Embracing Challenges in Times of Change - A Survey of the Readiness of Academic Librarians in New Jersey for Transition to the ACRL Framework

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay

Surveying information literacy (IL) leadership across New Jersey, this paper examines how academic librarians and IL coordinators were preparing to adopt the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. It documents perceived challenges and opportunities in shifting from the prior ACRL IL Competency Standards to the Framework’s new model, including strategies for curriculum integration, assessment planning, and building buy-in with campus partners. Timing is central because the Standards were rescinded two months after the survey administration.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Background and rationale for transition

Study purpose and research questions

Survey overview and early findings

Embracing Challenges in Times of Change: A Survey of the Readiness of Academic Librarians in New Jersey for Transition to the ACRL Framework Leslin H. Charles, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Abstract Many academic librarians in the state of New Jersey (NJ) have successfully integrated information literacy (IL) into the curriculum using the ACRL IL Competency Standards for Higher Education (Standards) . These Standards formed the underpinnings ofIL curriculum mapping and assessment plans, and have been adopted by administrators in higher education institutions across the state. The advent of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (Framework) prompted the author to survey IL coordinatorsto investigate how their institutions are embracing the opportunities presented by the challenge of looking at IL through this new lens. This paper presents a snapshot of NJ librarians’ readiness to adopt the Framework: challenges, opportunities, new approaches to IL integration, and gaining buy-in from relevant campus partners. This study is timely because the Standards were rescinded two months following the administration of the survey. Keywords: ACRL Framework, ACRL Standards, NJ Academic Librarians Charles, L. H. (2017) . Embracing challenges in times of change: A survey of the readiness of academic librarians in New Jersey for transition to the ACRL Framework. Communications in Information Literacy, 11(1), 221-245. Copyright for articles published in Communications in Information Literacy is retained by the author(s). Author(s) also extend to Communications in Information Literacy the right to redistribute this article via other scholarly resources and bibliographic databases. This extension allows the authors'copyrighted content to be included in some databases that are distributed and maintained by for-profit companies. All other rights of redistribution are licensed by Communications in Information Literacy under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BYNC-SA 4 .0) . Embracing Challenges in Times of Change: A Survey of the Readiness of Academic Librarians in New Jersey for Transition to the ACRL Framework Introduction The advent of the new ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (Framework) in February 2014 generated professional discourse among librarians from all types of institutions. Many hoped that they would see a co-existence with the ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education (Standards). In fact, in January 2015, a group of librarians in New Jersey (NJ) penned an Open Letter (Dalal, 2015) specifically asking the ACRL Board that this be considered by stating,“the Standards do need revising, and in doing so can be mapped to the Framework to create cohesive documents that are used in tandem.” Notably, this letter garnered 352 signatures from 38 states. Those signing the letter represented medical, law, naval academy, online, state, and research institutions. Co-existence of the documents was particularly important for NJ librarians. Significant strides were made working with faculty and administrators to integrate information literacy (IL) competencies into curricula, and to develop structured paths as students progressed through their academic careers from community college and beyond. Dempsey, et al. (2015) outline these accomplishments as: 1. The agreements involving transfer of credits from community college to a public four-year institution, which have been in practice since 2008 under the Lampitt Law’s Comprehensive Statewide Transfer Agreement. 2. The use of Information Literacy Progression Standards (Progression Standards) (New Jersey Library Association, 2009) for “curriculum planning and course mapping, and for articulation agreements that guarantee credit transfer between institutions. They have also been used to discuss IL expectations with faculty to help integrate IL into

FAQs

What did the survey indicate about librarians’ confidence and next-step intentions?

Findings report that 35% of New Jersey academic librarians felt confident communicating Framework-related changes, and 31% said they would begin moving toward the Framework in the new academic year. The study also notes that administrators had shifted attention from Standards-based integration to other higher education priorities such as retention and assessment.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay