Transferring information literacy threshold concepts: a qualitative analysis of faculty members’ lived experiences

Purpose Although studies have explored information literacy threshold concepts (ILTC), little attention has been given to faculty strategies for facilitating ILTC transfer to students. This study aims to explore 11 University of Kurdistan faculty members’ understanding of their method of implementing ILTC. Design/methodology/approach The authors followed a qualitative approach for this study and used semi-structured interview for collecting participants’ experiences. The emerged themes about understanding ILTC are in line with its American Library Association proposed framework. Findings Among the six ILTC, Information Creation as a Process emerged as the foremost among the other threshold concepts constituting 29.13 % of the codes. Other threshold concepts, Authority is Constructed and contextual, Information has Value, Searching as Strategic Exploration, Scholarship as Conversation and Research as an Inquiry gained 27.18%, 16.5%, 10.86%, 9.71%, 6.8% of the codes, respectively. Some organizing themes emerged from the codes, including Data Authenticity and Research Aptitude. Their narratives reveal four hidden stages (Familiarization, Guidance and Supervision, Reflective Practice and Authoring) through which they transition their understanding to foster student independence in research. Originality/value This study also extends threshold concept theory by proposing dual-threshold transformation and a post-threshold authorship phase.