White Paper Outlines New AI Literacy Framework
Building An AI Literacy Framework
Choice (ACRL) 2024 White Paper
This recently released white paper, Building an AI Literacy Framework: Perspectives from Instruction Librarians and Current Information Literacy Tools, was authored by Sandy Hervieux and Amanda Wheatley, both of McGill University. Part of a series published by Choice, a division of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), the work was underwritten with generous support from Taylor & Francis.
While information literacy frameworks and standards have traditionally helped librarians plan their instruction sessions, these structures do not address AI. With the intent to help gain a better understanding of the place of AI literacy in information literacy instruction at academic libraries, Choice and its technology content channel, LibTech Insights, with generous underwriting by Taylor and Francis, have created the White Paper, “AI Literacy Framework: Perspectives from Instruction Librarians and Current Information Literacy Tools”. This white paper reports on interviews with instruction librarians about AI literacy. From the analysis of the interviews, we will identify the main themes and concerns related to AI for academic libraries and develop a robust framework for AI literacy.
Executive Summary
With growing discussions around generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, librarians are now confronted with accessible AI technology that students are using to offset their research and writing tasks. Information literacy frameworks and standards have traditionally helped librarians plan their instruction sessions; however, these structures do not address AI. Many librarian-led workshops have started to appear to help students create chat prompts, verify the information provided by ChatGPT, and use AI tools critically. While some discussion has started around the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy and the place of AI within it, we propose that a new framework is needed to address all the complexities of artificial intelligence. This white paper aims to report on interviews with instruction librarians about AI literacy. From the analysis of the interviews, we will identify the main themes and concerns related to AI and develop a robust framework for AI literacy. Readers of the white paper should gain a better understanding of the place of AI literacy in information literacy instruction and be able to use a rigorous structure to plan their own interventions.
Key Insights
- Determine the perspectives of instruction librarians on AI literacy
- Evaluate current literacy frameworks for their ability to adapt to the landscape of artificial intelligence
- Create a robust AI literacy framework
The creators of this framework identify several emerging skills that other information literacy frameworks do not represent in detail, such as:
- Prompt engineering, one among a host of different skills required to use AI tools
- Critical evaluation that goes beyond authority and looks at the ethics and bias
- An understanding of ethical implications, such as for labor and the environment
- New ways to attribute the creation/editing of content