Librarian and Faculty Conversations about Information Literacy: A Pilot Study on Communication across Disciplinary Boundaries
Abstract
The purpose of this pilot study is to discover how academic instruction librarians discuss the concept of information literacy with faculty colleagues outside the library and information science field; how they negotiate shared meanings of the term; and what pedagogical actions result from these conversations. The researcher interviewed a purposive, convenience sample of three early-career ILI librarians employed at private colleges in the Northeastern United States to ascertain their perspectives on the quality and nature of their conversations with faculty members about information literacy. The researcher used the theoretical framework of Etienne Wenger’s dimensions of boundary processes to interpret the qualitative interview data. The researcher discovered that the interviewed instruction librarians do not often discuss disciplinary definitions of information literacy with their faculty colleagues, that they adapt their teaching as needed to meet faculty expectations, and that they develop fruitful pedagogical partnerships with key faculty “allies.”
Department
UNH Manchester Library
Publication Date
6-2-2022
Journal Title
Library Philosophy and Practice
Publisher
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Gamtso, Carolyn B., "Librarian and Faculty Conversations about Information Literacy: A Pilot Study on Communication across Disciplinary Boundaries" (2022). Library Philosophy and Practice. 1456.
https://scholars.unh.edu/faculty_pubs/1456
Rights
The Author assigns to the Editors of Library Philosophy and Practice (LPP) the right to publish and distribute her/his manuscript as an electronic journal article. The assignment will be effective so long as LPP is available on computer networks. The Author will remain the sole owner of her/his manuscript and of the copyright in that manuscript. The Author may publish the manuscript in any other journal or medium but any such subsequent publication must include a notice that the manuscript was also published by LPP. LPP readers may copy or download the article resulting from the author’s manuscript from the network. Any distribution or publication of said article by readers will constitute an infringement of the Author’s copyright. The Author agrees to hold LPP blameless for any unauthorized use of the article by its readers.