Thinking Critically About What Matters: A Punk Rock Guide—a new book co-authored by teaching and learning librarian Kevin Klipfel of the USC Libraries—is now available for pre-order from ALA Editions, the publishing arm of the American Library Association. The book, co-authored by Lyndsay Klipfel, will be officially released in early 2026.
Billed as a “fun and irreverent guide to sound decision-making in action,” Thinking Critically About What Matters presents a systematic philosophical framework for evaluating information, questioning authority, and rethinking what matters most in life, work, and society. Organized into six thematic chapters, the book draws from a wide range of philosophical traditions—from Socrates and Zen Buddhism to Nietzsche and anarchist theory—and features zine-style illustrations that help bring abstract ideas to life.
Its bold cover design—modeled after the Sex Pistols’ 1977 record Never Mind the Bollocks—reflects what Klipfel describes as the book’s “DIY punk ethos.”
“We argue," Klipfel says, "that critical thinking is, by its very nature, subversive, particularly toward authoritarian power structures themselves, rather than simply toward the individuals who may happen to be occupying authoritarian decision-making structures at a particular time. Many, perhaps even most people, take authoritarian structures for granted as being beyond critique, but we argue that rejecting such structures is core to critical thinking itself.”
The book builds on Klipfel’s work as a librarian and educator, aiming to elevate the role of librarianship in promoting democratic access to information and fostering critical reflection. In their final chapter, the authors introduce the concept of “anarchizing information”—the idea that libraries, by their very nature, challenge centralized authority and empower individuals to decide for themselves what to believe and value.
“Philosophically, librarians are information anarchists,” Klipfel explains. “And in practice, libraries are—or are intended to be—anarchist institutions.”
Klipfel has presented nationally on student motivation and learning, both within and beyond the library profession, and has published widely on the application of humanistic and existential psychology to learner-centered information literacy, with articles appearing in College and Research Libraries and Reference Services Review.