The following example will take you through the five steps of Information Literacy that we have identified:

	STEP 1: STARTING out
	You have decided to buy a cellular phone, so you realise that you need information to be able to make an informed decision. It is important to think about your need and write down everything you know or need to know, e.g. What type of cellular phone do you want to buy? What is the size of your budget? Which colour do you want? Which model do you need / want? Should the cellular phone have a camera?
	STEP 2: FINDING the information
	You have have recognised your need and must find the necessary information to help you in making the correct decision. The following are possible sources of information: Buy the newspaper to see what is being advertised.(The latest newspapers are available in the Periodicals reading Room of the Library). Look in the Cellular Phone Magazine for the latest news, prices and comparisons of different models on the market Search the Internet (nowadays you can buy a cellular phone via the Internet). When you go shopping take a person along who has the necessary technical knowledge about cellular phones. Look in the yellow pages for information on cellular phone suppliers.
	STEP 3: EVALUATING the information
	Always check the authenticity of the information you receive, especially information received from another person (secondhand information). People can provide the wrong information. You must make sure before you base an important decision on information received. For example: Taking someone along to give you technical advice when buying a cellular phone, he / she might give the impression of being a specialist on cellular phones, but it may not be the case. Make sure that you can trust his / her advice by considering the following: The person's background and formal experience in this field. Is the person trustworthy?
	STEP 4: The legal USE of the information
	Plagiarism and copyright offences are serious, also in your academic work. Definition of Plagiarism: " Most simply, plagiarism is intellectual theft. Any use of another author's research, ideas, or language without proper attribution may be considered plagiarism." (Source: http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/bpg/plagiarism.htm) When you buy a cellular phone you will of course not break the law if you base your decision on information that you gather. It would be illegal, however, to present that same information as your own ideas in articles, documents, papers, etc. under your own name.
	STEP 5: COMMUNICATE the information
	Communicating information is what you do when you write a report, do a presentation or designing a poster, etc. In other words, you communicate your information to other people. In this case however, when you buy a cellular phone, you will verbally convey the information to the cellular phone salesman.