Information literacy has been recognized as a maturing, soft discipline (Webber & Johnson, 2017). Despite the acknowledgment of its evolution as a discipline (Johnston and Webber, 1999; 2006), the information literacy community has been slow to acknowledge the disciplinarity of information literacy. Revisiting this idea, this panel describes how information literacy aligns with elements of a discipline, including 1) a community of scholars, 2) communication networks 3) code of ethics, 4) traditions and history 5) modes of inquiry, and 6) shared knowledge. Panelists will engage attendees in considering potential outcomes of recognizing information literacy as a discipline, including more robust collaborations, new research agenda, and enhanced curricula.
The four panelists are members of an international group of researchers (ILIAD: Information Literacy Is A Discipline) interested in advancing scholarly conversation around the idea that information literacy is a maturing discipline. The session will begin with the panel moderator describing the work this group has undertaken to further this discussion, including hosting conversations with members of the information literacy community around the world, and plans to publish an edited book on the subject in 2025. Contrasting with alternative views, we will outline how information literacy aligns with the characteristics of a discipline, and its relationship with other disciplines.
The panelists work in different areas of the field. (1) An instruction coordinator at a community college will focus on how acknowledging that information literacy is a discipline supports promoting information literacy instruction to departmental faculty. (2) A librarian at a research institution will emphasize how recognizing information literacy as a discipline supports librarian researchers in exploring information literacy in new contexts. (3) A library and information science educator (LIS) and (4) an educational researcher will focus on how the idea of information literacy as a discipline may influence research as well as impact graduate education. Each of the panelists will answer these questions in turn: 1) what do they see as the implications of recognizing information literacy as a discipline? and 2) how can this recognition help us advocate for more institutional resources to develop new information literacy curricula and research? After each has answered, the panelists will engage in discussion.
Following discussion by the panelists, attendees will be asked to share their views concerning recognizing information literacy as a discipline and the implications for their work in the field, leading to an open discussion. At the end of the session, attendees will be invited to continue the discussion in a community channel on a Discord server.
References
Johnston, B., & Webber, S. (1999). Information literacy as an academic discipline: An action research approach to developing a credit bearing class for business undergraduates. In M. Klasson, et al. (Eds.), New fields for research in the 21st century: Proceedings of the 3rd British Nordic Conference on Library and Information Studies, 12-14 April 1999, Boras, Sweden (pp. 183–197). Boras: The Swedish School of Library and Information Studies, University College of Boras.
Johnston, B., & Webber, S. (2006). As we may think: Information literacy as a discipline for the information age. Research Strategies, 20(3), 108–121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resstr.2006.06.005
Webber, S., & Johnston, B. (2017). Information literacy: Conceptions, context and the formation of a discipline. Journal of Information Literacy, 11(1), 156–183. http://dx.doi.org/10.11645/11.1.2205
