Joel is an instruction librarian supporting Indigenous Studies and Anthropology for the winter 2025 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]. Journal of Radical Librarianship, 10, 223–226. https://journal.radicallibrarianship.org/index.php/journal/article/view/125

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://ualberta.aviaryplatform.com/collections/1771/collection_resources/140556/

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