Education
MLIS, University of Alberta
MA (With Distinction), English, Concordia University
BA (High Honours), English, University of Regina

Joel Blechinger is an instruction librarian filling in as the subject librarian for Indigenous Studies, Anthropology, Social Work, and Sociology.

Professional and Scholarly Interests

• Critical information literacy
• Philosophy of information
• Theory and history of documentation and library and information science
• Media piracy
• Media studies
• Academic integrity

Selected Publications

Blechinger, J. (2023). Reflections on information literacy in the ChatGPT era. Pathfinder: A Canadian Journal for Information Science Students and Early Career Professionals, 4(1), 163–172. https://doi.org/10.29173/pathfinder78

Zvyagintseva, L., & Blechinger, J. (2023). "The perils of library instruction” : Contextualizing EdTech's encroachment on teaching through labour theory of value in academic libraries [forthcoming]. Canadian Journal of Academic Librarianship.

Blechinger, J. (2018). The politics of interface: A comparative reading of Concordia University Library’s discovery search interface and the Sci-Hub interface [Unpublished MA major research project]. Concordia University. https://doi.org/10.17613/vv0s-zx33

Blechinger, J. (2013). William H. Gass' The Tunnel: Three new critical avenues [Unpublished BA honours thesis]. University of Regina. https://doi.org/10.17613/pesn-av86

Selected Presentations

Blechinger, J. (2023, February 8). Cognitive authority, expertise, and the conspiracist mindset: Using ideas from Patrick Wilson and Anthony Giddens to analyze QAnon [Conference presentation]. Information Dis/Order in Contemporary Times. Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB, Canada. https://mru.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/mru%3A884

Blechinger, J. (2021, April 23). Indicators of truly epic post-ness: Information literacy, authority, and the contemporary political podcasting ecosystem [Conference presentation]. Politics of Libraries III: Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Intersectionality in LIS. University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-dg60-m911

Blechinger, J. (2020, February 7). Resilient or resistant librarians? An exploration of 'resilience’ discourses in contemporary librarianship [Conference presentation]. Forum for Information Professionals 2020: There and Back Again: Resilience and Libraries. University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-7tvg-hf62

Blechinger, J. (2019, August 16). Wages for intern work and quarters for keystrokes: An exploration of unpaid intern labour in information work within the context of ‘free’ digital labour [Conference presentation]. Politics of Libraries II: Labour in Libraries. University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-6nxm-1t42