Exorcising the ghost from the machine: Confronting obstacles to critical thinking through library instruction

Challenges to the process of thinking critically about information resources abound in the electronic environment. As the proliferation of sites on the World Wide Web increases, more and more librarians and educators are faced with the daunting task of instructing users in the scholarly applications of the Web. These obstacles to critical thinking include the mystery of computing technologies, the seduction of the user by various aspects of the technology, and the perplexity or confusion caused by the sensation of being overwhelmed by information. Through the examination of these obstacles in the instruction setting and using tool analysis to demystify these obstacles, the student will receive a clearer view of the information landscape that he/she has begun to explore.