One of the leaders of the Library Instruction movement in the United States, Michael Lorenzen was born in 1970 in Ohio. He graduated with BA in philosophy in 1992 from Bowling Green State University, a Master of Library Science degree from Kent State University in 1993, a Master of Education degree in 1996 from Ohio University, and an Educational Specialist degree from Michigan State University in 2002.

First employed at Ohio University, Michael Lorenzen became prominent in the library instruction field while employed as the Library Instruction Coordinator at Michigan State University from 1996-2003. While there, he published over 20 articles on library instruction and information literacy. He also was the main figure in the creation of the Tales from the MSU Stacks tutorial which won several national awards. Currently, Michael Lorenzen is Head of Reference at Central Michigan University.

Writings of Michael Lorenzen have been on library instruction, information literacy, and active learning. They have appeared in journals such as Library Journal, Illinois Libraries, Journal of Library Management, LOEX News, and Research Strategies. He also is the Executive Editor of Academic Exchange Quarterly.