Critical thinking and information literacy are inextricably linked. Specifically, strong critical thinking skills are correlated with strong information literacy skills and vice versa. This can result in information seekers avoiding misinformation in visual and verbal formats. However, current research and scholarship often ignore the importance of critical thinking in information literacy. This often extends to educational communities, such as colleges. LibGuides, valuable online tools meant to educate, often provide resources for students interested in research. However, if students do not have access to these specific resources, or if these resources are difficult to comprehend, then they will struggle to learn these valuable skills. This may result in them being particularly susceptible to harmful misinformation, such as conspiracy theories. By evaluating how public colleges and universities emphasize information literacy and critical thinking, we may identify their strengths and shortcomings. Availability and accessibility to tools discussing information literacy and critical thinking is essential. Unfortunately, current access to these LibGuides is sporadic based on both state and region. I identified and obtained 180 LibGuides from public U.S. colleges and universities. I found that while information literacy and critical thinking are known as beneficial skills, they are not necessarily prominent within LibGuides. Preliminary results demonstrate that while LibGuides are a valuable tool, especially for students at large public universities, many LibGuides do not contain material on information literacy and critical thinking. Furthermore, even if this material is available, LibGuides containing discussion about the link between information literacy and critical thinking are very limited. More research evaluating the link between LibGuides and access to information literacy, critical thinking, and other valuable skill sets is necessary.
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30 January 2024
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