La Salle University: Connelly Library

Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education

The ACRL Framework is organized into six frames, each consisting of a concept/standard essential to the information literacy process. The concepts or frames are listed below in alphabetical order.

The Six(6)Frames: https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency

1. Authority is Constructed and Contextual       
2. Information Creation as a Process
3. Information Has Value
4. Research as Inquiry  
5. Scholarship as Conversation
6. Searching as Strategic Exploration

The graphic below is a user-friendly translation of the six frames. Puzzle pieces are used to restate the function of each frame and to demonstrate the interconnection between the concepts in the information literacy process. The puzzle pieces also provides a step-by-step approach for conducting college-level research. 

Step-by-Step: Rewording/Reformatting the 6 Frames

1. State/Identify what is needed (Research as Inquiry)
2. Choose/Select resources (Information Creation as a Process)
3. Search available resources (Searching as Strategic Exploration)
4. Evaluate materials within the resources (Authority is Constructed and Contextual)
5. Synthesize the materials to solve problem or create a product (Scholarship as Conversation)
6. Cite what is used (Research has Value)

• Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation

  This latest edition of Characteristics was revised in 2015 to reflect the new distance education and correspondence education requirements of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008.
• MSCHE Standards for Accreditation and Requirements of Affiliation, 13th Edition

  These revised standards were adopted in 2014.

Teaching and Learning Competencies:

• Develop a Topic/State what is needed
• Select resources/What resources are you going to use?
• Search resources/Develop a strategy to locate materials
• Evaluate the findings
• Synthesize materials into a product (i.e., research paper, presentation, etc.)
• Cite resources used/Address ethical issues ( i.e., plagiarism, copyright, etc.)