Information Competency
Information competency, sometimes referred to as information literacy, consists of the ability to locate, evaluate and ethically use the information that satisfies an information need. College of San Mateo embraces the information competency position statement set forth by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) which is derived from the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education issued by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).

Community college students must be information literate learners who can:
• Determine the extent of information needed
• Access the needed information effectively and efficiently
• Evaluate information and its sources critically
• Incorporate selected information into one's knowledge base
• Use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
• Understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally

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