The Seven Pillars of Information Literacy

In 2011, the SCONUL Seven Pillars of Information Literacy model has been updated and expanded. While the basic principles underpinning the original Seven Pillars model, first published in 1999, remain valid, we now live in a very different information world and the new model reflects more clearly the range of different terminologies and concepts which we now understand as Information Literacy.

In order for the model to be relevant to different user communities and ages, the new model is presented as a generic "core" model for Higher Education, to which a series of "lenses", representing the different groups of learners, can be applied.

Currently, the Core Model and the Research Lens have been published (links available below). In addition, we have now completed drafts of the model through a Digital Literacy lens and an Open Content lens, and would welcome feedback on these. We hope that teachers and librarians representing other learner groups will participate in the development of other lenses.

Current Documents

The SCONUL Seven Pillars of Information Literacy, Core Model for Higher Education, 2011

The SCONUL Seven Pillars of Information Literacy Research Lens for Higher Education, 2011

The SCONUL Seven Pillars of Information Literacy diagrams for download and use

Drafts lenses:

The SCONUL Seven Pillars of Information Literacy through a Digital Literacy lens, updated January 2012

The SCONUL Seven Pillars of Information Literacy through an Open Content lens, 2011


The Seven Pillars in Action

The Seven Pillars model has been adopted by librarians and teachers around the world as a means of helping them to deliver Information Literacy to their learners. Some recent examples of this include:

The Welsh Information Literacy Project have used the model within the Information Literacy Framework for Wales published in 2011.

The model was also referred to within A New Curriculum for Information Literacy, developed by an Arcadia project to establish a practical curriculum for IL that meets the needs of the undergraduate student entering HE over the next 5 years.

The Research Information Network have mapped the Researcher Development Framework against the Seven Pillars Research Lens and vice versa, and have also produced an information literacy taxonomy that encompasses both models: The RDF and the Seven Pillars of Information Literacy

A study into the use of the 7 Pillars Model by SCONUL institutions was carried out in 2008-2009 by Cathryn Gallacher.


Around the World with the 7 Pillars

The Working Group on Information Literacy is keen to discover examples of the use of the 7 Pillars model in different countries and has collated a brief summary of some activities from around the world relating to the model. If you are using the model, we would be very pleased to hear from you.


Original Documents

In 1999, the SCONUL Information Skills Task Force published Information skills in higher education: a SCONUL position paper (SCONUL, 1999), introducing the Seven Pillars of Information Skills model. Web | PDF

The Original Seven Pillars of Information Literacy model
Copies of the original model available for download and use.

The Seven Headline Skills expanded
An updated explanation of the seven headline skills by Sheila Webber