Guidelines for Instruction Programs in Academic Libraries

Approved by the ACRL Board of Directors, June 2003. Revised October 2011.

Preamble

Academic libraries work together with other members of their institutional communities to participate in, support, and achieve the educational mission of their institutions by teaching the core competencies of information literacy—the abilities involved in identifying an information need, accessing needed information, evaluating, managing, and applying information, and understanding the legal, social, and ethical aspects of information use. The systematic delivery of instructional programs and services should be planned in concert with overall strategic library planning, including the library’s budgeting process. Such planning may also involve strategizing with other campus units to deliver collaboratively designed programming.

Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education

(Excerpt) Information Literacy and Higher Education

Developing lifelong learners is central to the mission of higher education institutions. By ensuring that individuals have the intellectual abilities of reasoning and critical thinking, and by helping them construct a framework for learning how to learn, colleges and universities provide the foundation for continued growth throughout their careers, as well as in their roles as informed citizens and members of communities. Information literacy is a key component of, and contributor to, lifelong learning. Information literacy competency extends learning beyond formal classroom settings and provides practice with self-directed investigations as individuals move into internships, first professional positions, and increasing responsibilities in all arenas of life. Because information literacy augments students’ competency with evaluating, managing, and using information, it is now considered by several regional and discipline-based accreditation associations as a key outcome for college students. 

For students not on traditional campuses, information resources are often available through networks and other channels, and distributed learning technologies permit teaching and learning to occur when the teacher and the student are not in the same place at the same time. The challenge for those promoting information literacy in distance education courses is to develop a comparable range of experiences in learning about information resources as are offered on traditional campuses. Information literacy competencies for distance learning students should be comparable to those for "on campus" students.

Incorporating information literacy across curricula, in all programs and services, and throughout the administrative life of the university, requires the collaborative efforts of faculty, librarians, and administrators. Through lectures and by leading discussions, faculty establish the context for learning. Faculty also inspire students to explore the unknown, offer guidance on how best to fulfill information needs, and monitor students’ progress. Academic librarians coordinate the evaluation and selection of intellectual resources for programs and services; organize, and maintain collections and many points of access to information; and provide instruction to students and faculty who seek information. Administrators create opportunities for collaboration and staff development among faculty, librarians, and other professionals who initiate information literacy programs, lead in planning and budgeting for those programs, and provide ongoing resources to sustain them.

This tutorial introduces the concept of Information Literacy especially as it pertains to students in higher education. The tutorial focuses on defining this concept and explaining the 5 standards created by the ACRL to define the "Information Literate" student.
Created by Instructional Services, David L. Rice Library, July 2010

President Obama issued a proclamation in 2009 that declared October to be “National Information Literacy Awareness Month.”

“Every day, we are inundated with vast amounts of information.  A 24-hour news cycle and thousands of global television and radio networks, coupled with an immense array of online resources, have challenged our long-held perceptions of information management. Rather than merely possessing data, we must also learn the skills necessary to acquire, collate, and evaluate information for any situation. This new type of literacy also requires competency with communication technologies, including computers and mobile devices that can help in our day-to-day decision making. National Information Literacy Awareness Month highlights the need for all Americans to be adept in the skills necessary to effectively navigate the Information Age.”

The Rhode Island Library Association (RILA), in collaboration with School Librarians of Rhode Island (SLRI), is pleased to announce that October 2012 has been declared Information Literacy Month in Rhode Island.  Governor Lincoln D. Chafee signed an official proclamation on September 10, 2012, and Rhode Island now joins ten other states currently on board for the National Forum on Information Literacy’s (NFIL) 2012 Information Literacy campaign. 

According to NFIL, Information Literacy Awareness Month is “about empowering every citizen in our nation and around the world with the 21^st century skill set to achieve educational, professional, and personal success…ultimately, sustaining our long term economic future.”  RILA and SLRI strongly support this initiative and believe it can have a positive impact on the citizens of our state.  Through this proclamation, Rhode Island recognizes what President Obama designated in 2009 as skills that every American must gain in order to be engaged and informed participants in the digital age.