Reconsidering Literacy

Literacy, until recently, was defined as the ability to read printed text and to understand the nuances of both the form and content of that printed text. More recently there has been a focus on subsets of literacy – data literacy, numeracy, visual literacy, media literacy, etc. – that recognizes the means of communicating ideas and facts are not limited to the printed text and that there are multiple means which may be more powerful ways of communicating in our world. In recent years, higher education has been redefining what it means to be educated – from a focus on specific bodies of knowledge, or disciplines, to a focus on developing and mastering skills for varying modes of inquiry. Simultaneously, there has been a growing focus on expanding how students and faculty communicate knowledge – what was once strictly the term paper approach is being replaced by the oral presentation, the poster session, or the artistic response. In a world where ideas are more readily communicated via social media such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, the ability to accurately assess additional modes of communication is critical. This paper will explore different subsets of literacy, describe a method for developing mastery of those literacies in higher education, and advocate for academic library professionals to become specialists focused on literacies as much, if not more, than on content.