Problem

[draft]

My general intellectual aim is to grapple with what I believe is a practical, felt problem for many people – namely an underlying anxiety and sense of impotency concerning one’s personal circumstances that is often assuaged by retreating into entertainments and immediate satisfactions or by embracing simplistic representations of the world and false promises of certainty. A guiding assumption, one shared by multiple social and cultural theorists and critics, is that modern (and post-modern) social and cultural conditions make locating the source of personal “troubles” more difficult and do not support the cultural and personal habits necessary for coping with shared anxiety individually felt. To be clear, the anxiety I am talking about is both general (or shared, if not always recognized as such) and specific (or individual) but in both instances historical, meaning it is shaped, at least in part, by human choices and actions (or interaction) rather than just “human nature.” In other words, the anxiety I believe is generated from conditions of modernity (and post-modernity) is not part of a universal human condition. The long-term project is to develop adequate language and theoretical tools to talk about the problem and possible solutions. (from "Bowen Theory Working Prospectus," April 2012)

So ... this independent study is an opportunity to take up this "problem" in the context of libraries and information centers, in the context of library and information science.  The link between the first paragraph and the one to follow lies in the question: Why would information literacy be considered as the best path for thinking about this problem in the first place?  What were my going assumptions that directed by attention to information literacy as a possible topic that would illuminate this problem?

How do librarians use information and communication technologies to put into concrete practice the normative standards, goals, and ends described in the American Library Association policy statements when other forces are using these same technologies to undermine these ends? This author believes librarians must offer more than information. Providing users with instruction in information literacy might be the best avenue available to librarians interested in fostering a vital democracy. This instruction should include more than how to evaluate information resources. It should also include cultivating a critical stance towards how information is used and the value of treating controversial or challenging materials objectively. There are clearly limits to a librarian’s ability to foster habits of information use conducive to rational debate and negotiation. If instruction is not an option, libraries might devote more space and time to public programming and local organizations, thereby providing the venue for a public sphere to arise. Reading groups around issues of public concern also offer an opportunity for librarians to model democratic habits of rational argumentation, listening, responsible debate, and compromise.  (from "Social Constructs of Information" final paper, May 2012)

What is information literacy?  We do not start with a "blank slate," so what is the discourse?  What tools do we have to critique it?

What is the problem information literacy is meant to solve?  How is this related to existing discourse and practice?

Why is information literacy of value?