Roadblocks in partnership: Teaching faculty, librarians, and the implementation of critical information literacy pedagogy

Abstract

There is a disconnect between how teaching faculty understand information literacy and the ways librarians frame these intersecting concepts and skills. As librarians have moved away from a standards-based approach, faculty have embraced this assessable but overly-simplified model. Faculty agree information literacy is important for everyone, but it is another topic of which instructors must stay continuously informed. The challenge for librarians becomes one of instructing faculty and their students simultaneously. Librarians cannot achieve the goals of critical pedagogy without teaching faculty partnerships.

This presentation will share initial findings from a mixed-methods study on faculty perceptions of information literacy. By applying these findings in our everyday praxis as critical instruction librarians, we aim to recognize and critique power structures within a system that inherently suppresses our agency and expertise. The session will include reflection moments for participants to consider their local circumstances and adapt to their critical practice.