Libraries, democracy, information literacy, and citizenship

Abstract

Link to publicationCitation for published version (APA): Rivano Eckerdal, J. (2017). Libraries, democracy, information literacy, and citizenship: An agonistic reading of central library and information studies' concepts. Journal of Documentation, 73(5), 1010-1033. DOI: 10.1108/JD-12-2016 General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.• Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research.• You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Pre-print of article accepted to be published in Journal of Documentation (2017) The aim of this paper is to advocate and contribute to a more nuanced and discerning argument when ascribing a democratic role to libraries and activities related to information literacy. Design/methodology/approachThe connections between democracy and libraries as well as between citizenship and information literacy are analysed by using Mouffe's agonistic pluralism. One example is provided by a recent legislative change (the new Swedish Library Act) and the documents preceding it. A second, more detailed example concerns how information literacy may be conceptualised when related to young women's sexual and reproductive health. Crucial in both examples are the suggestions of routes to travel that support equality and inclusion for all. FindingsWithin an agonistic approach, democracy concerns equality and interest in making efforts to include the less privileged. The inclusion of a democratic aim, directed towards everyone, for libraries in the new Library Act can be argued to emphasize the political role of libraries. A radical and a liberal understanding of information literacy are elaborated, the former being advocated. Information literacy is also analysed in a non-essentialist manner, as a description of a learning activity, therefore always value-laden. Originality/valueThe agonistic reading of the central concepts in library and information studies, namely library and information literacy, is fruitful and shows how the discipline may contribute to strengthen democracy in society both within institutions as libraries and in other settings.

‘Informed’, ‘active’ and ‘engaged’? Understanding and enacting information literacy from a UK citizenship perspective

“…Neoliberal influence has also been identified within the information flow of social and political discourse, where citizens are treated as consumers, resulting in 'compromised democratic agency' (Buschman, 2016, p. 45;Lievrouw, 1994). In addition, IL discourse often assumes and reinforces neoliberal conceptions of democracy and citizenship, premised on the obligations of citizens to inform themselves in order to make 'right' choices and behave 'correctly' (Eckerdal, 2017;Elmborg, 2010;). As a challenge, Eckerdal (2017) proposes an alternative model based on agonistic pluralism, which recognises the need for pluralism and conflict at the heart of http://dx.doi.org/10.11645/15.3.2934 democratic society, and where critical IL enables citizens to challenge the status quo, engage in legitimate adversarial debate and dialogue and act for the common good.…”

Co-learning in a Digital Community: Information Literacy and Views on Learning in Pre-school Teacher Education

“…In this paper, the concept affordance is used as an analytical tool to integrate enabling and constraining properties of tools and settings, including identity and views on learning, in the analysis of accounts of information activities. Accounts of information literacy are always connected to norms, for example descriptions of how learning takes place [18]. Identity and values of the individual as well as norms within the social practices where the individual acts therefore affect the identification of affordances.…”

“…Information literacy is connected to norms [18]. The normative view on learning as co-learning is historically rooted in the development of the pre-school teacher profession and pre-school teacher education.…”

Advocacy engagement

“…1.2695 documented in the literature. Examples include libraries or LIS professionals advocating for causes such as information literate societies (Bundy, 2002;Eckerdal, 2017), open access (Eng, 2017), intellectual freedom (Stripling, 2015) and social justice (Saunders, 2017). Over the years, and going back as far as when the concept of information literacy (IL) was first introduced by Zurkowski (1974), there have been concerted efforts to promote civic engagement and build societies where individuals are information literate.…”