Social Work Librarians Promoting Social Justice through Critical

Social Work Librarians Promoting Social Justice through Critical Information Literacy Sarah Johnson, MLIS, LMSW, Hunter College Stephen Maher, MLIS, New York University

Fellow members of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Educational and Behavioral Sciences Section (EBSS) Social Work Committee who contributed to this project include: Yali Feng, Behavioral Sciences Research and Data Services Librarian, Library Liaison to Psychology, Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Olivia Given Castello, Head of Business, Social Science, and Education, Library Liaison to the School of Social Work, Temple University Carin Graves, Library Liaison to Social Work, Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University Special thanks to Maureen Barry and Scott Marsalis for their suggestions, proofreading, and additional contributions.

Objectives 1. Discover what ACRL Framework is and how it aligns with the EPAS & NASW COE via the Companion Document 2. Critical information literacy (CIL) and how it supports students and practitioners to engage in research-informed practice. 3. Consider the importance of initiating partnerships with academic librarians to incorporate the Framework into curricula and advance equity in access to research.

What is Information Literacy? “Information literacy is the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning. ” (ACRL, 2016)

What is Information Literacy?

• Authority is constructed and contextual • Information creation as a process • Information has value • Research as inquiry • Scholarship as conversation • Searching as strategic exploration

ACRL CSWE NASW

Authority is constructed and contextual Information resources reflect their creators’ expertise and credibility, and are evaluated based on the information need and the context in which the information will be used. Authority is constructed in that various communities may recognize different types of authority. It is contextual in that the information need may help to determine the level of authority required.

Social Work Practice In Social Work, Authority is Constructed and Contextual is exemplified in the process of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) where a social worker formulates a research question, searches for empirical evidence, and integrates their findings with their client's values and culture to inform treatment. The social worker recognizes the authority of empirical research, the information resources it is contained in and contextualizes it according to their expertise and the needs, values, and culture of their client.

Social Work Education Social work students are taught that individual clients and communities are the authorities of their lived experience. They learn that this knowledge is a type of authority and must be considered alongside professional guidelines and research in order to provide effective treatment or advance solutions. Social work librarians introduce students to the process of academic scholarship and how to distinguish it from these other sources of knowledge.

Examples of Learning Objectives and Activities 1. Learning Objective: Discuss how we “know” something by comparing personal experience, tradition, authority, popular media, and common sense to the scientific method. • Activity: Facilitate a discussion on scientific versus unscientific ways of knowing; drawing examples from history or current events. 2. Learning Objective: Identify examples of authority in the context of credible or trustworthy sources. • Activity: Introduce a case study and discuss the various aspects in which sources of information determine the treatment and services the client receives.

acrl. libguides. com/sw

What is Critical Information Literacy? Critical Information literacy expands on definitions of Information Literacy taking into consideration “the social, political, economic, and corporate systems that have power and influence over information production, dissemination, access, and consumption. ” (Gregory & Higgins, 2013)

How do you teach Critical Information Literacy? • How can we present power structures within information economies? • How might we highlight the impact of information in shaping our consciousness and perspectives? • What can we do to empower scholars to raise their critical consciousness of information? • How might we inspire scholars to apply their critical consciousness in pursuit of social justice?

• Authority is constructed and contextual • Information creation as a process • Information has value • Research as inquiry • Scholarship as conversation • Searching as strategic exploration

• Authority is constructed and contextual • Developing critical consciousness • Information creation as a process • Cultivating talents & integrity • Information has value • Digital divide & open access • Research as inquiry • Encouraging critical thinking and iteration • Scholarship as conversation • Implementation & translation • Searching as strategic exploration • Seeking help & providing service

Action • How is our program promoting critical information literacy? • Are our librarians embedded into the SW curriculum in meaningful ways? • How can this guide help us to foster research-informed practitioners? • Do we have a shared understanding of “information literacy”?

Hunter College Libraries, CUNY, 2020.

EPAS 2022

Association of College & Research Libraries [ACRL]. (2016). Framework for information literacy for higher education. http: //www. ala. org/acrl/standards/ilframework ACRL Social Work Committee. (2019). Companion documents to the ACRL framework. https: //acrl. libguides. com/sw Bausman, M. & Ward, S. L. (2016). The Social Work Librarian and Information Literacy Instruction: A Report on a National Survey in the United States. Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian 35(3), 109 -122. Bingham, T. J. , Wirjapranata, J. , & Chinnery, S. -A. (2016). Merging information literacy and evidence-based practice for social work students. New Library World, 117(3/4), 201– 213. https: //doi. org/10. 1108/NLW-09 -2015 -0067 Council on Social Work Education [CSWE]. (2015). Educational policy and accreditation standards. https: //www. cswe. org/getattachment/Accreditation-Process/2015 -EPAS/2015 EPAS_Web_FINAL. pdf. aspx CSWE. (2019 a). Recommended educational policy changes for EPAS 2022. https: //www. cswe. org/getattachment/Accreditation/Information/2022 EPAS/Final-Proposed-Recommended-EP-Changes-for-EPAS-2022 -Feedback-Website-(1). pdf. aspx Doney, J. (2018). Situating Library Instruction: A Case Study of Upper-Division Social Work Seminar/Practicum Courses. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 1– 20. https: //doi. org/10. 1080/13614533. 2018. 1460726 Gregory, L. & Higgins, S. (2017). Reorienting an information literacy program toward social justice: Mapping the core values of librarianship to the ACRL Framework. Communications in Information Literacy, 11(1), 42 -54. Gregory, L. , & Higgins, S. (Eds. ). (2013). Information literacy and social justice: Radical professional praxis. Sacramento, CA: Library Juice Press. Mapp, S. , Mc. Pherson, J. , Androff, D. , & Gatenio Gabel, S. (2019). Social Work Is a Human Rights Profession. The Social Worker, 64(3), 259– 269. https: //doi. org/10. 1093/sw/swz 023 National Association of Social Workers [NASW]. (2018). NASW code of ethics. https: //www. socialworkers. org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of. Ethics-English Vess, D. & Trull, L. (2018, March 17). Weaving connections: Utilizing a library – social work partnership to build information literacy skills. 2018 Annual Conference Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors, Atlanta, GA. https: //commons. lib. jmu. edu/letfspubs/142/