The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to explore academic librarians’ lack of experiential learning in teaching college freshmen information literacy skills in four-year higher education institutions across the United States. The central research question was – “what challenges do academic librarians experience in teaching information literacy skills?” – Twelve academic librarians who were involved in teaching college freshmen information literacy skills were examined on the phenomenon. Three different data collection methods used were questionnaire, letter writing and interviews. The theory that guided this study was Kolb’s experiential learning. Kolb’s experiential learning theory emphasized the process of learning in which knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Thematic and modified Van Kaam methods were used for data analyses which revealed five themes, and two outliers. In addition to the study findings, limitations, implications for stakeholders, and recommendations for future research were presented.