Joel is an instruction librarian supporting Indigenous Studies, Anthropology, Geology, Geography, and Environmental Sciences for the fall 2024 semester.

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

Professional and Scholarly Interests

• Critical information literacy, specifically the ACRL's Framework's Authority frame
• Philosophy of information
• Theory and history of documentation and library and information science
• Conspiracist psychology and information behaviour, specifically as manifested in QAnon
• Labour and information work
• Scholarly and media piracy

Selected Publications

Blechinger, J. (2024). [Review of the book Feeding the Machine: The Hidden Human Labour Powering A.I., by J. Muldoon, M. Graham, & C. Cant]. [forthcoming]Journal of Radical Librarianship, 10.

Blechinger, J. (2024). [Review of the book A Billion Little Pieces: RFID and Infrastructures of Identification, by J. Frith]. Canadian Journal of Academic Librarianship, 10. https://doi.org/10.33137/cjal-rcbu.v10.43714

Blechinger, J. (2024). [Review of the book The Quiet Damage: QAnon and the Destruction of the American Family, by J. Cook]. Journal of Radical Librarianship, 10, 109–111. https://journal.radicallibrarianship.org/index.php/journal/article/view/120

Blechinger, J. (2024). [Review of the book Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, by E. Mollick]. Journal of Radical Librarianship, 10, 63–65. https://journal.radicallibrarianship.org/index.php/journal/article/view/113

Blechinger, J. (2024). [Review of the book Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online, by M. Caulfield & S. Wineburg]. Journal of Radical Librarianship, 10, 8–11. https://journal.radicallibrarianship.org/index.php/journal/article/view/108

Blechinger, J. (2024). [Review of the book Land in Libraries: Toward a Materialist Conception of Education, by L. Zvyagintseva & M. Greenshields (Eds.)]. Journal of Radical Librarianship, 10, 1–4. https://journal.radicallibrarianship.org/index.php/journal/article/view/104

Zvyagintseva, L., & Blechinger, J. (2023). "The perils of library instruction” : Contextualizing EdTech's encroachment on teaching through labour theory of value in academic libraries. Canadian Journal of Academic Librarianship, 9, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.33137/cjal-rcbu.v9.40958

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

Blechinger, J. (2023, April 27). Artificial intelligence, misinformation, disinformation, and information literacy: The curious case of the Pope’s puffer. Mount Royal University Library Blog. https://library.mtroyal.ca/library-news?t=17983

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. (2024, June 7). Insist on sources: Wikipedia, Large Language Models, and the limits of information literacy instruction [Conference presentation]. CAPAL24: Sustainability and Shared Futures in Academic Libraries. Virtual. https://doi.org/10.60770/36Y6-3562

Rossi, S., Smith, E., Hyttenrauch, D., Phillipson, A., & Blechinger, J. (2024, May 9). Living into AI in higher education: Exploring the burning questions that remain [Panel presentation]. Celebrate! Teaching and Learning 2024. Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB, Canada.

Rossi, S., McPeak, T., & Blechinger, J. (2023, May 5). Prompt collaboration: Working creatively and cross-departmentally in response to emerging trends in artificial intelligence and higher education [Conference presentation]. Celebrate! Teaching and Learning 2023. Mount Royal University, Calgary, AB, Canada.

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