Information Literacy in the Workplace: Employer Expectations

This study attempts to bridge the apparent divide between academic information literacy research and the perception of information literacy as a workplace skill. A qualitative inquiry of mid- to senior-level corporate managers yielded a series of recurring themes related to information use in the workplace, how information competencies are recognized in workplace settings, and how entry-level professionals are equipped to locate and use information in their jobs. To directly interpret and apply results locally, participant selection was limited to organizations with a direct relationship to the College of Business of James Madison University. The business college strives to provide a highly relevant, experiential learning curriculum to prepare students for postgraduate employment, and the intent of this study is to inform and enhance the information literacy initiatives of university libraries in support of business college programming.