Twelve students consented to content analyses of their assignment texts. The content analyses were conducted using Strauss and Corbin’s (1998) grounded theory methodology primarily, but also drew from Krippendorff’s (2010) content analysis framework. The analyses were facilitated by QSR International’s (2011) NVivo9 qualitative research software. The content analyses were primarily focused on gauging: (1) students’ affirmation and/or challenging of the critical-theoretical and social-justice frameworks; and (2) whether and how students discussed librarians and libraries as social justice and/or democratizing agents.

Guided by this notion and the sociological frameworks of “critical theory” and “social justice,” we addressed specific situations in which access to, control of, and use of information is unequal, impeded, manipulated, and/or abused and thus can result in people’s disempowerment. We also explored efforts aimed at empowering those within these situations.