Library Instruction & Information Literacy @ St. Thomas: Framework 1: Authority is Constructed and Contextual

The authority of an information resource depends upon its origins, context, and suitability for information need(s). Learners who understand this concept will critically examine sources and ask questions about them. Additionally, they should recognize and acknowledge biases that privilege some sources of authority over others and be able to define contexts in which unlikely resources are appropriate and authoritative.

Learning Outcomes
Students can:

• Use various research tools to locate resources in a range of formats
• Evaluate resources using appropriate criteria
• Identify different types of authority
• Describe the biases of an information resource
  

Students will:

• Seek authoritative information from both traditional and non-traditional sources
• Develop an open mind when selecting and evaluating resources
• Develop a critical stance and awareness of their own biases
• Identify the economic, legal, and socioeconomic factors that influence the research they see and access

(Adapted from MacPhaidin Library/Stonehill College) 

• Provide students with two different information types (with two different goals) on the same topic by the same unnamed authoritative creator/author (for example, scholarly article and blog post). Use as discussion starter with students about context in relationship to authority. Reveal authorship later in discussion.
   
• Ask students in professional or career-focused programs to consider who has authority within their areas of study and the origins of that authority.
   
• Ask students to find several scholarly sources on the same topic that take very different stands. How was it that the authors came to different conclusions? Does it have to do with authority?
   
• Ask students to brainstorm situations when traditional peer review might not accomplish its purpose.
   
• Have students look at a blog, a video on YouTube, a collection of tweets, or some other type of social media regarding a contemporary event (e.g. demonstrations at Tahrir Square during the "Arab Spring" events). Ask them to describe how they would analyze and evaluate the authority the author(s) of the information. Are there ways to determine whether the individual was an actual witness or participant in the events? Are there ways to identify whether the individual or group that developed a collection of information has a particular political bias? Can they determine whether the author(s) has a particular status within the group he/she represents or is the individual reporting as an "average citizen"?
   
• Ask students to create a citation "web" using a citation analysis database, and conduct a content analysis of the linked authors by affiliation (workplace, academic preparation, geography, subject expertise). Do authors cite each other? Are there some authors who are outliers in the web? How do such connections impact information generation?

(Adapted from Emory Libraries & Info Technology)