Innovating with History: How an Archival Intervention Diminishes Snow�s �Dangerous� Divides

Critical Pedagogies and Critical Information Literacy in STEM librarianship: A Literature Review

“…Several authors used physical artifacts from archives and map collections to examine power in STEM knowledge production, by giving students a lens into the historical development of disciplines. Grimm and Vostral (2019) and Leslie and Anderberg (2015) describe teaching with archives as a counterpoint to the common historical narrative that "technology progresses according to its own logic with no regard to the social, economic, legal, or other frameworks around it" (p. 3). In both cases librarians taught archival research alongside faculty in courses on the sociology, philosophy, and/or history of science and technology, so that students had "tools to interpret technological, medical, and scientific innovations and their consequences, and to understand that technical processes and outcomes are not value-neutral" (Grimm & Vostral, 2019, p. 149).…”

“…As Tranfield (2019) points out: "if this workshop were to be repeated in a different map library, that library's collection would produce its own case studies reflecting the culture of the institution" (p. 217). Moreover, direct engagement with primary sources allows students to create their own narratives and theories about the history of science and how scientific knowledge is developed that may nuance or contradict their received assumptions (Anderberg, 2015;Grimm & Vostral, 2019;Leslie & Anderberg, 2015). The physicality of archives and maps was thought to be an important part of this: "the use of historical geologic maps," says Tranfield (2019), "meant that students held something tangible and asked openended questions that weren't 'googleable.'"…”

“…(Palumbo (2018) noted that testing showed learning outcomes were achieved, but provided no details.) Leslie and Anderberg (2015) found that their intervention doubled the number of students able to appreciate how archives teach us about the social context of STEM, such as "how and [...] why an invention turned out the way it did" (p. 18). Warren and Duckett (2010) found that students were able to effectively apply the class material about the economics of scholarly information in a series of reflection questions about access to information two weeks later.…”

“…Other critical, student-centered modes of assessment exist that can help us understand what kinds of CP interventions resonate with students (Gammons, 2016;Gardner & Halpern, 2016;McCartin, 2018). Because context is so important in CPs, I hope that more authors will follow the examples of Palumbo (2018) and Grimm and Vostral (2019) by providing details about the institution and students, or even including students' own words (Dommermuth & Roberts, 2022;Leslie & Anderberg, 2015). This will help readers judge how the reported interventions will play out in their own contexts.…”