#critlib: critical information literacy and the ‘left’

Tweets from the #critlib twitter chat on October 21, 2014. Read more about #critlib here: http://tinyurl.com/critlibx.

  1. This Storify is from October 21st, 2014's #critlib chat on critical information literacy and left politics, moderated by @JessicaCritten. She writes:
  2. "For the purposes of this discussion, we are understanding “politics” to refer to a system of governance, and political ideologies (Democrats! Republicans! Bull Moose!) Here's also an optional reading to help contextualize this conversation a little:
  3. I tried to match everyone's @replies with the tweet it was responding to. Hopefully, most things ended up in the right place. I'm sure some did not. Plus, some things without the #critlib hashtag are missing.
  4. Hi there, #critlib! Tonight we'll be exploring critical info lit and the 'left'
  5. Make sure you add #critlib to your tweets so you'll be heard by everyone in the conversation!
  6. First thing's first: Introductions! I'm Jessica, an instruction librarian in GA, and I'm excited to be moderating #critlib tonight!
  7. hi! I'm lisa, librarian at a small university in los angeles #critlib
  8. Howdy, #critlib! I'm Kelly, outreach librarian in Oregon, and multitasking by making biscuits for dinner.
  9. Hi all, Karen, IL librarian from ON. mostly lurking and listening tonight #critlib
  10. Hi #critlib, Gina at Cal State San Bernardino. Got the #thesmiths playing in the background.
  11. Hey team! I'm Kevin, academic instruction librarian in Southern Colorado. #critlib
  12. hello! mlis student & ga in IL. mostly listening in tonight! #critlib
  13. Hi, all, Holly from NC. Mostly lurking, because I'm writing a paper. Fun, no? #critlib
  14. @HollyCroft Don't worry. I'm mostly lurking too. This seems like an interesting topic. #critlib
  15. I'm Dave. Librarian @ UW Bothell. Riding the bus so I have limited ability to participate. #critlib
  16. Hi #critlib - I'm Christina, academic ref/ instruction librarian at an LAC in Maine, and on the #refdesk tonight
  17. I made it! Megan, academic librarian in the Seattle vicinity #critlib
  18. Q1: Where do you locate the work of #critlib on the political spectrum?
  19. Feel free to keep introducing as we jump in to our first question! Q1: Where do you locate the work of #critlib on the political spectrum?
  20. a1 def 'left of center' but also running counter to neoliberal strands in democratic party narratives. social justice oriented #critlib
  21. I feel like #critlib is fundamentally progressive, given its social justice goals
  22. @nicholsonkp Sure -- I guess, I'm hesitant to say "left" or "liberal" because those labels can lead to unearned backpatting. #critlib
  23. @nicholsonkp Like, "but I'm a liberal!" kinds of things. But I do feel confident that #critlib is far from the conservative right.
  24. @kellymce Agreed. Not big on labels for what we are/do, but I think we share a common view. #critlib
  25. @kevinseeber @kellymce I guess I wonder how much we really have in common. 140 chars prob not enuf to find out! #critlib
  26. “Progressive” sounds fitting for #critlib. It’s not far-left/radical, but definitely critiques status quo from anti-oppressive side
  27. Q1 Because #critlib asks us to toss aside assumptions and look from multiple perspectives at what has been the normal, it would put us left.
  28. #critlib A1- We're def not "conservative" in that we're advocating for change and progress.
  29. Terminology is an loaded thing here, though--there are distinctions b/t 'progressive'/'left'/'liberal' #critlib
  30. A1 I would also place #critlib in a progressive, anti- neoliberal category. This looks left to those right, but is not entirely left-defined
  31. I think left/ right is too binary here- #critlib is critical of both, but looks more left with is progressiveness
  32. a1 the politics of this group do seem left, but I wonder if some folks agree with #critlib but don't associate w left?
  33. .@PeaBriddy There are existing political paradigms that think that way -- some (A)s don't consider themselves left. #critlib
  34. @rowmyboat That was in part what I was thinking. (A)s are likely in that scenario #critlib
  35. I think that aspects of #critlib are amenable to other ideologies, particularly libertarianism
  36. Libertarians are against surveillance, for example #critlib
  37. Even though libertarians (sp?) are not interested in sj #critlib
  38. @PeaBriddy @ibeilin It’s a weird word. Paulo Freire uses it as ~ equiv. to “liberationist” in 1960s texts. Reads very different #critlib
  39. @ibeilin @PeaBriddy Does sound like a great use of signifyin’. But Freire discusses liberation theology & I think Cornel too…? #critlib
  40. A1 But the left of course often fails to be critical, internal and external overlooking and/or assuming no bias #critlib
  41. Q1 I'm usually skeptical of "movement politics" on any side. I think "not conservative but spanning a spectrum from there" is right #critlib
  42. .@aasher @edrabinski Only if we think every other axis of oppression is reducible to economic. #critlib
  43. @edrabinski Class / socioeconomic analysis is something librarians are incredibly uncomfortable with. @rowmyboat @aasher #critlib
  44. @edrabinski Examining privilege & entrenched bias in some areas is acceptable, in others shied away from. @rowmyboat @aasher #critlib
  45. @JessicaCritten @Bibliocracy @edrabinski @rowmyboat Challenging the fundamental assumptions of capitalism is still often frowned on #critlib
  46. @JessicaCritten @edrabinski @rowmyboat @aasher It's certainly easier & safer to approach, say, precarity from some other framework. #critlib
  47. @JessicaCritten @edrabinski @rowmyboat @aasher It's something I value. There's a certain element of "world we have" to discourse. #critlib
  48. @JessicaCritten @edrabinski @rowmyboat @aasher You often see "progressive" LIS mvmts largely unconcerned w/ industry, vendors &c #critlib
  49. .@aasher @Bibliocracy @JessicaCritten @edrabinski And that's not strictly a $$ thing. It's race, gender, health/(dis)ability, etc. #critlib
  50. @aasher @JessicaCritten @edrabinski @rowmyboat Yes; my concern is that we may be losing structural battles against oppression [+] #critlib
  51. @aasher @JessicaCritten @edrabinski @rowmyboat Even as we approach "structure" from below by confronting aspects of it [+] #critlib
  52. @aasher @JessicaCritten @edrabinski @rowmyboat But it's v. easy to ignore behemoths in which we're all to some degree complicit [-] #critlib
  53. @rowmyboat @aasher @JessicaCritten @edrabinski Also there's a natural desire for success in advocacy efforts. More fulfilling.. [+] #critlib
  54. @rowmyboat @aasher @JessicaCritten @edrabinski ..to tackle things where you can have impact than confront cap. - "breaks the world" #critlib
  55. @delaubrarian @JessicaCritten I don't teach a lot, but I see critical analysis of the libr as inst a key part of assessment work #critlib
  56. Q2: Do you acknowledge the political leanings of #critlib in the classroom? Why/why not?
  57. Q2: Do you acknowledge the political leanings--however you define them--of #critlib in the classroom? Why/why not?
  58. For me, #critlib is pedagogical approach as much as content covered
  59. Q2 Yes critical leanings, try to do it by exposing the ways in which I struggle to be conscious to not shame or alienate students #critlib
  60. For those of you who are upfront that the work you are doing is left/progressive/etc, how do you introduce this in this classroom? #critlib
  61. @nicholsonkp @JessicaCritten @kellymce Aim is to create informed citizens. Rather they change minds honestly, then force politics #critlib
  62. a2 I try to balance making my political perspectives known and not being heavy handed. #critlib
  63. .@ibeilin still waiting for you to publish your opening remarks from #lacuny14 which addressed political R and #critlib!
  64. @nicholsonkp Hmm. I never considered that as a possibility. Does one publish such things? #critlib
  65. @ibeilin op-ed, perhaps for special issue of journal on topic? blog? proceedings? or develop into article! you had great stuff #critlib
  66. @nicholsonkp Thanks for the encouragement - I shall do so! Any takers out there? #critlib
  67. .@JessicaCritten It really depends on the kind of classroom. I do a lot of informal teaching & then lay it right out. #critlib
  68. a2I Students need to know that we have their/our liberation in mind. Changes the whole dynamic #critlib
  69. @JessicaCritten Def as part of eval, which I frame as a set of ?s we ask the text. I'll then ask, "are we privileging certain ?s" #critlib
  70. @JessicaCritten When I talk databases, I always talk about how wrong it is that knowledge is privatized. #critlib
  71. @JessicaCritten I also ask them who isn't here? Whose voices aren't showing up in EBSCO? Why not? How do you find those voices? #critlib
  72. A2 If admit to political leanings in class, I avoid easily-misconstrued terms in favor of describing principles. #critlib
  73. A2: Rarely overtly -- it is, uh, never a stated learning outcome. Which is an interesting idea, thought. #critlib
  74. #critlib A2- I'm more likely to acknowledge politics in small groups, where convo is more meaningful, than class with 25 people.
  75. Q2 I've not really worked in a classroom context, but at my former (teen public lib) job I wasn't shy about being an advocate. #critlib
  76. Q3 How do you strike a balance b/t serving the social justice goals of
    #critlib and respecting the political ideologies of your students?
  77. Q3: How do you strike a balance b/t serving the social justice goals of #critlib and respecting the political ideologies of your students?
  78. I think students' ideologies should be challenged--as a part of their education #critlib
  79. Q3: This is where the bit about "neutrality" and "both sides of an issue" comes out. #critlib
  80. A3: Keeping an eye to the power balances. Who's got power & how in that pedagogical situation. #critlib
  81. Q3: Ask students to consider what it is to be invisible. Ralph Ellison's eternal question. How does it show up in the classroom? #critlib
  82. #critlib A3- I like to ask students open-ended SJ questions and let their views speak for themselves. And try to give all chance to speak up
  83. @kevinseeber I sometimes have issues doing this well; the students who speak up are often the ones wielding privilege unawares #critlib
  84. @kevinseeber while many in the room may be marginalized/afraid to share. I'm trying to learn how to facilitate that better #critlib
  85. @meganjwatson Yeah. Needs work to create atmosphere where all feel welcome. Often worth (politely) singling out quiet students. #critlib
  86. @kevinseeber which I find somewhat terrifying as a former quiet student myself :) #critlib
  87. @meganjwatson @kevinseeber Having smaller groups, or written assignments can help -- in front of The Whole Class can be hard! #critlib
  88. @JessicaCritten @meganjwatson I've found it helpful to expose my own vulnerabilities. Try to remove facade of my authority. #critlib
  89. @kevinseeber @meganjwatson I think that's at the heart of the lot of the work of critical pedagogy, and #critlib I do the same thing
  90. @JessicaCritten @meganjwatson @kevinseeber great critique of critical pedagogy on these grounds by feminists Luke and Gore 1994 #critlib
  91. @Bibliocracy Yes, 'progressives' are often still capitlalists, only they're for a 'capitalism with a human face.' #critlib
  92. It is open access week, so that’s definitely a relevant Q. I’m not sure if that’s #critlib intent, but possibly that’s the effect. @aasher
  93. @foureyedsoul I read Freire as starting from a Marxist approach, so for me it seems a core issue #critlib
  94. Try to mediate it as much as I can, but I always have the fear that stud. will shut down when forced to confront a faulty ideology #critlib
  95. A3: I used an identity assignment, asking them to define their personal contexts. I then asked how that shaped und of the world. #critlib +
  96. +A3: It respected their worldview, but illustrated role of personal bias in info seeking process. #critlib
  97. A3 seems to be about the questions you ask. And, preventing the devolution into an opinion-based battle. #critlib
  98. A3 Guess I basically aim to have all in class question their thoughts equally, all have supporting reasons, hope all change a bit #critlib
  99. A3: I encourage students to express their views by expressing my own. That's risky, but I don't see what the alternative is. #critlib
  100. @ibeilin curious about in what context: one-shot would seem difficult #critlib
  101. A3: #critlib is also about learning from students, and from that perspective I want them to have different views than me.
  102. Q4: Are you upfront about your personal political beliefs in your classroom? Why/why not? #critlib
  103. Thanks for the transition, @ibeilin! Q4: Are you upfront about your personal political beliefs in your classroom? Why/why not? #critlib
  104. Librarian types, if you're not in on the #critlib chat tonight, you're really missing out.
  105. This might be king of wishy-washy to some of you, but I really think empathy needs to be at the core of what we do. #critlib
  106. @papertronica @kellymce very good point. think empathy and self-reflection key to critical stance #critlib
  107. A4: I don't make it explicit, let what we do and what we cover speak for my position #critlib
  108. @ginaschless Yes! inquiry bases as opposed to claiming to have the correct political perspective #critlib
  109. I like having conservative students, but where I'm at they're always in the minority. Don't know what I'd do if it was the opp. #critlib
  110. Damn, #critlib is hard to keep up with, but makes me feel SO much better about being a library worker. Hope others also take heart from it.
  111. A4: If it's pertinent (often is, shrug). Not like I can hide it. It's important to show others those political positions are real. #critlib
  112. A4: In a kind of casual, Utah Phillips kind of way, "Now I'm an anarchists, so..." Like it's completely normal. #critlib
  113. A4: And it's not like I wasn't saying some far out stuff before I put a label on it! #critlib
  114. A4: But that's a luxury I have, due to the kind of work Ive been doing recently. Not all get that option, I know. #critlib
  115. A4: I think many bits of how I present myself hint at my political leanings. Does that mean I'm "upfront"? #critlib
  116. A4: I never say "dudes, I believe X." But I'm thinking about how the traces manifest. I'm curious to ask some of my students. #critlib
  117. @kellymce maybe you don't need to be...? think imp to consider what would be gained and lost in the classroom #critlib
  118. @kellymce I feel like I have to moderate my own self-presentation very closely. But some things you care about because you have to. #critlib
  119. A4: Also, obviously, context is everything. Duh, but, yeah. #critlib
  120. #critlib A4- I wonder if demographics of students influence comfort of ideological disclosure? I do more with older students than teens.
  121. @FromtheShelves Yeah, me too. I have a blast teaching night classes w/ people coming back to school. Very open w/ each other. #critlib
  122. #critlib A4: when it's pertinent. as a student, however, i don't always feel as though in a safe space despite attestations to the contrary
  123. Q4: In one-shots, the views of the other professor are also a factor in some cases. That can go both ways. #critlib
  124. A4 When I am upfront about myself, it is 2b affirming for students. I'm not trying to change them, but open new lines of thinking #critlib
  125. A4 I talk about the radical idea of right of first sale and what it means that digital books are restricted. Speaks for itself. #critlib
  126. A4 Possibly bc I’m male, find it easy to say I’m feminist in class—starts conversation. But economic stances feel different. #critlib
  127. @foureyedsoul Or some heady combination! Interesting, though. How do students react? #critlib
  128. @kellymce Varies from straight guys being !SHOCKED! to women or queer folk smiling for 1st time in term. Yet to have hostility. #critlib
  129. Q5: What place, if any, does politics have in information literacy curriculum? #critlib
  130. Alright, folks, last question (it's a broad one!) Q5: What place, if any, does politics have in information literacy curriculum? #critlib
  131. Q5: This is #critlib: all curriculum is political, esp. info lit.
  132. #critlib A5- Absolutely need to convey that information is in itself political. Creation, dissemination, evaluation, all of it.
  133. @kevinseeber alas, a stance not at all fostered in most of my classes #critlib A5
  134. Q5: I think politics are there, whether we choose to acknowledge them. I tend to engage w/them bc, tbh, I'm more engaged that way #critlib
  135. Q5: must be addressed. in current context, information is all about political economy, social justice #critlib
  136. @nicholsonkp Or, put another way, today information is all about oppression and injustice #critlib
  137. about to totally geek out on #copyright implications of #critlib - like peanut butter and chocolate!
  138. Is it in our wheelhouse as librarians to challenge students to be critical of their political ideologies? #critlib
  139. ...I ask, after conversations with people who wonder to the extent that politics is my 'territory' #critlib
  140. @JessicaCritten at least in a narrow sense, rel. to information. in a broader sense, as (critical) educators #critlib
  141. @JessicaCritten Sometimes, we have an easier time because we generally *aren't* giving students a grade. #critlib
  142. @JessicaCritten Who is the they? Students? I find that not being the evaluator often helps me build rapport with students. #critlib
  143. Q5 I think my politics are clear from readings I assign, meltdowns I have in class. Hard to hide! #critlib
  144. @edrabinski Yeah! I guess I'm struggling with the personal-as-political -- how could I be an authentic teacher while hiding this? #critlib
  145. @kellymce Tough in context of LIS class I'm teaching. Feel more like I should mask my politics, give everybody room in the class. #critlib
  146. @papertronica @kellymce @edrabinski Affect def. has place in class, demonstrates These Things Matter & worth thinking abt deeply #critlib
  147. @papertronica @kellymce @edrabinski But it’s also super hard to do in a way that promotes participation for all. #critlib
  148. Q5: I mean, politics is an area where we hope citizens use their #infolit. #critlib
  149. @kellymce @JessicaCritten Again, I think it's a good idea for them to question any ideology. It's not just political. #critlib
  150. @JessicaCritten @kellymce For sure. But for me dogma & the status quo-in any form-are the prob. #critlib
  151. @kellymce true. but have read critiques of that premise b/c doesn't address inequality in access to info #critlib
  152. @kellymce O'Connor 2009, and Pawley (date?) on LIS curriculum come to mind #critlib
  153. Thinking about that session at LIWest talking about "motivated reasoning," and how giving ppl "good info" won't change politics. #critlib
  154. Q5 The curriculum is political. Every choice we make. #critlib
  155. @JessicaCritten We can ask challenging/thoughtful ?s & plant the seed. I try to remember when working w/18 yo it can take time #critlib
  156. @meganjwatson @JessicaCritten My demeanor as a librarian is very “guide on the side”, sort of Freirean. #critlib
  157. @meganjwatson @JessicaCritten Feels like students will take me as seriously I'm willing to take them, i.e. being myself. #critlib
  158. A5 I actually think on the backend - infolit should help people to formulate & understand politics rather than determining it #critlib
  159. Dunno how we could teach knowledge organization structures and not upend some ideology! Or at least expose that they're operating. #critlib
  160. A5: It also just seems valuable to acknowledge that stuff gets political. Information, school, all kinds of stuff. #critlib
  161. @kellymce Yes, and most of the students I encounter are keenly aware of the politics of these things. #critlib
  162. Q5 What is our choice of pedagogy and what it assumes about our students? How does it inform our interpretations/teaching infolit? #critlib
  163. #critlib pitches!
  164. Oh, folks, I can't believe we are coming to the end of #critlib! Went by so fast! Let's all toss in our lib pitches!
  165. I'm pitching (gently!) a big thank you to @oksveta for being gracious enough to storify the chat tonight! Thank you! #critlib
  166. As always, if you're interested in tossing out a topic for (+/or moderating) a future #critlib, fill out this form:  http://tinyurl.com/critlibmod 
  167. stoked that tonight's #critlib on info lit ties directly w/ class discussion on thurs, & yet, prepared to be disappointed.
  168. Also, before I wrap up I also have to pitch the next #critlib, hosted by the brilliant @kevinseeber on #critlib and lifelong learning!
  169. Thank you all SO MUCH for such a great #critlib tonight! Keep the convos going! You all have my vote!
  170. Apropos of our topic tonight, we will skip Nov 4th (elections). Next #critlib hosted by @kevinseeber, November 18!
  171. Thanks @JessicaCritten & everyone for fantastic #critlib tonight. Was _exhausted_ from long day before, now I’m energized again!