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In 2018 the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Educational and Behavioral Sciences Section Social Work Committee was charged with developing a companion document to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education as it relates to social work education and practice. The original effort was the result of a two-year process (2018-2020) to bring about a usable, accessible companion document.
The overarching goal of creating this companion document is to clearly demonstrate where the ACRL Framework and social work educational competencies and standards, as well as professional ethics and values, intersect. From the beginning, we determined it was crucial to consult two major resources from the field of social work. We consulted the Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) as it sets forth thresholds for professional competence and social work education. Similarly, we utilized the National Association of Social Workers' (NASW) Code of Ethics, which outlines the profession's core values informing social work practice. These values include service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence.
In 2021, the NASW updated their Code of Ethics and the CSWE revised EPAS in 2022 to reflect changes in society which, in turn, impact how one learns, teaches, and practices social work. In light of these changes, the Social Work Committee decided to review and amend the companion document in 2023-2024 to reflect changes in these two major resources.
To view where we identified overlaps between social work and librarianship, visit the ACRL Framework tab and note the font in bold text.
While it may be obvious that the core audience for this document are academic social work librarians, we also include social work educators, practitioners, social work students, and academic librarians from other disciplines as the key stakeholders of this tool.
For those outside the social work discipline, we encourage you to utilize this document as a tool for reviewing your own disciplinary documents to see where they may align with the ACRL Framework.
Each section of this document interprets the Framework in the context of:
Maureen Barry, Library Liaison to Human Services, Bowling Green State University
Elle Covington, Assistant Professor, Evidence Synthesis Librarian, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Yali Feng, Behavioral Sciences Research Librarian, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Library
Anita Kuiken, Liaison Librarian to Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, Syracuse University
Stephen Maher, Librarian for Social Work and Psychology, New York University
Jessica Rardin, Library Liaison to College of Health Sciences, University of Wyoming
Laurel Scheinfeld, Health Sciences Librarian, Liaison to the School of Social Welfare, Stony Brook University
