Current Issue: July 2026
Article • July 2026
Two Decades of Critical Information Literacy: A Review and Analysis of the Literature
Eamon Tewell
Critical information literacy (CIL) uses teaching and learning in libraries to understand and act upon oppression in information systems. Over the past 20 years critical information literacy has been explored, refined, debated, and critiqued. What can the recent literature tell us about the direction of CIL and critical librarianship more broadly? This research explores CIL’s recent past through an analysis of 128 publications from 2016 to 2024 and four thematic areas. Lastly, this article identifies issues and failings of ...
Article • July 2026
Student-Taught Coding Workshops in the Academic Library
Tina Li, Catherine R. Barber
Research data services (RDS) library staff provide essential training for research reproducibility. As demand increases, RDS staff may consider employing students as workshop instructors. This article describes a case study of a pilot project in which an undergraduate student taught library workshops for Python novices. We share the benefits that this instructional format presented in our setting, from the perspectives of the student instructor and the ...
Article • July 2026
The State of Critical Indigenous Studies Liaison Librarianship: A Landscape Analysis
This study examines the overlapping presence of Critical Indigenous Studies (CIS) programs and CIS liaison librarians at large, research-oriented colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. This landscape analysis investigates current trends in academic libraries’ support, vis-à-vis liaison librarianship, of Critical Indigenous Studies programs, as well as Indigenous library patrons. Initial findings suggest that while an increasing number of North American colleges and universities are establishing CIS programs, library support in the ...
Article • July 2026
Big Deal Cancellations and Scholarly Publishing: Insights from Faculty and Graduate Student Interviews
Madelaine Hare, Philippe Mongeon, Samuel Cassady, Catherine Johnson
Big Deal cancellations are increasingly undertaken by academic librarians faced with rising subscription costs and shrinking collections budgets. While past research has focused on librarians’ decision-making processes and communication strategies, this study aims to understand the perspectives and experiences of faculty and graduate students with Big Deal cancellations through interviews at three medium-sized Canadian institutions. It considers cancellations as a collaborative process of information exchange, rather than a ...
Article • July 2026
Information Literacy Instruction Redux: What Are Instruction Librarians Doing Now?
Heidi Julien, Jesus Montiel Hernandez, Melissa Gross, Don Latham
An online survey of U.S. academic librarians with responsibility for information literacy instruction gathered data about instructional topics, practices, and challenges. Results are compared with data from an earlier survey. The results show some change over time, partly arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as consistent challenges, including insufficient resources, complicated relationships with teaching faculty, and structural barriers impeding full implementation of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (2015). The data have ...
Article • July 2026
Tracing Thematic Evolution in College & Research Libraries: A Co-LCSH Analysis of Book Reviews (1997–2023)
Kemal Yayla
This study examines publication patterns and thematic developments in library and information science (LIS) through book reviews published in College & Research Libraries (1997–2023). Employing Co-LCSH (co-occurrence analysis of Library of Congress Subject Headings) network analysis, the findings reveal an unexpected increase in book review frequency, contrasting with declines in other fields. Additionally, a temporal lag between the emergence of new research themes and their broader representation in LIS trends underscores the reflective role of book reviews. This suggests that LIS professionals engage with contemporary research by ...
Article • July 2026
The Algorithmic Librarian: AI, Data Curation, and the Future of Research Collaboration
Lady Catherine R. de Leon
This paper explores the evolving role of academic and research librarians in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), focusing on AI literacy, algorithmic accountability, and data stewardship. It examines how librarians are adapting to the technological landscape, emphasizing their role in promoting AI literacy, ethical AI practices, and interdisciplinary collaboration within academic environments. This study offers an integrated, thematic synthesis that foregrounds librarians’ evolving roles as ...