Information Literacy Resources for Faculty: Information Literacy Discipline Standards

The Standards Committee (SC) is a standing committee of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association. It is “Responsible for overseeing the development of standards, guidelines and frameworks adopted and promoted by the Association.” (ALA Handbook of Organization). Authority for other types of statements also resides with the ACRL Board of Directors.

  14.1 Standards, Guidelines, and Frameworks – Description

ACRL establishes criteria for standards and guidelines for academic librarianship along with frameworks for information literacy.

“ACRL is the source that the higher education community looks to for standards and guidelines for academic libraries and frameworks for information literacy. ACRL promulgates standards, guidelines and frameworks to help libraries, academic institutions, and accrediting agencies understand the components of an excellent library. These standards, guidelines, frameworks and model statements are reviewed and updated by the membership on a regular basis.”  (Source: ACRL Standards Web page.)

   14.1.1 Standards

Standards are policies that describe shared academic library values and principles of performance for a library serving a Carnegie-classified institution. In order for a document to be classified as a standard it must:

1. Present goals for library programs, services, and staffing.
2. Serve as a rule or model for quantity, quality, extent, and level of suitability.
3. Support criteria that are qualitative and/or quantitative, both of which are in the process of continuing review.
4. Act as a criterion for decision and actions in the academic community, confirming the planning and administration of library programs and services with regard to value, quality, and suitability.
5. Suggest outcomes to be achieved by academic libraries in the areas described in the standard.
6. Include statements expressed in relative terms, relating performance to norms derived from a reference population.

   14.1.2 Guidelines

Guidelines consist of procedures that will prove useful in meeting the standards. In order for a document to be classified as a guideline it must:

1. Be specific to programs, services, or staffing.
2. Identify a framework for developing policies and procedures.
3. Define qualitative criteria; generally exclude quantitative criteria.
4. Identify factors contributing to effectiveness.
5. Incorporate benchmarks by which programs, services, and staffing may be assessed.

The final versions of all approved standards, guidelines and frameworks are printed in C&RL News and are available free-of-charge from the ACRL website. (Source: ACRL Board, June 1994.)

   14.1.3 Frameworks

A Framework is intended to connect inter-related core concepts for student learning in information literacy appropriate to a variety of contexts. In order for a document to be considered a framework it must:

1. Provide conceptual understandings guiding student learning.
2. Serve to facilitate conversations for creation of relevant learning outcomes.
3. Include a demonstrated tie to the scholarship of teaching and learning.
4. Be intended to evolve as research and practice develop.