Digital Badging for Information Literacy Instruction: Diffusion of Innovations Analysis and Case Study

Digital badging has seen widespread adoption within the US higher education sector with continued growth predicted. Might digital badging present an underrealized opportunity for libraries seeking new vehicles through which to deliver information literacy instructional content? This paper offers an analysis of badging in higher education and considers the strengths and weaknesses of digital badging for asynchronous information literacy instruction by employing Dr. Everett Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations theoretical lens. Current evidence is presented and a case study is provided, detailing Samford University Library's development of an information literacy digital badging pathway incorporating the ACRL Framework and the institution's Christian mission.