Information Literacy Through Theory

Information literacy research is growing in importance, as evidenced by the steady increase in dissertations and research papers in this area. However, significant theoretical gaps remain. Information Literacy Through Theory provides an approachable introduction to theory development and use within information literacy research. It provides a space for key theorists in the field to discuss, interrogate and reflect on the applicability of theory within information literacy research, as well as the implications for this work within a variety of contexts. Each chapter considers a particular theory as its focal point, from information literacy and the social to information literacy through an equity mindset, and unpacks what assumptions the theory makes about key concepts and the ways in which the theory enables or constrains our understanding of information literacy. This book will provide a focal point for researchers, practitioners and students interested in the creation and advancement of conceptually rich information literacy research and practice.

Table of Contents:
Introduction: Themes, Patterns and Connections Alison Hicks, Annemaree Lloyd, Ola Pilerot Democracy and Information Literacy John Buschman Information Literacy and the Social: Applying a Practice Theory View to Information Literacy Annemaree Lloyd Information Literacy in a Nexus of Practice: a Mediated Discourse Perspective Noora Hirvonen The Radical and the Radioactive: Grasping the Roots of Theoretically Informed Praxis in Brazilian Studies on Critical Information Literacy Arthur Bezerra and Marco Schneider Locating Information Literacy Within Discursive Encounters: A Conversation with Positioning Theory Alison Hicks Plural Agonistics Johanna Rivano Eckerdal Critical Literacy and Critical Design Veronica Johansson Information literacy through an equity mindset Amanda Folk Sociomateriality Jutta Haider and Olof Sundin Surfacing the body: Embodiment, Site and Source Annemaree Lloyd Variation Theory : Researching Information Literacy Through the Lens of Learning Clarence Maybee Information Literacy: What Consciousness and Cognition Can Teach Us John Budd Information Literacy Theorised Through Institutional Ethnography Ola Pilerot Conclusion: Alerting us to Difference. Alison Hicks, Annemaree Lloyd, Ola Pilerot

About the Author :
Alison Hicks is Assistant Professor and Programme Director, Library and Information Studies at University College, London (UCL). Her research primarily focuses on how information literacy practices help people to cope with uncertainty, including risk and transition, within academic, health, everyday and work contexts. She is additionally interested in qualitative, visual and participatory information literacy research methods and is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Information Literacy. With a PhD from the Swedish School of Library and Information Science, University of Borås and an MSIS from the University of Texas, Austin, Alison worked as an academic librarian at the University of Colorado, Boulder and the Inter-American Development Bank for ten years prior to taking up her position at UCL. Annemaree Lloyd is Professor, Department of Information Studies, University College, London (UCL). Annemaree is a social science researcher who conducts research into information literacies and contemporary information practices in formal and informal learning connected to workplaces, community settings and in education. Her research focuses on the intersection between information, learning, and the performance of practice from theoretical and empirical perspectives. Annemaree is the leader of the FOIL (Forum of Information Literacy) and has published over 100 refereed journal articles, and conference proceedings. She is the author of Information Literacy Landscapes (2010) and The Qualitative Landscape of Information Literacy Research (Facet) and has co-edited several titles focused on information literacy and research methods. Ola Pilerot is Professor at the Swedish School of Library and Information Science (SSLIS), University of Borås, where he teaches and publishes within the field of information practices. Together with Professor Jutta Haider he leads the research group Information practices and digital cultures at SSLIS. He is widely published in international peer reviewed journals, including Journal of Documentation, Information Research, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Library Trends, and Journal of Librarianship and Information Science.

Review :
This book collects, in 13 chapters, perspectives on information literacy as an activity within democratic, educational, social, individual and body based theory. The introductory chapter very helpfully introduces the range of theories external to library and information science used in information literacy research – cognition, criticality, discourse, materiality, practice, sociocultural, sociopolitical and sociotechnical. Each chapter provides insights that can be considered to tailor and rethink established information literacy programs to more effectively empower our clients.