"I Don't Think Librarians Can Save Us": The Material Conditions of Information Literacy Instruction in the Misinformation Age

Authors

Amber Willenborg, University of LouisvilleFollow
Robert Detmering, University of LouisvilleFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-2025

Department

Libraries

Abstract

This national qualitative study investigates academic librarians’ instructional experiences, views, and challenges regarding the widespread problem of misinformation. Findings from phenomenological interviews reveal a tension between librarians’ professional, moral, and civic obligation to address misinformation and the actual material conditions of information literacy instruction, which influence and often constrain librarians’ pedagogical and institutional roles. The authors call for greater professional reflection on current information literacy models that focus on achieving ambitious educational goals but which may be unsuitable for addressing the larger social and political crisis of misinformation.

Comments

Accepted for publication in College & Research Libraries, July 2025.

ThinkIR Citation

Willenborg, Amber and Detmering, Robert, ""I Don't Think Librarians Can Save Us": The Material Conditions of Information Literacy Instruction in the Misinformation Age" (2025). Faculty and Staff Scholarship. 949.
https://ir.library.louisville.edu/faculty/949

ORCID

0000-0002-2898-3198