A “Rhetoricized” IL and an “Informed” Rhetoric: Mapping the Conversation Between Rhet/Comp and Information Literacy at CCCC 2014

• Authors: Gwendolynne Reid, Emory University
• Proceedings Title: Pearson Emerging Pedagogies Project, CCCC 2014
• Conference Name: Conference on English Leadership 2014
• Publisher: Gwendolyn Reid
• Conference Place: North Carolina State University
• Publication Date: 2014-05-31
• Type of Work: Conference | Final Publisher PDF
• Subjects: Library Science; Mass Communications
• Keywords: composition and information literacy literature; writing faculty; librarians; collaboration; instiutional and pedagogical partners; academic and instructional librarians

Abstract

A recurring theme in both the composition and information literacy literature is that writing faculty and librarians need to collaborate more frequently and deeply. Our work is relevant to and should inform each other’s. We need to engage with each other’s’ theories, findings, and values. And we need to work with each other as institutional and pedagogical partners. As the recipient of a Pearson Emerging Pedagogies Research and Travel Grant, I used the 2014 CCCC, the major conference for compositionists, as an artifact for exploring and documenting the state of the conversation between composition and information literacy. While doing the same with a conference for academic and instructional librarians would also be useful for this type of inquiry, first-year composition tends to be the curricular location for teaching research and information literacy in addition to writing, and is therefore a productive site of inquiry. To explore this relationship, then, I identified the sessions most explicitly connected to information literacy and partnership with academic librarians, arriving at a total of eight to attend and summarize here (disclaimer: I presented at one of these eight). What I discovered from this focused view of CCCC is that student research and source use is a significant concern for composition faculty. Many of the sessions I attended were full or close to it. I also started recognizing several faces, who were clearly attuned to the same keywords and themes. Striking up a conversation with one of these attendees, I discovered that she was an instructional librarian visiting CCCC for the first time, an encouraging sign of exchange. Some of the main themes that recurred during the sessions I attended included the notion of research as a process, the importance of engaging students in authentic inquiry, and the question of how certain information technologies may actually shortchange critical thinking. Explore my session summaries to find out more about information literacy at CCCC 2014.