Webinar: Opportunity for Change: Turning First-Year Oneshots into Workshops

LILi's first free Show and Tell webinar for 2026 is Opportunity for Change: Turning First-Year Oneshots into Workshops on 14 January 2026 at 11.00 US Pacific time (19.00 GMT/UK time).
The presenter is Kaitlyn Goss-Peirce.
"Tredway Library at Augustana College, like many academic libraries, is doing too much. It is evident in nearly every aspect of our work, but the instruction overload in particular can be unwieldy: our team teaches an average of 200-220 library sessions each academic year. ... This presentation will overview our process of change by outlining the tensions that prompted the need for change and the conversations from our development stages, before concluding with some practical tips and lessons learned for other librarians who are also looking for ways to do differently instead of doing more."
More information and Zoom link are here https://lili.libguides.com/showandtell/home

Experiences with Information Literacy: The NSSE Topical Module

ACRL has a Libguide related to the USA's and Canada's National Survey of Student Engagement (administered to undergraduate students): "this guide provides resources, ideas, and tools related to the “Experiences with Information Literacy” topical module on the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). There are resources for librarians, administrators, and campus partners." It includes a list of the relevant questions asked on the NSSE.
Go to https://acrl.libguides.com/c.php?g=1438979&p=10685793
Photo by Sheila Webber: Christmas tree thrown out, no. 2, January 2026

Information literacy online workshops

Ohio State University (USA) University Libraries Teaching & Learning Department, has a series of free information literacy workshops. The ones coming up in January are:
- Teaching AI Fluency with Authenticity and Vulnerability. 15 January 2026 at 12.00-13.00 USA Eastern time (which is 17.00-18.00 GMT/UK time) "In this workshop, two educators with varying levels of expertise with AI will discuss how educators, even those who may not have a great deal of experience using AI tools, can approach teaching with or talking about AI in an authentic manner." To register go to https://go.osu.edu/sp26aifluency
- Information Literacy: Definitions and Core Concepts. 22 January 2026 at 12.00-13.00 USA Eastern time (which is 17.00-18.00 GMT/UK time). "In this workshop, participants will learn about several definitions of information literacy and develop an understanding of the key concepts, skills, and dispositions associated with information literacy. In addition, participants will learn why explicit information literacy instruction is crucial to students’ academic and professional success and consider what their role in supporting students’ information literacy development might be." To register go to https://go.osu.edu/sp26ildefinitions
- Teaching Information Literacy: Strategies and Resources. 29 January 2026 at 12.00-13.00 USA Eastern time (which is 17.00-18.00 GMT/UK time). "In this workshop, participants will learn more about strategies and activities that they can use to teach information literacy in a variety of contexts. In addition, participants will become familiar with multiple resources available to help them integrate information literacy into their teaching practices." To register go to https://go.osu.edu/sp26ilstrategies
The whole series is listed at https://u.osu.edu/teachinginfolit/teaching-information-literacy-workshops/virtual-workshop-series/
Photo by Sheila Webber: Christmas tree thrown out no. 1, January 2026

Webinar: AI across library sectors.

As part of the CILIP members fest, the Information Literacy Group offers a free webinar AI across library sectors on 2 March 2026 at 14.00-15.30 GMT (UK time) (via Zoom)
"A panel of speakers from a variety of library sectors will discuss their current experiences of AI in their workplaces. Speakers will outline the key issues and concerns regarding AI in their sector at present, as well as any current plans or initiatives within this area. Attendees will have the opportunity to share their own experiences of AI, ask questions and share ideas on ways to manage this fast-moving technology within libraries."
Speakers: Jane Secker (Associate Professor in Educational Development, City St Georges, University of London): Drew Feeney (Librarian and Museum Project Engagement Officer, North Lanarkshire Council);  Anne-Lise Harding (Strategic Training Lead, House of Commons Library); Joy McLean (Senior Librarian, West College Scotland); Sarah Pavey (Education Consultant, SP4IL); Katie Smith (Knowledge Specialist, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust).
More information at https://www.cilip.org.uk/event/membersfest26_AI_literacy

Media and Information Literacy Training Toolkit for Malaysian Newsrooms

Happy new year! I'll start the year with another UNESCO co-publication, an 8 page guide for media organisations in Malaysia:
Loh, B.Y.H. (2025, December) Media and Information Literacy Training Toolkit for Malaysian Newsrooms. Malaysiakini & UNESCO.
There is information about Malaysiakini here. "This toolkit seeks to furnish Malaysian media with suggestions and guides on how they can implement MIL into their newsrooms to better engage with youths."
Go to https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Hl-Jp21sEBRWS2Pq2bNqu0kHXIfwK2LE/view
Photo by Sheila Webber: misty day, December 2025

Call for Proposals: Second Empirical Studies in Libraries Summit

There is a call for proposals for the Second Empirical Studies in Libraries Summit to be held online 26 March 2026. Deadline for proposals is 19 January 2026. This is "a forum dedicated to showcasing and discussing the latest research and findings happening in and about libraries." You can propose presentations, workshops, posters, and panel discussions.
Indicative topics are:  Innovative methodologies in library research; User experience and satisfaction studies; Data-driven decision-making in library services; Impact assessment of library programs and services; Information-seeking and user behavior studies; Collaboration between libraries and community organizations; The role of libraries in promoting digital or information literacy; Case studies highlighting successful empirical research in libraries.
For more information go to  https://www.esils.org/call-for-proposals  

#MIL in Kazakhstan

A press release from UNESCO reports on training sessions as part of preparatory work on the introduction of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) into the state compulsory education standard and secondary education curricula of the Republic of Kazakhstan. There is more information in Russian and Kazakh.
Go to https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/kazakhstan-takes-important-step-towards-introducing-media-and-information-literacy-countrys
Photo by Sheila Webber: crackers cracked, December 2025

New book: Libraries Empowering Society through Digital Literacy

Todd, Heather; Dalrymple, Prudence W.; Marquardt, Luisa and Zou, Ning. (Eds.) (2026). Libraries Empowering Society through Digital Literacy. De Gruyter Saur. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110533583
This book has an international range of authors. There are 23 chapters divided into three parts: Part I Public and School Libraries Promote Digital Literacy through Digital Access and Skills Building; Part II Academic Libraries Take Novel Approaches to Advance Digital Skills; Part III The Influence of Digital Information
Photo by Sheila Webber: Xmas wreaths, December 2025

Merry Christmas!

A happy and information literate Christmas to all readers of the Information Literacy Weblog!
The photo is of the Christmas wreath I made this year, December 2025, as usual using lower branches from the tree.

Recent articles: Students using TikTok and ChatGPT for information

 - Brookbank, E. (2025). Is TikTok the new Google? How college students use TikTok to search for information. The Reference Librarian, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763877.2025.2554874   
- Shuhas, E. & Forte, A. (2025). ChatGPT is actually my friend: Understanding the information behavior of university students interacting with AI chatbots. In Companion Publication of the 2025 Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW Companion '25). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA. (pp.282–287). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3715070.3749239
Photo by Sheila Webber: Christmas wreath at number 23, December 2025

News Integrity in AI Assistants

BBC & European Broadcasting Union. (2025). News Integrity in AI Assistants TOOLKIT. European Broadcasting Union. https://www.ebu.ch/files/live/sites/ebu/files/Publications/MIS/open/EBU-MIS-BBC_News_Integrity_in_AI_Assistants_Toolkit_2025.pdf 
An "AI Assistant" seems to mean any generative AI tool. This toolkit addresses the questions What makes a good AI assistant response to a news question? & What are the problems that need to be fixed?  It describes "four key components of a good AI assistant response" "1. Accuracy: is the information provided by the AI assistant correct?" "2. Providing context: is the AI assistant providing all relevant and necessary information?" "3. Distinguishing opinion from fact: is the AI assistant clear whether the information it is providing is fact or opinion?" "4. Sourcing: is the AI assistant clear and accurate about where the information it provides comes from?" 
It also gives many examples of how things go wrong - drawing on results from the report referenced below. The toolkit is meant for tech companies, media companies and their stakeholders. 
I found this via: Archer, P. & De Tender, J.P. (2025, October). News Integrity in AI Assistants: An international PSM study. European Broadcasting Union. https://www.ebu.ch/files/live/sites/ebu/files/Publications/MIS/open/EBU-MIS-BBC_News_Integrity_in_AI_Assistants_Report_2025.pdf 
PSM = Public Service Media. Thanks to the MILA newsletter that highlighted that report.
Photo by Sheila Webber: part of the "Dear Library" exhibition at the National Library of Scotland, December 2025. Visitors are asked to categorise a variety of European initiatives.

Call for proposals: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference

There is a call for proposals for the 18th Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries International Conference (QQML2026), which takes place 26-29 May 2026 in Bucharest, Romania and online. The deadline is 3 January 2026. 
You can propose Special and Contributed Sessions, Oral Papers, Best Practices, Workshops and Posters. This year's main theme is Participating in, Collaborating, Entertaining: the Humankind in the Future Library.
More details at http://qqml.org/
Photo by Sheila Webber: Dear Library and Dear Reader letters, National Library of Scotland exhibition, December 2025

Integrating Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in Ethiopia

UNESCO has issued a press release about the UNESCO Addis Ababa Liaison Office convening a "High-Level Roundtable Policy Dialogue ...focused on advancing the integration of Media and Information Literacy (MIL) into Ethiopia’s national policies and strategies." (The new Digital Ethopia Strategy is here). Go to https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/ethiopia-toward-embedding-media-and-information-literacy-national-policies-and-strategies