The following sections on the ACRL Framework are copied and modified from A Beginners Guide to Information Literacy and ACRL Framework by William Perrenod.

Introduction

Welcome to “A Beginner’s Guide to Information Literacy,” a step-by-step guide to understanding information literacy concepts and practices.

This guide will cover each concept included in the “Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education,” a document created by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) to help educators and librarians think about, teach, and practice information literacy. The goal of this guide is to break down the basic concepts and put them in accessible, digestible language so students can think critically about information and how we use it.

To start, let’s look at the ACRL definition of information literacy, so we have some context going forward:

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.

Boil that definition down and an information literate student can apply these essential competencies:

• determine the extent of the information needed
• access the needed information effectively and efficiently
• evaluate information and its sources critically
• incorporate selected information into one’s knowledge base
• use information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose
• understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally

We’ll be looking at each of the competencies listed above in sequential order and the ACRL concepts listed alphabetically below. None of the competencies or a particular concept is more important than another; all need to be used in combination with the others.

In alphabetical order, the concept frames are:

• Authority is Constructed and Contextual
• Information Creation as a Process
• Information Has value
• Research as Inquiry
• Scholarship as Conversation
• Searching as Strategic Exploration