Principled Uncertainty: Why Learning to Ask Good Questions Matters More than Finding Answers

By Barbara Fister February 16, 2022 Culture

The way we introduce college students to research fails to encourage the ethical practice of open-ended curiosity so desperately needed in today’s complex information environment. Read the essay »

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Information Literacy for Mortals

By Mike Caulfield December 14, 2021 Epistemology

In the academic imagination, depth and attention are the highest of virtues. But in pushing students to apply high-attention strategies to all incoming information, we risk creating a new and dangerous shallowness. Read the essay »

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Tell Me Sweet Little Lies: Racism as a Form of Persistent Malinformation

By Nicole A. Cooke August 11, 2021 Racism

Racist/racialized malinformation is the phenomenon of how we are conditioned, socialized, and repeatedly bombarded with racist and negative images and stereotypes. These stereotypes are repeated and normalized until they become malinformation. But how can these deleterious and destructive forces be eliminated? They need to be addressed and battled just as other societal ailments are, and critical cultural literacy can aid in this fight. Read the essay »

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The iSchool Equation

By Kirsten Hostetler June 9, 2021 Career

Librarians are increasingly being looked to as one solution to the spread of misinformation, but are iSchools producing graduates who possess the teaching skills to tackle this growing problem? Read the essay »

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Reading in the Age of Distrust

By Alison J. Head April 7, 2021 Culture

The ability to read analytically and deeply should be one of the most important takeaways from college. But are educators equipping students with the skills they need for today? Read the essay »

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Read PIL’s interview with Jenae Cohen on deep reading

Lizard People in the Library

By Barbara Fister February 3, 2021 Epistemology

As “research it yourself” becomes a rallying cry for promoters of outlandish conspiracy theories with real-world consequences, educators need to think hard about what’s missing from their information literacy efforts. Read the essay »

Read the author’s reflections on what inspired this essay
Discussion questions for reading groups
Read the Atlantic Magazine version (published February 18, 2021)
Read the Swedish translation of this essay (translation by Ola Nilsson)

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