Moving Beyond the “Framework Blues”: Teaching Information Literacy with a Social Justice Lens
The ACRL Instruction Section (IS) 2017 ALA Preconference Planning Committee invites you to share preconference program proposals for workshops about transitioning from the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education to the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, specifically through a social justice lens. ALA 2017 will be held June 22-27, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. ALA Preconferences will take place on June 23, 2016.
The transition from the ACRL Standards to the Framework is in full force, yet many academic librarians are unsure how to proceed with this new, unfamiliar document and feel daunted by the task. Moreover, with the push for critical information literacy and social justice-oriented instruction in academic librarianship, some librarians have critiqued the Framework for having liberal ideological underpinnings and assuming a universality that doesn’t account for historical difference or responsibility to the other. The Framework mentions power relations in some places, but these references and gestures towards critical information literacy are inconsistent. Many questions about teaching with the Framework remain. How can the Framework be used to teach critical information literacy fully and authentically? How is the Framework compatible with social justice-oriented instruction?
With these questions in mind, the Instruction Section invites proposals for workshops on transitioning to the Framework specifically with a social justice lens. Many different types of critical information literacy or instruction scenarios using the Framework could be addressed. For example,
- Have you taught students about the marginalization of certain voices in academic discourse, and the privileging of academic discourse in general over other types of discourse, incorporating the frames Information Creation as a Process, Authority is Constructed and Contextual, or Scholarship as Conversation?
- Have you taught students about information privilege, the injustices of digital divides, and the ways in which students might participate in the Open Access movement, incorporating the frames Information Has Value or Research as Inquiry?
- Have you taught students about their own power, privilege, and oppression, using Scholarship as Conversation or Research as Inquiry, in ways that have helped them reflect on their roles in society and encouraged direct action or political participation?
- Have you been able to use critical race theory, feminist epistemologies, or other contemporary critical approaches to teach some of these frames?
Workshops that address both the Framework and critical information literacy or social-justice oriented instruction will be considered. Workshop proposals may address the following:
- Lesson planning, assignment or curriculum design
- Assessment
- Service learning, or problem-based learning
- Discipline-specific instruction
- Professional development opportunities for colleagues or other librarians
- Critiques of the Framework from the perspective of critical information literacy
- Critical pedagogy
- Any additional aspects of teaching involving both the Framework and critical information literacy or social-justice oriented instruction
During the full-day preconference, participants will develop the skills to help them succeed in this transition to the Framework through a social justice lens by exploring the language of the Framework and reflecting upon the Framework’s compatibility with social justice themes through several hands-on activities. We welcome proposals in any of the following formats:
- Facilitated roundtable discussions, 50 minutes
- Interactive workshops, 50 minutes
- Presentations, 20 minutes
- Panels, 75 minutes (including time for questions)
Application Deadline: October 14, 2016
To submit a proposal, please use the online submission form. Submissions should be 500 words or less and include 2-3 learning outcomes.
The ACRL IS Preconference Committee will review all proposals and applicants will be notified by November 4, 2016.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the IS Preconference Planning Committee chair, Robin Ewing rlewing@stcloudstate.edu.
We look forward to hearing from you!
