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Library Instructional Services: Our New Focus

Our New Focus

Prior to the fall of 2024, Hutchins Library utilized the  ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards (2000) to inform our classroom instruction and information literacy program. As of fall 2024, we have changed our approach to that of the more recent ACRL Framework for Information Literacy (2015).

This choice was made with consideration for the needs of the evolving general education curriculum at Berea College as well as the way the Framework responds to the changing face of information. In particular:
 

  1. Dynamic Information Ecosystem: The Framework emphasizes the evolving nature of information in digital contexts, including social media; the Standards were more static in their focus. 

  2. Digital Authority and Credibility: The Framework helps students critically evaluate the nuanced nature of credibility in digital environments; the Standards rely on a more traditional view of authority.

  3. Participatory Culture: The Framework recognizes students as both consumers and creators of information in digital spaces; the Standards focus on students as information users only.

  4. Lifelong Learning: The Framework encourages adaptability and critical thinking as essential for navigating the changing digital landscape; the Standards focus on achieving fixed competencies.

  5. Flexibility and Ethics: The Framework’s flexibility accommodates emerging digital tools and ethical issues like privacy and intellectual property, making it better suited for teaching in the digital age; the Standards were more prescriptive.
     

We believe that the Framework better addresses the complexities and challenges of modern digital media, preparing students for critical engagement in today’s information-rich world.

What is the Framework for Information Literacy?

The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy
 

1. Authority Is Constructed and Contextual

Information resources reflect their creators’ expertise and credibility and are evaluated based on the information needed and the context in which the information will be used. Authority is constructed in that various communities may recognize different types of authority. It is contextual in that the information need may help to determine the level of authority required.

2. Information Creation as a Process

Information in any format is produced to convey a message and is shared via a selected delivery method. The iterative processes of researching, creating, revising, and disseminating information vary, and the resulting product reflects these differences.

3. Information Has Value

Information possesses several dimensions of value, including as a commodity, as a means of education, as a means of influence, and as a means of negotiating and understanding the world. Legal and socioeconomic interests influence information production and dissemination.

4. Research as Inquiry

Research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers, in turn, develop additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field.

5. Scholarship as Conversation

Communities of scholars, researchers, or professionals engage in sustained discourse with new insights and discoveries occurring over time as a result of varied perspectives and interpretations.

6. Searching as Strategic Exploration

Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring the evaluation of a range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as new understanding develops.

References

References: