Investigating Faculty Perceptions of Information Literacy and Instructional Collaboration

Abstract

This exploratory mixed-methods study investigates faculty perceptions of information literacy (IL), its instruction, and librarian collaboration teaching IL since the adoption of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education at the authors’ institution. Many previous studies examining these questions were completed when the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education was the guiding document for the profession. Like earlier studies, findings from this study clearly demonstrate that faculty value IL and that collaborations occur in differing and inconsistent forms. However, at the authors’ institution, there is a misalignment between faculty and librarians in what IL is and what it encompasses, including the amount of overlap between critical thinking skills and IL. The data indicates a discrepancy between the value faculty place on IL and the instructional interventions supporting student IL skill development. The authors discuss the implications of these findings in their local context.

Keywords

• information literacy
• critical thinking
• library instruction
• faculty perceptions
• ACRL Framework
• ACRL Standards