Re-envisioning Search Education through a Critical Information Literacy Lens

Search engines are a pervasive and powerful means of accessing information in contemporary society. Library and Information Science approaches to educating students in information retrieval and online searching focus on search skills and the design of search systems, largely excluding critical perspectives. Major shifts in how information is produced, retrieved, and used require an ethically grounded re-evaluation of these approaches. Critical information literacy offers a framework for deepening pedagogy related to search. We present a case of an undergraduate course that instantiates a critical approach and discuss outcomes, challenges, and plans for future development.