The pursuit of knowledge is the foundation of the University. Providing access to the world of knowledge, imparting knowledge through excellent teaching, fostering creative expression and encouraging the creation of new knowledge through research are at the core of the University's mission.

Information literacy enhances the pursuit of knowledge at the University by preparing students to think critically and use information for their academic, professional and personal lives. The information literate individual can recognize the need for information, can locate it using a variety of media and technologies and can evaluate information in order to use it effectively. Information literate students have the flexibility to take these skills from their formal education and use them throughout life as citizens and professionals and as a means toward continued learning.

Colleges, schools, programs and the libraries share the responsibility for helping students develop information literacy skills. Successful implementation of information literacy goals is achieved by integration across the curriculum and depends on active participation of all parties.

The Libraries seek to promote information literacy by educating students to understand the organization of knowledge, to gather data of all kinds using both print and information technology resources and to evaluate the relevance and authority of information in all its forms. The Libraries provide resources and services in an environment that fosters free and open inquiry and serve as a catalyst for the interpretation, integration, and application of knowledge in all fields of learning.

The Library Instruction Program serves the students, faculty, and staff of the University. The purpose of the program is to assist members of the university community with developing information-seeking abilities appropriate for their individual levels of scholarship and to support their research. Through this program, the Library facilitates access to the vast resources available to the university, fosters a sense of independence and responsibility, and encourages a collaborative relationship with Reference / Instruction staff.

The faculty is invited to work with library instruction staff in designing course-related assignments that include information literacy objectives. The Library Instruction Program incorporates teaching strategies and methodologies that respond to individual differences in learning including level, style, and culture.