Head of Information Literacy University at Albany, SUNY
The ACRL Framework's six threshold concepts are an attempt to articulate some of the shared wisdom developed by librarians over decades of information literacy-related practice and scholarship. This is no easy task considering that much of what experts know about their discipline is often so integrated into their thinking that recognizing it, much less putting it into words for the benefit of non-experts, can be a challenge.
While the Framework does an admirable job of capturing this implicit knowledge in its existing frames, there may be one idea present within the Framework that is fundamental to information literacy teaching and learning but which is not recognized as a threshold concept in and of itself. That is the contextual nature of research.
The purpose of this presentation is to make the case that the contextual nature of research deserves recognition as a threshold concept for information literacy. This argument will build on the presenter’s previous research on incorporating conversations about context into information literacy teaching. These past arguments have always been built on the premise that context is important to information literacy because it is in the Framework. Here, the presenter will explore the possibility that the reverse is actually true: that context is present in the Framework because it is important to information literacy teaching. In other words, recognizing the contextual nature of research as a threshold concept would not be adding anything new to our teaching but instead reflecting a way of thinking that has always been there, even if we ourselves did not always realize it.
The presentation will include practical suggestions for recognizing the ways in which research context is already an important part of information literacy teaching. This is the first step to further highlighting context in our lessons in ways that will particularly benefit learners who may lack confidence in their research skills due to issues related to information privilege. For those who want to take things even further, the presentation will also offer creative ideas for incorporating lessons about personal, professional, and creative research into different models of information literacy instruction for more impactful teaching.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the ways in which context matters to the research process and how this idea is present in both the ACRL Framework and traditional information literacy instruction
Apply knowledge about research context to their own information literacy teaching in order to enhance existing lessons
Create innovative new lessons aimed at teaching information literacy through a contextual lens