Both of these concepts are:
• Largely self-motivated and self-directed, which is to say, they do
not require the mediation of an outside individual, organization
or other kind of helper, beyond the learner him/herself, although
advice and assistance can be helpful;
3
• Self-empowering, which means that they are aimed at helping
people of all age groups, genders, races, religions, ethnic groups,
and national origins, and no matter what their social or economic
status may be, or role and place in their communities or society
in general; and
• Self-actuating, which is to say the more information literate an
individual becomes, and the longer the person sustains good
information literacy learning and practicing habits and attitudes,
the greater the self-enlightenment that occurs, especially if practiced
over an entire lifetime.
Ideally, one should become information literate, and practice those
habits and skills over one’s entire lifetime.