Employability Discourse in Digital Literacy Frameworks: Analysis in Australian University Libraries

This paper explores the relationship between digital literacy and employability within Australian university libraries through institutional digital literacy frameworks through the research question: How do Australian university libraries incorporate employability discourse within their digital literacy frameworks? There is an established discourse on the practical application of information and digital literacies in professional contexts, espoused by universities. However, there has not been obvious linkages between employability and digital literacy, but rather implicit linkages that digital literacy is critical in enhancing student employability. The value of information and digital literacy is evident in many Australian university libraries' initiatives as they respond to the focus on graduate employability by acknowledging changes in workplace skills with the increasing proliferation of digital technologies. Overall, this paper explores what relationships there are among Australian Universities' digital literacy frameworks within the larger context of universities' responsibility in enhancing their graduates' employability and how and to what extent, if any these have been communicated with the content of the frameworks.