- Examine the visual media content, details, metadata, textual information, and relationships with other images 
- Determine the subject of visual media
- Identify information gaps and formulate questions


Interpreting Meaning of Visual Media: Review Associated Image Information

- Develop an understanding of the visual media creation context (temporal, geographic, economic, political, social, cultural)
- Consider how the creation context affects intent and meaning, and consider how that can change over time.
- Examine the design choices made by the creator of the visual media (composition, elements, framing, etc.)
- Determine the intended audience, and consider how the audience along with the interpretation can change over time.
- Examine the choices made around any social and cultural identifiers


Interpreting Meaning of Visual Media: Explore the Contexts

- Examine the aesthetic and pictorial elements (color, line, style, etc.).
- Determine the methods, materials, techniques, or any technologies that were used
- Work out if the visual media is original work
- Inspect visual media for any form of alteration

Interpreting Meaning of Visual Media: Examine the Components

- Discuss your analysis of the visual media with others
- Consult expert opinion regarding the visual media analysis
- Integrate analytical methods and viewpoints from any relevant fields of study

Interpreting Meaning of Visual Media: Corroborate Your Analysis

- Review associated image information
- Explore the contexts of an image
- Examine the various components of the visual media
- Corroborate your analysis


University of Colorado at Boulder

Visual literacy encompasses the knowledge and skills required to locate, understand, assess, use, and construct visual media.  Visual literacy skills include analyzing aspects of a visual work’s context, culture, ethics, aesthetics, ideas, concepts, expression, and technical properties.

Visual Literacy

"ACRL Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education", American Library Association, October 27, 2011. http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/visualliteracy (Accessed July 13, 2021).

ACRL Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education

1.Evaluate the type and scope of the visual media need

2.Effectively locate and obtain visual materials

3.Evaluate and construe meaning from visual materials

4.Assess visual materials and visual media sources

5.Use visual materials competently and with purpose

6.Compose visual materials that are useful, purposeful, and communicate meaning effectively

7.Understand the contexts and issues surrounding the use and creation of visual media, and behave ethically in the use and procurement of visual materials


ACRL Visual Literacy Standards

- Determine your intent and purpose
- Define your criteria
- Devise essential terms
- Examine relevant use practices
- Examine sources
- Examine a variety of visual works
- Explore visual communication and adaptation



How to Define a Visual Media Need

- Look within and without a discipline
- Adapt to copyright and use conditions
- Form a search strategy
- Integrate new terms and adapt search
- Explore related images
- Join visual and topical research process
- Assess your collection and adapt
- Use tools and methods necessary to acquire and use visual media
- Organize collected visual media


How to Find and Access Visual Media

How to Interpret Meaning of Visual Media

- Determine if visual media effectively communicates
- Appraise the design, technical, and quality characteristics
- Assess any associated textual material
- Determine if visual media sources are reputable

How to Evaluate Visual Media and Sources

- Appropriately select visual media for various goals and contexts
- Employ visual media technology successfully
- Creatively integrate visual media in academic work
- Successfully communicate through use of visual media and in discussion of visual media

How to Use Visual Media Successfully

- Create visual media for a variety of contexts
- Implement design strategies and exercise creativity
- Utilize various visual media production technologies
- Assess your visual media creations

How to Create Effective Visual Media

- Explore and consider the variety of social, ethical, legal, and economic issues that encompass visual media creation, ownership, sharing, use, alteration, attribution, etc. 
- Be aware of and adhere to acceptable conventions (ethical or legal) for interacting with and using visual media
- Properly cite and attribute when using visual media in any shared setting or communicative manner

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