Presented at LILAC 2016

1. PERCEPTIONS & UNDERSTANDINGS
o f t h e
elizabeth a. berman  merinda kaye hensley
ACRL FRAMEWORK
F O RI N F O R M A T I O N
L I T E R A C Y

2. RS Elizabeth A. Berman
Library Associate Professor
University of Vermont
elizabeth.berman@uvm.edu
@elizabethberman
Merinda Kaye Hensley
Assistant Professor
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
mhensle1@illinois.edu
@mhensle1

3. OVERVIEW Survey Design
Demographics
Engagement with the ACRL Framework
Perceptions of the ACRL Framework
Reflection
Q&A

4. SURVEY
DESIGN Online survey with open and closed-
ended questions.
2 groups:
• Invited respondents
• Open respondents
Total (N=356)
• Invited, response rate 38% (n=117)
• Open (n=239)

5. DEMOGRAPHIC
S Demographics:
• Institution
• Position
• Percentage workload for instruction
• ACRL Immersion participation
• Years as professional librarian
• Year MLIS obtained
• Age

6. demographics

7. demographics

8. demographics

9. ENGAGEMENT
How the ACRL Framework is being
used… and why it’s not.

10. framework: fall 2015

11. framework: fall 2015

12. S Attitude towards ACRL Framework
and component parts.
Perceptions of learning theories in
ACRL Framework:
• threshold concepts
• metaliteracy
• essential concepts

13. perceptions: framework

14. To be information literate, a person must be able
to recognize when information is needed and
have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use
effectively the needed information.
ALA Presidential Committee on Information Literacy Final Report
information literacy definition: 1989

15. 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 for Information Literacy for Higher Education
information literacy definition: 2015

16. perceptions: definition

17. perceptions: core concepts

18. core concepts
“I think librarians become limited to 'presenters' when we stick with
skills-based knowledge acquisition....helping students master concepts
and their application elevates us as instructors and students as
learners.”
“I think they [the frames] lack a sound theoretical basis. I think there
is insufficient evidence to support the claim that these are six concepts
that students actually struggle with in precisely the ways they are
described. I think they are intentionally vague and ambiguous. That is
to say, I think you can take what you're doing locally and find a way to
read into the Frames, but I don't think you can take the Frames and
figure out what to do locally. In other words, they offer no guidance.”

19. learning theory

20. learning theory

21. N
What have we learned about the ACRL
Framework – and our profession – as a
result of this survey?

22. ?
Elizabeth A. Berman
elizabeth.berman@uvm.edu
@elizabethberman
Merinda Kaye Hensley
mhensle1@illinois.edu
@mhensle1