Perceptions of LIS Professionals on ACRL Framework: Understanding and Fostering Concepts, Skills and Attitudes in Academic Students

A few years after the publication of the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (Association of College and Research Libraries, 2016), its impact has been studied at different levels and in several regions (Guth et al., 2018; H. Julien et al., 2020; H. E. Julien et al., 2020). However, it was only very recently that this main document was Portuguese-translated (ACRL et al., 2022), which poses a challenge for information professionals in Portugal. Regardless, this shift has brought renewed energy and a new level of discussion around the training provided by academic information professionals, who pay increasing attention to teaching and learning methodologies. The pedagogical role of librarians becomes more pressing as teaching becomes more researched, with pedagogical methods, constructivist learning, multiplying research techniques, and information literacy as fundamental learning elements (Caffrey et al., 2022). How do Portuguese professionals react to the opportunity to know it deeply and objectively and to the possibility of applying the orientations emanating from this document? This study is part of a national project on information literacy applied to academic students and aims to analyze the perceptions of LIS professionals about the knowledge and practical applicability of the six conceptual frames that make up the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education. From an extensive literature review and the creation of an online survey of academic librarians’ perceptions of the ACRL Framework, conducted in January 2023, the survey used a 5-point Likert scale on aspects of understanding the frames, knowledge practices, and dispositions that students can develop in an academic context with the support of LIS professionals. The results show librarians’ initial knowledge of the topic but a solid will to proceed with actions regarding it. Therefore, based on the translation of the Framework into Portuguese, a set of activities associated with each of the frames and the creation of pedagogical materials (e.g., open PowerPoints) and training spaces (e.g., webinars, conferences), to support the informal training provided by the LIS professionals, were promoted. As information literacy programs continue to be integrated, implemented, reflected, and reviewed in libraries (informal education) and integrated into academic curricula (formal education), the Framework is a reference document on which information professionals and teachers can find and support inspiration. In this context, and if we want more and better information to pass through higher education, we need to optimize and make valuable access to it. Given the proliferation of (dis)information, librarians must urgently assume the task of training in this area, developing their skills at the pedagogical level.

References

• ACRL, Sanches, T., Antunes, M. L., & Lopes, C. (2022). Referencial da literacia da informação para o ensino superior (tradução portuguesa). BAD. Retrieved from https://bad.pt/formacao/projetos/combater_desinformacao/
• Association of College and Research Libraries. (2016). Framework for information literacy for higher education. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/acrl/files/issues/infolit/framework.pdf
• Caffrey, C., et al. (2022). Library instruction and information literacy 2021. Reference Services Review, 50(3), 271–355. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-09-2022-0035 
• Guth, L. F., et al. (2018). Faculty voices on the Framework: Implications for instruction and dialogue. Libraries and the Academy, 18(4), 693–718.
• Julien, H., et al. (2020). Information literacy practices and perceptions of community college librarians in Florida and New York. Communications in Information Literacy, 14(2), 287–324. https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2020.14.2.7
• Julien, H. E., Gross, M., Latham, D., & Baer, A. (2020). The information literacy framework: Case studies of successful implementation. Rowman & Littlefield.

Tatiana Sanches¹, Maria Luz Antunes², Carlos Lopes³

¹UIDEF, Instituto de Educação, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal; 
²Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa (ESTeSL), Portugal; 
³APPsyCI, Ispa-Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal