3 Nina Heinze 2009 Earli 2009 Amsterdam European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction information literacy, key competencies, new media, student-centered model, peer learning Today’s youth seem to have embraced emerging technology and new media devices. They make the impression that they feel comfortable swimming in the giant sea of information available to them, never needing an instruction manual. However, many students show deficits in competencies when confronted with tasks in university surroundings like finding proper sources for research papers. These shortcomings include using new media, which students seem to have no difficulties in employing. Apparently there is a mismatch between the frequent use of new technology and information literacy. This contribution outlines an analysis of actual abilities of current university students in regards to the effective and efficient use of information. We investigate what deficits students in higher education display in terms of scientific skills and the use of new technology in university surroundings. Following our research this article proposes a student-centered model to foster information literacy with special emphasis on peer-to-peer interaction and counseling.