Blending Informing Literacy and Visual Literacy: Instructional Vignettes in Art, Architecture, and Design

Authors

Stephanie Beene, University of New Mexico - Main CampusFollow
Sara Schumacher, Texas Tech UniversityFollow
Dana Statton Thompson, Murray State UniversityFollow
Mary Wegmann, Western Washington UniversityFollow

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

Fall 9-2025

Abstract

The ACRL Framework for Visual Literacy in Higher Education (Framework for Visual Literacy), based on empirical research into the trends, opportunities, and challenges facing the field of visual literacy in the twenty-first century,1 was codified in April 2022 and is an adaptable document to help learners grow their visual literacy competencies. In this chapter, written by four of the task force members charged with the creation of the Framework for Visual Literacy, we examine the relationship between the four themes in the Framework for Visual Literacy and the six frames of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education and argue for the joint use of the two frameworks for creating accessible, inclusive, and critical library pedagogy.

Although the Framework for Visual Literacy was conceived as discipline-agnostic; the authors are practitioners in art, architecture, and design in addition to being librarians. Therefore, we have also provided vignettes of using these frameworks within our work as subject librarians. Each vignette highlights information and visual literacy concepts, providing readers with examples they can adapt to local contexts, including architecture, art and ecology, and exhibition planning for a university library gallery.

Publisher

Association of College & Research Libraries

Publication Title

Teaching Information Literacy by Discipline: Using and Creating Adaptations of the Framework, eds. Scott P. Libson and Malia E. Wiley

First Page

23

Last Page

31

Language (ISO)

English

Recommended Citation

Beene, Stephanie; Sara Schumacher; Dana Statton Thompson; and Mary Wegmann. "Blending Informing Literacy and Visual Literacy: Instructional Vignettes in Art, Architecture, and Design." Teaching Information Literacy by Discipline: Using and Creating Adaptations of the Framework, eds. Scott P. Libson and Malia E. Wiley (2025): 23-31. https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/ulls_fsp/220