Sustainable thinking and information literacy (IL) are essential for developing resilient, informed citizens with a sustainability-oriented mindset. IL provides individuals with critical 21st-century skills, empowering them to sustain and enrich democratic communities. To better understand the role of IL in fostering sustainable thinking, this paper begins with a comprehensive literature review exploring key research clusters and emerging trends at the intersection of these concepts. The findings reveal a strong correlation between IL competencies - such as information evaluation, critical thinking, and ethical information use - and the cultivation of sustainable thinking. These skills are pivotal for fostering awareness of global challenges and promoting social inclusion.
Building on this foundation, the study explores the perspectives of students from the University of West Attica (UNIWA) and the University of Bologna (UNIBO) regarding the role of IL courses in secondary education and their influence on students’ thinking. This quantitative study demonstrates that such courses significantly enhance students’ critical engagement with information, equipping them to navigate complex information ecosystems responsibly.
Finally, to demonstrate practical applications, the paper presents a case study of an IL course taught to students in UNIWA’s Department of Archival, Library, and Information Studies (ALIS). Inspired by the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the course emphasizes defining information needs; searching, accessing and evaluating information; synthesizing new content; using information ethically; and sharing knowledge.
The course equips students with transferable skills while raising awareness of sustainability issues, providing a model for integrating IL into broader educational curricula.
This paper highlights the potential of IL to cultivate critically engaged, sustainability- oriented learners. It underscores how embedding IL into education can better equip individuals to address global challenges.