Information literacy as a social practice: A threshold concept for academic instruction librarians

Abstract

Introduction. This poster presents research from a dissertation study that was the second phase of a two-phase study. The first phase of the study found that viewing information literacy as a social practice was a threshold concept for academic instruction librarians in the United States. This study builds on that finding by examining how the threshold concept describes the experiences of currently practicing academic instruction librarians. This poster will show the original threshold concept, the revised threshold concept and describe how academic librarians taught from a social practice perspective. Methods. Focus groups and semi structured diary entries were used to collect data from nine academic instruction librarians in the United States and Canada. Focus groups were held in September and December, 2021. Diary entries were collected weekly between the two sets of focus groups. Analysis. Qualitative content analysis was performed using Atlas.ti version 22 and Excel. Results. The original model was adjusted with the addition of supports that can help academic instruction librarians confront and avoid tensions that push them towards teaching skills out of context. Conclusion. The adjusted model was decided to be an accurate representation of participants’ experiences.