Leveraging Critical Information Literacy to Develop Social Justice-Minded Data Literacy Competencies

Abstract

Librarians who interact with data in different contexts can come together in a community of practice – leveraging each other's perspectives to collectively engage with critical librarianship and reimagine social justice-related learning outcomes for information and data literacy programming. Specifically, this paper explores the overlapping goals of different critical literacies (such as critical information literacy and QuantCrit), showcasing that synergies exist between social justice-oriented librarians with distinctive roles and responsibilities. By leveraging a community of practice as a vehicle for continuing education in inclusive pedagogy, librarians can empower their patrons, students, and colleagues to challenge and act upon surrounding data ecosystems that continue to marginalize and harm. Conversations surrounding social justice perspectives in data literacy also open opportunities for librarians to confront systematic forces within librarianship itself (tensions between different librarian roles, DEIA barriers, and unequal distribution of resources).