Interpreting the Conventions of Scholarship: Rhetorical Implications of the ACRL Framework

Abstract

Few librarians have examined the implications of Rolf Norgaard's theory of "writing information literacy," a rhetoric-based concept that situates research practices in context. Because the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education emphasizes research as a social practice, it seems appropriate to revisit this idea. This article explores how interpretive conventions—communal rules and guidelines that coordinate rhetorical construction and interpretation of texts—are implicated in each frame of the Framework and constrain participation in scholarship. This perspective can inform collaborations between librarians and faculty to develop critical rhetorical awareness, enabling students to read and respond to the interpretive conventions of any context.