Rubrics are a rapidly growing subfield of information literacy assessment, providing a powerful tool for understanding student learning. This paper explores the role that the creation and application of an information literacy rubric can play in program development. Because of the Information Literacy in Student Writing assessment project at Carleton College, opportunities for information literacy instruction have opened up, we have begun the long process of arriving at a shared understanding of information literacy on campus, and our information literacy program is better integrated with campus-wide goals.