Purpose of Library Instruction Standards

The rapidly changing higher education environment, along with the dynamic and often uncertain information ecosystem in which all of us work and live, requires new attention to be focused on foundational ideas about that ecosystem. As both consumers and creators of information, students have a greater role and responsibility in understanding the changing dynamics of the world of information, and in using information, data, and scholarship ethically. 

Our information literacy instruction practice is informed by both the educational standards and goals established in UR's Foundational Curriculum (i.e. the "Web of Inquiry") and the Association of College and Research Libraries' Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Both curricular guidelines provide a foundation to develop a comprehensive roadmap of students' information literacy development at UR.

Developed in 2016 by the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Framework for Information for Literacy for Higher Education envisions information literacy as extending the arc of learning throughout students’ academic careers and as converging with other academic and social learning goals.

We utilize ACRL's definition of information literacy, as we feel it emphasizes the dynamism, flexibility, individual growth, and community learning inherent in students' research skill development:

"Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning." - ACRL Framework

Students should begin to develop these abilities in First Year Seminars and expand them further in research intensive courses across the curriculum. Ideally, capstone courses will provide students with opportunities to demonstrate mastery of research competencies and intellectual context within which knowledge in a subject area is created.

The Framework is organized into six frames, each consisting of a concept central to information literacy, a set of knowledge practices, and a set of dispositions. The six concepts that anchor the frames are presented alphabetically:

1. Authority Is Constructed and Contextual

2. Information Creation as a Process

3. Information Has Value

4. Research as Inquiry

5. Scholarship as Conversation

6. Searching as Strategic Exploration

As our collective understanding of information literacy evolves with our students, along with various technological developments and new ways of thinking about the world, university liaison librarians can rely on professional standards like those established by ACRL to ensure our instruction practice remains meaningful and current. Given that the ACRL Framework allows for a dynamic and modular approach to information literacy, liaison librarians have selected the elements of the framework that most directly apply to our student body and their research/information needs.

For additional information on the overall ACRL Framework, click on the "Resources" tab on the left-side of the screen. 

With the adoption of the university's new "Web of Inquiry" curriculum framework, we have identified select learning outcomes from Areas of Inquiry and Integrated Focus Areas that align with our information literacy instruction practices. While a single library session may not be enough to satisfy these learning outcomes, we want to highlight how our instruction and services directly support UR students' progression through the Foundational Curriculum. 

For additional information on the Foundational Curriculum and elements of the Web of Inquiry, click on the image above, or copy/past the following link into your browser: https://www.richmond.edu/academics/foundational-curriculum/learning-areas.html