Framework for communicating library training at a South African university

Abstract

This article combines social constructivist and transformative paradigms to propose a framework for communicating library training to first-year students. Although performance indicators for literacy are universal, there are explicit attempts to move away from a universal approach to information literacy, as exemplified in the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. This article addresses the fragmentation of teaching and learning practices in a single case study of University of the Free State libraries. Data were collected using two methods: an integrated literature review; and document analysis. Literature and documentary evidence were found to justify a call for developing an underpinning theory for planning purposes. Furthermore, it was found that synthesized concepts from models, ideas and frameworks can inform new pedagogical approaches. This article proposes the Authority Pedagogy Socialization framework for communicating library training to first-year students and concludes with several recommendations.