Information Literacy Accreditation Mandates: What They Mean for Faculty and Librarians

Regional accreditation agencies have established mandates for higher education institutions to implement information literacy programs and to assess the resultant learning outcomes. This mandate calls for a shift in the established library instruction paradigm at many institutions. Responsibility shifts from librarians teaching students how to locate materials for particular assignments, to faculty and librarians working together to embed the teaching and learning of information literacy skills systematically into syllabi and curricula. The new paradigm requires librarians and faculty to adapt a broader sense of the role of information literacy skills in higher education and in the preparation for the professional workforce. It also demands the learning of new methods and concepts by both teaching faculty and librarians, as they develop a collaborative approach to the integration of information literacy into general education and disciplinary education.