The Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (2015) is the most current Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) guide for the academic community regarding information literacy/competency. Under the Framework, information literacy is defined as "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."
The Framework is a significant departure from ACRL’s earlier publication, Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (2000), replacing the five standards and 22 performance indicators with six frames based on core information literacy concepts, each frame including its own set of knowledge practices and dispositions. Knowedge practices are defined as "demonstrations of ways in which learners can increase their understanding of these information literacy concepts," and dispositions "describe ways in which to address the affective, attitudinal, or valuing dimension of learning." A chart created by Amanda Hovious correlating the Standards with the new Framework is helpful in comparing the two.
The Framework's structure and the pedagogical approaches it encourages are informed by key learning theories including Understanding by Design, learning transfer, threshold concepts, and metaliteracy.
Find out more about the six concepts that anchor the frames within the tabs on this guide.
Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. (2015). Chicago: Association of College & Research Libraries.