NORMAL - People looking for credible facts online often get tangled up in a World Wide Web full of misinformation, but Illinois State University librarians want to teach them how to find their way out.

"People look to the Internet for everything these days, even medical advice," said Dane Ward, ISU's associate dean of Milner Library.

"But if you just use Google or other popular search engines, what you end up with is all kinds of information: Lots of somebody heard so-and-so from their friend. And that's not the best way to get information," he said.

Teaching people to find, evaluate and use information effectively has always been part of a librarian's job, but Ward wants to create a centralized one-stop shop to help. With a nearly $60,000 federal grant in hand, he aims to build the Illinois Center for Information Literacy at ISU.

"The idea is to have one place to see what is going on in Illinois in terms of information literacy," Ward said.

Ideally, the center will become a pilot for other states. He hopes to have the center firmly established by May with a Web site that can serve information specialists in a variety of settings ranging from small village libraries to large academic sites.

ISU has about a dozen experts from across the state involved, including a former president of the American Library Association.

Donna Lukehaus, Unit 5 instructional support director, is working with Ward to collaborate among school libraries. She said she's looking forward to the center's first event, slated for Jan. 16, with information literacy expert Frances Jacobsen.

Jacobsen's 2005 book, "I Found It On the Internet: Coming of Age Online," looks at teaching information literacy to teenagers.

In the book, Jacobsen uses example of domain name deceptions, such as one purporting to be a historical look at the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. that actually is owned and operated by a white supremacist group.

Jean Harper, a Unit 5 librarian, said she doesn't know much about the ISU information literacy center, but she's optimistic.

At Colene Hoose Elementary School, Harper's younger students learn about using printed books and the Web while researching presentations they will make on children's authors.

"I make them do both. They use the books, too, when researching these authors. But we've got to teach to what they're doing, and trust me, they are using the Internet," she said.

Today's students are wired differently than previous generations, Harper said. They are adept at using the mechanics of the technology, but they need direction on the thinking side.

"One of the first things I teach them is that you can't trust Wikipedia. Anyone can type information on there," Harper said, referring to the online encyclopedia maintained by its users.

Ward teaches the same critical approach to incoming ISU students.

"Very sophisticated Web sites can look legitimate, but that doesn't mean they are deep or substantial," he said.

The sometimes ugly world of politics is an example. A Web site purporting to be an official site for a politician actually may be created by the opposition to throw off potential voters, he said.

"I always show ISU students this: 'Feline Reactions to Bearded Men,'" Ward said. At first glance, the site appears to be a valid research paper, complete with academic citations written in the required style.

"But it's all superficial," he said. "You have to look at it closely."

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Informed citizens

Illinois State University's Milner Library is creating the Illinois Center for Information Literacy, a state center where librarians will learn about the issues, news and events of information literacy.

Here are a few of the center's goals:

- Establish a Web site, or virtual clearinghouse, about the subject and its latest trends.

- Organize regional summits on the topic of teaching information literacy. Summits would be conducted throughout the state, but also be accessible through Web technology.

- Create outreach groups for different librarian communities, such as school librarians, and others working in public library environments.

SOURCE: Dane Ward, associate dean, ISU's Milner Library