Happy days

The Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists have produced their 2026 Doomsday Clock Statement, and it is pretty grim reading, as they assess that "It is now 85 seconds to midnight". They summarise all the awful and threatening things going on in the world very concisely.
This includes threats concerning information "... the AI revolution has the potential to accelerate the existing chaos and dysfunction in the world’s information ecosystem, supercharging mis- and disinformation campaigns and undermining the fact-based public discussions required to address urgent major threats like nuclear war, pandemics, and climate change."
As background "Founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first atomic weapons in the Manhattan Project, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists created the Doomsday Clock two years later, using the imagery of apocalypse (midnight) and the contemporary idiom of nuclear explosion (countdown to zero) to convey threats to humanity and the planet." Their website seems to have interesting material on various serious/alarming world issues e.g. this item (mainly a video) on the impact of US healthcare policy.
The Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. (2026, January 27). 2026 Doomsday Clock Statement: It is now 85 seconds to midnight. https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/2026-statement/
Photo copyright Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, January 2026

Libraries as AI Literacy Leaders

There is a "special issue" of the online magazine Information Matters, focusing on Libraries as AI Literacy Leaders. All the articles are short, so it can serve as providing a brief overview of some of the issues. The items were posted between November 2025 and January 2026. 
Go to https://informationmatters.org/si-libraries-as-ai-literacy-leaders/
Photo by Sheila Webber: dynamic light installation (outernet), London, December 2025

Webinar: AI and Pedagogy Discussion: Library Directors Perspective

The ALISE Innovative Pedagogies Special Interest Group has organised a free online panel: AI and Pedagogy Discussion: Library Directors Perspective on 30 January at 15.00 US Eastern time (20.00 GMT) 
"As we all (either willingly or unavoidably) lean further into the realities, influences, and impacts of Artificial Intelligence related to pedagogy and practice, we invite you to a panel and roundtable discussion featuring three Library Directors, who will offer both big picture administrative perspectives within their libraries as well as the pedagogy and practice consideration."
Panellists are: Dr. Amanda Folk (Professor and Director of Libraries at Denison University, USA), Kelvin Watson (Executive director of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, USA), Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz (Dean of Barnard Library, USA) and Dr. Amelia Gibson (Associate Professor, and director of the Community Equity Data & Information Lab at the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland, USA). 
The Zoom meeting link is https://dom.zoom.us/j/97107578085#, Meeting ID: 971 0757 8085. 
Photo by Sheila Webber: dynamic light installation (outernet), London, December 2025

Webinar: AI Applications for Improving Library Research and Student Support

On 28 January 2026 at 11:00 am US Pacific (19.00 GMT)is a free webinar from LIli AI Applications for Improving Library Research and Student Support. The presenter is Stephanie Garrett  (Catholic International University, USA) 
"This presentation will explore how two powerful AI tools, Perplexity.ai and NotebookLM, can enhance the work of librarians, instructors, and students. We'll begin by examining Perplexity.ai, an AI trained on academic sources, and discuss effective prompting strategies that help research and reference librarians expand their access to high-quality, subject-specific materials from both open and academic web sources. Then, we'll turn to NotebookLM, a free tool for personal and academic use, focusing on how instructors can use it to increase student engagement with sources and leverage multiple modalities to improve learning outcomes. "
The Zoom link is https://uci.zoom.us/j/9498248706. A recording will be available on the LILi Show & Tell webpage after the session.

National Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Strategies

Last month (December 2025) the Council of Europe’s Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI) adopted the policy document National Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Strategies: Practical Steps and Indicators "The document provides member states with practical guidance on developing and implementing national MIL strategies, aiming to support them in effectively responding to the transformations in the media and information ecosystem brought about by the digital era." I haven't read the document in depth, but it has useful summaries and appendices including the indicators, actions for policy, research and practice, and amn overview of existing Council of Europe guidance on MIL. It does acknowledge the "Information" dimension of MIL to some extent, though it talks about Media Literacy more. 
Council of Europe Steering Committee on Media and Information Society. (2025, December 4). National Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Strategies: Practical Steps and Indicators. (CDMSI(2025)09) https://rm.coe.int/cdmsi-2025-09-guidelines-for-national-media-and-information-literacy-s/488029ec67
Photo by Sheila Webber: winter day, December 2025

Recording of Medieval Information Literacy: Research Into Practice

There is a recording (57 minutes) of the 21 January 206 webinar in the Institute for Information Literacy at Purdue's ID:EALS series: Medieval Information Literacy: Research Into Practice. 
Speakers were Dr. Andrew (Drew) Whitworth of the University of Manchester and Dr. Kristin Browning Leaman of Purdue University, who explored "how scholars created and employed systems of information literacy to navigate the information spaces of the medieval period. While information literacy may be new as an organized and independent discipline, these scholars' work points to it being a longstanding concept in human engagement with knowledge." 
Go to https://youtu.be/VqFvDxP1AZ0?si=QrwfFEwMGS37rH4l

Artificial Intelligence and Information Literacy Assessment Day

There is very little detail, but this half day event held last week "Hosted by the University Assessment and Program Review Committee, University Libraries and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning" at the University of Toledo, USA, sounds an interesting collaboration and event for faculty, staff and graduate students. Badged as Artificial Intelligence and Information Literacy Assessment Day 2026: Guiding Students Through the Noise, it had "focused sessions on classroom practices, assessment approaches, and responsible use of AI tools" and covered "topics such as: What is Information Literacy and What Does It Look Like in the Classroom? How to Assess Information Literacy; AI and Information Literacy in the Classroom. 
I found the brief information here: https://news.utoledo.edu/index.php/01_21_2026/utoledo-hosting-artificial-intelligence-and-information-literacy-assessment-day-on-thursday
Image created by Sheila Webber using Midjourney AI.

Data Literacy in Action Webinar Series

The University of North Texas is running a Data Literacy in Action Webinar Series on 4, 11 and 18 February 2026 at 12noon-13.00 US Central time (which is 18.00-19.00 GMT). This is "a set of three free webinars exploring practical strategies, tools, and teaching approaches for integrating data literacy into instruction and research support" in US community colleges (I think somewhat like Further Education in the UK). "The series is organized around three core topics from a data literacy toolkit (https://data-literacy-toolkit.github.io/) developed through our IMLS-funded project."
Register at https://bit.ly/dlccwebinar. More information at https://ci.unt.edu/dlcc
There have also been some interesting publications from this project https://ci.unt.edu/dlcc/research-output/publications.html
Photo by Sheila Webber: misty trees, December 2025

New articles: Relationships; Data Privacy; Burnout

The latest issue of open access College & Research Libraries News (volume 87 issue 1) includes:
- Social Network Analysis of Liaison Librarian Relationships by Ellen Hampton Filgo, Joshua Been (investigating "the relationships between liaison librarians and faculty at a university library.")
- Interventions for Reducing, Preventing, or Overcoming Librarian Burnout: A Scoping Review by Natalie Logue, Jessica C. Garner, Stephanie Hendren
- Search Data Privacy in Academic Libraries: Qualitative Perspectives of Members of Marginalized Groups by Laura W. Gariepy
- A review of the 2-volume Training Library Instructors (which I blogged briefly in 2024): the reviewer concludes after a thorough review of both volumes "Regardless of the level of instructional experience, reading these books is a step toward building one’s own instructional capabilities, and the two volumes are useful to library professionals and library learners alike."
Go to https://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/issue/view/1689/showToc
Photo by Sheila Webber: Christmas tree thrown out, no. 6 (hiding behind the bins), January 2026

Webinar: Using Special Collections in Teaching

As part of CILIP members Fest there is a free webinar Using Special Collections in Teaching on 4 March 2026 Wednesday 4 March 2026, 12.30 - 13.30 GMT. 
"Are you interested in using special collections for teaching sessions? Have you been asked to deliver learning activities based on your collections but don’t know where to start? Do you already deliver or support learning sessions and want to connect with others in the sector or be inspired by new approaches? Join our expert panel for a discussion on teaching with special collections. Discover practical approaches, new methods, and ways to enhance learning experiences." Speakers are: Angela Newton & Thomas Campbell (University of Leeds, UK); Joanna Baines (University College London, UK); Chloe Dennis (British Library, UK) and Katie Birkwood (Royal College of Physicians, UK). 
More information at https://www.cilip.org.uk/event/membersfest26_specialcollections

Health Information Week #HIW2026 patient information

This is Health Information Week in the UK. The Patient Information Forum has celebrated the week by releasing 5 new PIF TICK collections of trusted health information, produced in collaboration with the NHS Knowledge and Library Services team and endorsed by NHS England (PIF TICK is a mark for information that meets key criteria for trusted and accessible health information). 
The collections are here https://piftick.org.uk/collections/ and you can search or browse all the triusted sources here https://piftick.org.uk/health-topics/ 
You can also find translated versions of the leaflets - today's theme for HIW is translated patient information.

Articles: Immersive technologies; Language used in information literacy

- Okuonghae, O, (2025). Advancing information literacy through immersive technologies in the metaverse age: a rapid review. Digital Library Perspectives, 41 (4), 637–649. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLP-01-2025-0005
- Chizwina, S. et al. (2025). The use of "mother tongue" in information literacy instruction among the NEET (not in education, employment, or training) youth at a South African township. South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science, 91(1). https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-liasa_v91_n1_a8 (open access). 
Photo by Sheila Webber: Christmas tree thrown out, no. 5, January 2026

Webinar: Medieval Information Literacy

Next in the Institute for Information Literacy at Purdue's ID:EALS series is Medieval Information Literacy: Research Into Practice, on 21 January 2026 at 10 am EST (15.00 GMT).
Speakers are Dr. Andrew (Drew) Whitworth of the University of Manchester and Dr. Kristin Browning Leaman of Purdue University, who "will explore how scholars created and employed systems of information literacy to navigate the information spaces of the medieval period. While information literacy may be new as an organized and independent discipline, these scholars' work points to it being a longstanding concept in human engagement with knowledge."
Register at https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/-4EJ23H3Qtmo-xiXJs2vPA#/registration