Truth or Consequences: Academic Instruction Librarians as Information Literacy and Critical Thinking Activists
Year: 2023
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The graphic edition of Snyder’s On Tyranny (2021) states "truth dies in four modes," which is a contemporary synthesis connected to Klemperer's Language of the Third Reich (1957). The researchers connected these four modes to information literacy (IL) instruction—but would others? The researchers surveyed academic librarians engaged in IL instruction on whether they felt they addressed any of the modes in their work. The researchers also asked whether they believe the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education works to circumvent any of the four modes. Nearly 150 librarians responded and, while most respondents were unfamiliar with the two texts referenced and their thoughts were mixed, many saw their work and the Framework as antagonistically related to Mode 1 (Open Hostility to Verifiable Reality). This paper discusses survey results and their implications for better understanding of how academic librarians engaged in IL instruction view their work in a socio-political context.
Authors: Laureen Cantwell-Jurkovic, Heather Ball
Language: English
Subfield: Library and Information Sciences
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4389728946