Teaching and un-teaching source evaluation: Questioning authority in information literacy instruction

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay

Study on the design and evaluation of library instruction sessions for undergraduate students aimed at strengthening critical source evaluation and questioning established authorities. Uses thematic analysis of 148 student artifacts from group and individual activities. Finds strong dependence on traditional signs of academic authority, while some learners develop broader, personal, or more complex views of source evaluation, trustworthiness, and authorship. Offers recommendations for librarians to promote learners’ agency and authority.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Authority in academic libraries

Critical pedagogy and critical information literacy

Study purpose and approach

Materials and Procedures

Teaching and Un-Teaching Source Evaluation: Questioning Authority in Information Literacy Instruction Katelyn Angell, Long Island University Eamon Tewell, Long Island University Abstract This study details the design of library instruction sessions for undergraduate students that intended to encourage critical source evaluation and the questioning of established authorities, and appraises these instructional aims through a thematic analysis of 148 artifacts containing student responses to group and individual activities. The authors found a widespread reliance on traditional indicators of academic and scholarly authority, though some students expressed more personal or complex understandings of source evaluation, trustworthiness, and authorship. Based on the findings, recommendations are made for academic librarians interested in promoting learners’senses of agency and authority. Keywords: Information literacy instruction; critical information literacy; authority; resource evaluation Angell, K. & Tewell, E. (2017). Teaching and un-teaching source evaluation: Questioning authority in information literacy instruction. Communications in Information Literacy, 11 (1), 95-121. Copyright for articles published in Communications in Information Literacy is retained by the author(s). Author(s) also extend to Communications in Information Literacy the right to redistribute this article via other scholarly resources and bibliographic databases. This extension allows the authors'copyrighted content to be included in some databases that are distributed and maintained by for-profit companies. All other rights of redistribution are licensed by Communications in Information Literacy under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BYNC-SA 4 .0) . Teaching and Un-Teaching Source Evaluation: Questioning Authority in Information Literacy Instruction Introduction Twenty-five years ago, noted librarian and scholar Patrick Wilson inquired,“Authority is desirable; how does one get it? And, in particular, is there any way in which bibliographic instruction can play a role in getting it?” (1991, p. 259) . These questions, among others related to the concept of authority in academic libraries, are being more frequently explored. What dynamics are at play in terms of authority and students’evaluation of sources? How does the exercise of authority by a teacher shape a learning environment, particularly in the academic library setting, where the content and methods a librarian teaches may be determined by a course instructor’s requests? How are larger systems of authority and dominant knowledge enacted within higher education, and how can teaching and library instruction question and interrupt them? The fields of critical pedagogy and critical information literacy investigate these questions of power and disenfranchisement within teaching, and act as a foundation for the authors’ research into student authority and source evaluation that is the focus of this study. This project began with the authors’ interest in exploring notions of authority within library instruction sessions at a mid-sized urban university in the United States, including how authority is used by teachers to the benefit or detriment of learners, and how learners might begin to reclaim their own authority. While it is not necessarily desirable nor even possible for teachers to reduce or eliminate their authority within a classroom, it is important to understand how one’s authority and associated institutional power is exerted so that it is not wielded to the detriment of learners. In rethinking their instructional efforts, the authors sought to begin with students’experiences, promote students’sense of personal empowerment, and encourage learners to consider the complexities of source evaluation. This study seeks to better understand student conceptions of source evaluation and associated ideas of trustworthiness, credibility, and au

FAQs

What was the main purpose of the library instruction sessions described in the study?

The sessions aimed to encourage critical source evaluation and to question established authorities in information literacy instruction.

How did the authors evaluate the instructional aims?

They conducted a thematic analysis of 148 artifacts containing student responses from both group and individual activities.

What did the study find about students’ use of authority indicators?

Many students relied on traditional indicators of academic and scholarly authority, while some expressed more personal or complex understandings of evaluation, trustworthiness, and authorship.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by jay