Critical Information Literacy: Foundations, Inspiration, and Ideas

by Annie Downey

Academic librarians are exploring critical information literacy (CIL) in ever increasing numbers. While a smattering of journal articles and a small number of books have been published on the topic, the conversation around CIL has mostly taken place online, at conferences, in individual libraries, and in personal dialogues. This book explores that conversation and provides a snapshot of the current state of CIL as it is enacted and understood by academic librarians. It introduces the ideas and concepts behind CIL and helps librarians make more informed decisions about how to design, teach, and implement programs. It also informs library science scholars and policy makers in terms of knowing how CIL is being taught and supported at the institutional level.

Genres: Nonfiction, Librarianship, Teaching, Library Science, Education

206 pages, Paperback

Published July 11, 2016

About the author

Annie Downey is a regular contributor to Hip Mama and Vermont Woman. Her work has appeared in Harper’s magazine and the Utne Reader, as well as on NPR. She lives in rural Vermont.

Reviews

[Greg Bem · Rating 5 out of 5]

A major text for anyone learning crit IL. Pivotal and necessary for my research.

[Amy Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an informative book!  Downey concisely describes what information literacy is, and further, what critical information literacy is.  Not only that, but she describes the ways in which libraries have succeeded and failed in teaching that to members of the community, as well as the struggles librarians have in instructing.  How does one teach information literacy in a one-shot fifty minute session?  How every piece of writing has some sort of bias, how every piece of writing has layers upon layers of information and production?  

Overall, Downey does a great job at both understanding the difficulties in disseminating this information in various communities as well as suggesting means to aid librarians.  Definitely worth a read, especially if you're going into the academic library setting!

Review cross-listed here!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic overview of critical information literacy - and at only 189 pages (inclusive of references), was concise and well organized. I picked this book after it was recommended at a conference, as a way to get a better handle on definitions and foundations, so I was especially interested in the first two chapters. I found myself nodding quite a bit on chapters 4 and 5 (how critical librarians teach and what critical librarians teach), and then thought I'd skim through the last few chapters on the profession/teaching culture -- but those had some of the best nuggets, and where I took the most notes. I'll be referencing this book often.

[Jesus Hills · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second time I have read this book in the last year. My first read-through was a "grad-school read," so it wasn't read for depth like I did this time. This time, I read through the book quite deeply and got even more than I had the first time. If you are familiar with Paulo Freire or James Elmborg, have a general interest in information literacy or critical information literacy, or work education or librarianship, I cannot recommend this book enough. There is so much food for thought; it wonderfully leaves things open-ended, encouraging others to continue the discourse and research to bring librarianship more squarely into the 21st century. Brilliant read.

[LauraEllen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accessible!

[Doni · Rating 2 out of 5]

A realistic but discouraging portrayal of the current state of critical information literacy and how hard it is to implement successfully.

[Linnea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helped me to think more concretely about a lot of the ideas of critical pedagogy and information literacy that are in my head.