By Ahmad | Week 3 | Tuesday, 17 June 2025
“Who invented basketball?”
“I created the iPhone.”
“I’m the genius behind Netflix.”
If these bold claims made you pause, then you’ve just experienced the essence of what information literacy is all about: questioning, evaluating, and contextualizing information in a world overflowing with noise, misinformation, and digital tools too smart for their own good.
During an insightful session led by Peggy Nzomo, Specialist for International Library Initiatives, we were guided through the evolving landscape of Information Literacy (IL) with an urgent focus on Critical Information Literacy, AI literacy, and the crucial role libraries play in bridging the information divide.
What is Information Literacy, Now? Gone are the days when IL simply meant knowing how to search a catalog. Today, it’s about:
- Understanding how information is created and shared
- Thinking critically about sources and intentions
- Recognizing misinformation, disinformation, and infodemics
- Navigating AI-powered research tools
Peggy reminded us that information literacy isn’t just academic it’s essential for survival. It underpins lifelong learning, digital citizenship, and personal integrity in a world increasingly shaped by algorithms. She introduced Critical Information Literacy (CIL) as an evolved form of IL, one that recognizes the social, political, and cultural dimensions of information.
“It’s not just about finding the right answer,” she explained. “It’s about asking the right questions.”
CIL invites us to explore who creates information and why, whose voices are included or excluded, and how language barriers and access gaps affect understanding, especially in multilingual contexts.
Modern IL instruction must include tools that reflect how people actually search today:
- AI-powered databases like Consensus, ResearchRabbit, Scite, and Undermind
- Traditional search engines, databases, and library catalogs
- Teaching students the difference between tools and how to use them strategically
The IFLA Guidelines highlight the crucial intersection of libraries, media literacy, and artificial intelligence offering strategies for how libraries can support communities in navigating AI technologies responsibly while promoting critical thinking and ethical information use.
In the infodemic era, where conflicting health information, political propaganda, and social media spin are everywhere, libraries are on the frontlines helping communities navigate the chaos with trusted information.
Peggy highlighted efforts at the University of Illinois that include pre-bunking to combat misinformation before it spreads, providing COVID-19 resource guides and mental health awareness, offering media literacy instruction, advocating for ethical information use, and promoting personal responsibility in digital spaces.
Whether it’s a one-time workshop, embedded curriculum, or a credit-bearing course, the key is to embed information literacy into every stage of learning. Online tools, acronyms, and self-paced modules help learners retain knowledge and apply it across disciplines.
The big question for LIS professionals is, “What knowledge and practical skills do we need to effectively educate users in this complex environment?”
Peggy’s session was more than a workshop it was a call to action. As the line between truth and fiction blurs and AI tools become everyday companions, libraries and LIS professionals must reclaim their role as educators, guardians of credibility, and advocates for equitable access. Because in a world of deepfakes, disinformation, and endless TikTok tutorials knowing how to think matters more than knowing what to think.