A survey on the information literacy of final-year students studying at Semnan University of Medical Sciences (2012)

 Introduction: According to Association of Collage and Research Libraries (ACRL), information literacy is a set of abilities requiring individuals to "recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information". The present study was performed to evaluate information literacy levels among final-year students of Semnan University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: A standard questionnaire including 55 multiple choice questions about 5 different information literacy skills defined by Association of Collage and Research Libraries was used at the current study. The total score was 87 and each correct answer had one point and if a question had more than one correct answer, the number of correct answers was the score of that question. The questionnaire was filled out by all final-year students who graduated in2012. Results: The results showed that information literacy mean of the students was 36.2 (out of 87), which was less than information literacy average score (43.5). No significant difference was observed between students in regard to gender and their major discipline. Conclusion: Since the information literacy levels of final-year students was less than average score, it seems the student have no a comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of information literacy skills when they are graduating from the university and some workshops and modules would be necessary in order to increase their information literacy.