Visual literacy is essential for 21st century learners. Across the higher education curriculum, students are being asked to use and produce images and visual media in their academic work, and they must be prepared to do so. The Association of College and Research Libraries has published the Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, which, for the first time, outline specific visual literacy learning outcomes. These Standards present new opportunities for libraries to expand their role in student learning through standards-based teaching and assessment, and to contribute to campus-wide collaborative efforts to develop students' skills and critical thinking with regard to visual materials.

Web 2.0 technology has impacted the information literacy (IL) program at The American University in Cairo. Librarians use Flickr to teach databases in a required IL course. The article presents a case study and gives recommendations for developing similar lesson plans and for incorporating 2.0 technologies into librarians' personal and professional lives. Using social software to teach IL concepts is appropriate for today's tech savvy, visual students and makes for a creative, student-centered teaching and learning environment. The authors call for a move toward IL 2.0.

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