Abstract
We live in the age of the information society which offers many opportunities but could also be challenging especially for users of information. On a daily basis, we need information in personal and professional life.
We seek, select and use information from different sources and use a variety of devices. We could seek information actively or receive them passively.
The amount of information that surrounds and influences us is still growing. We need the skills and abilities (competencies) which help us work with information effectively and which prevent us from information overload or choosing irrelevant and wrong information.
Information literacy contains those competencies - awareness of information need, abilities to effectively seek, select, organize, process, evaluate, use and present information. The technical and technological skills (technological literacy) are needed as well.
The information literacy importance (especially ability to select and evaluate information) relates, more than ever, to the growing trend of the mobile information and communication technology usage (so-called Mobile revolution), which can we find in all areas of human activities. Through mobile devices (smartphones, tablets etc.) we can access information almost anywhere and at any time.
New wireless network possibilities allow us to connect to the internet and other services and communicate information from distant places and on the move. Does effective work with information in the mobile environment require new skills and abilities? Are competencies of an information literate person sufficient? The mobile information literacy is a concept of the competencies of an information literate person in the mobile environment.
The ways how we seek, process, use and share information on the mobile devices could be different than on the desktop computers. The difference is caused by boundaries of the mobile devices and other factors as smaller displays, touch and small keyboards, voice control, battery capacity, connectivity, responsive or mobile applications, web pages, user interfaces etc.
In the mobile environment, we act faster, seek simple information, write short sentences and save time. We try to find the perfect hit on the first attempt.
We should be aware of advertisement, wrong interpretation and disinformation. Do mobile information literacy competencies differ from general competencies of an information literate person? For our analysis and specification of skills and abilities for the mobile environment, we compare standard models of the information literacy with mobile information literacy curricula of courses taught at selected universities and colleges.
We search for similar or new (different) competencies which user of information need in the mobile environment.