Others' blog posts: information worlds; storytelling

 A couple of interesting posts from other blogs:
- Little, H.B. (2021, 3 December). Different Information Worlds: More Than a “Filter Bubble”. Knowledge Quest. https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/%e2%80%8bdifferent-information-worlds/ [Discusses the different information worlds that students, parents and educators may live in, with interesting links to other articles etc.]
- Jarson, J. (2021, 29 October). From clicks toward concepts in the information literacy classroom. ACRL blog. https://acrlog.org/2021/10/29/from-clicks-toward-concepts-in-the-information-literacy-classroom/ [talks about the value of storytelling]
Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn branches, November 2021

Libguide: Evaluating websites and blogs

 Highlighting another Libguide, this time from the University of Akron School of Law library (USA) on Evaluating websites and blogs, with tabs of information and advice relating to: authority, accuracy, scope, currency, official/authentic sources, fake news. There is an update date of November 15 2021 (though I haven't checked myself that all the links are working etc!) Go to https://law.uakron.libguides.com/c.php?g=495106&p=3388091

Photo by Sheila Webber: snow animal, November 2021

Rauru Whakarare Evaluation Framework

There is now a te reo version, in addition to the existing English version, of the Rauru Whakarare Evaluation Framework: entitled Rauru Whakarare: He Anga Arotake. This framework was first developed a few years ago, and is introduced thus "The Rauru Whakarare Evaluation Framework provides a kaupapa Māori-informed approach to evaluation that enables us to critique and engage deeply with the information that surrounds us. It is available for teachers, students and librarians in all educational contexts to start a conversation about information quality and its contribution to our learning. We integrated Māori concepts into the framework to promote deeper engagement with the information evaluation process than can be captured using English terms. We believe that the Māori concepts contain an embedded spirituality and metaphor that is often lost in a purely literal English translation." The Framework can be used under a creative commons license, and the page which describes the Framework and links to resources in both languages is here: https://informationliteracyspaces.wordpress.com/rauru-whakarere-evaluation-framework/

ACRL Information Literacy Framework Libguide

The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) maintains a Libguide about the ACRL Information Literacy Framework with pages for each frame including variously summaries of the key aspects of the frame, links, ideas for activities, a literature review (mostly dated March/April 2020) for each frame, etc. Go to https://libguides.palni.edu/c.php?g=185459&p=1224981

Photo by Sheila Webber: snowpeople advancing towards the bandstand, November 2021

Open access book: Metaletramento (Metaliteracy)

There is a Portuguese translation of Tom Mackey and Trudi Jacobson's 2014 book Metaliteracy . It is available as an open online resource 

Mackey, T. & Jacobson, T. (2021). Metaletramento. http://www.valentim.bsb.br/metaletramento/. 

I wrote a 2 page preface to the book so I was excited to see my words in Portuguese! It includes the interactive features such as annotating. The translation & publication was supported by The Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology (IBICT), Research Unit of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) in partnership with UNESCO and ALA/Neal-Schuman Publishing. Mackey & Jacobsen reported this in their Metaliteracy blog.

Webinar: Building trust: Faith leaders engagement in vaccine confidence

An interesting webinar which I think is related to information literacy (evaluation of and trust in information) on 2 December 2021 13.00-14.00 CET (which is, e.g., 12 noon-1pm UK time): Building trust: Faith leaders engagement in vaccine confidence, organised as part of the World Health Organization's Infodemic inititaive.
"A discussion with faith leaders and faith-based organizations highlighting the role of faith leaders in building trust and vaccine confidence during the pandemic response. What were the facilitating factors, and what were the barriers? How can we apply the lessons learned during COVID-19 and for future health emergencies?"
The speakers are: Rabbi Gustavo Kraselnik (Spiritual leader of the Congregation Kol Shearith Israel in Panama since 2002; Executive Director of the Panamanian Jewish Congress; member of the Interfaith Committee of Panama); Priestess Beatriz Schulthess (President, Indigenous Peoples Ancestral Spiritual Council; Honorary President, Religions for Peace, Indigenous, Costa Rica); Judge Mohammad Abou Zeid (Head of the Family Court of Sidon; Imam and preacher at Aisha Mosque in Sidon, Lebanon; independent consultant for World Vision International, wrote the Islamic adaptation of WVI Channels of Hope COVID-19 Vaccine module); Dr Manoj Kurian (Coordinator at Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, World Council of Churches); Sister Agatha O. Chikelue (Executive Director, Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace. Chair, Religions for Peace-International Women's Coordinating Committee). Register at https://bit.ly/WHORfPComms2

Photo by Sheila Webber: leaves (before the snow), November 2021

Webinar: media literacy for all

The next EAVI Conversation is on Tuesday 30 November 2021 at 16.00 CET (which is, e.g., 3pm UK time), with Alexandre Le Voci Sayad who is co-Chair of the International Committee of UNESCO's Media and Information Literacy Alliance. The focus is on Media Literacy for all including "Analyse the role of educators and learners; Identify the critical role of developing specific skills nowadays and the significance of lifelong learning; Examine how cities can educate their citizens for the media" Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1Sl0slP7TTOgpD5OZLyYIw

Photo by Sheila Webber: snowman today, November 2021

New directions in AI: formation of an IFLA Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence

There is an online meeting on New directions in AI: formation of an IFLA Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence on 6 December 2021 at 4pm UTC (UK time); 5pm CET; 11am US EST. This exploratory meeting will: "give an overview of the current state of AI in libraries; discuss the goals and objectives; gather 25 signatories who intend to actively participate in the activities of the SIG for a petition to be submitted to the Professional Council; propose a satellite meeting and main session at IFLA WLIC 2022 in Dublin, Ireland." "Artificial intelligence applications are increasingly a part of the library space: in chatbots, embedded in library systems, used for automated indexing and classification, and integral to robots. The IT Section is sponsoring the formation of a Special Interest Group in AI (AI SIG). ... If the SIG is approved we will also hold the first business meeting to nominate a Convenor and seek volunteers to serve in roles including Secretary and Communications Coordinator. Registration at https://bnf-fr.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0kfuGopzssH9z17Zw0Xy2tahGPDZATZlZ-

Recent articles: Workplace information literacy; Information Behaviour in the pandemic

Middleton, L. & Hall, H. (2021). Workplace information literacy: a bridge to the development of innovative work behaviour [IWB]. Journal of Documentation, 77(6), 1343-1363. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-03-2021-0065 "The purpose of the work reported in this paper was to investigate a further set of possible determinants of the development of IWB: those that are information-related." using mixed methods "A set of information-related determinants of the development of IWB is evidenced, adding to the list of determinants that are already well documented. Notably workplace information literacy (IL) appears to furnish a bridge between determinants of the development of IWB and workplace learning."

Zimmerman, M.S. (2021). Health information-seeking behavior in the time of COVID-19: information horizons methodology to decipher source path during a global pandemic. Journal of Documentation, 77(6), 1248-1264. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-01-2021-0022. The aim was "To determine the differences, as represented by information horizons mapping, in the health information-seeking behavior from a group of participants between March 2019 and April 2020 of the novel coronavirus pandemic." 149 participants drew information horizons maps & did a health literacy test, this was repeated before and after the start of the pandemic "There is a statistically significant difference in the increased number of sources and the ranked quality of the sources that people used during the pandemic. Participants were much more likely to use credible sources and news sources, especially if they were older, more educated and had higher literacy levels – both health and information. They also relied heavily on social media. The participant group in the pandemic had a much heavier reliance on sources that are often used in a passive encountering way but engaging with them in an active information-seeking manner. The health information-seeking behavior in this study did not adhere to other research that found issue with information overload, avoidance and cyberchondria in response to crisis situations." 

Ke, Q., Du, J.T. and Ji, L. (2021). Toward a conceptual framework of health crisis information needs: an analysis of COVID-19 questions in a Chinese social Q&A website. Journal of Documentation, 77(4), 851-870. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-10-2020-0173 "This study collected the COVID-19-related questions posted on a Chinese social Q&A website for a period of 90 days since the pandemic outbreak in China. A qualitative thematic approach was applied to analyze the 1,681 valid questions using an open coding process. ... A taxonomy of information need topics for a health crisis context that identifies 8 main categories and 33 subcategories was developed, from which four overarching themes were extracted. These include understanding, clarification and preparation; affection expression of worries and confidence; coping with a challenging situation and resuming normal life; and social roles in the pandemic."
Photo by Sheila Webber: branchlet of autumn leaves, November 2021

Online event: Nailed It! Stories of Failure, Setbacks, and Where We Go From There

Free online event: Nailed It! Stories of Failure, Setbacks, and Where We Go From There on 3 December 2021 at 9.00-13.00 US Pacific time (which is, e.g., 17.00-21.00 UK time). It is organised by CARLDIG-S (California Academic Reference Librarians Discussion Interest Group-South).
"This program will offer an opportunity for library professionals to share their encounters with frustration or failure in areas of reference and the lessons they learned. Can you think of a time that, despite your best intentions, things just didn't go according to plan? This is the program for you! While we don't often discuss failure in our lives, it is important to normalize these conversations and embrace failure in our places of work. Failures mean we are experimenting, innovating, and creating new opportunities for growth. Through sharing our own stories, we can inspire others as they work through their own workplace challenges. So let's talk about failure!"
The "Tentative" programme includes lightning talks Instructional Fail: How an Active Learning Activity Led To a Title IX Discussion and What’s the Answer? Lessons Learned from Assessing Tutorial Questions, and breakout topics include IL instruction.
Go here for more information and registration: https://carldigs.libguides.com/home
Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn carpet of leaves, November 2021

ACRL Framework companion document: Research Competencies in Writing and Literature

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has just published a Companion Document to the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education: Research Competencies in Writing and Literature. This elaborates the framework in relation to this subject area. It aims to provide librarians with
"1) concepts for improving information literacy for novice and expert learners of writing and literature,
"2) tools to help create learning objectives for information literacy instruction in these same areas, and
"3) ways to align their teaching practices with the ACRL Framework."
The pdf is at https://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/standards/framework_companion_LES.pdf
You can also find this document in the Standards, Guidelines, and Frameworks section of the ACRL website https://www.ala.org/acrl/standards
Photo by Sheila Webber: Agapanthus heads, November 2021

Online course: Discovering Google’s databases: meet the hidden family

A UKeiG Zoom Course is Discovering Google’s databases – meet the hidden family, presented by information expert Karen Blakeman. It runs 10.00-13.00 UK time. "This online course looks at Google’s collection of databases, their features, and when and how to use them effectively." The cost, including presentation slides and documentation, is UKeiG/CILIP members £50 + VAT, non-members £80 + VAT 

It is running on 25 November 2021: details here https://www.cilip.org.uk/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1565978&group=201314
and 7 December 2021 details here https://www.cilip.org.uk/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1569784&group=

Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn branchlet, November 2021

Call for contributions: Critical Information Literacy

There is a call for contributions for a Special Issue of the open-acces Journal of Information Literacy on Critical Information Literacy. The issue will be published June 2023 and the deadline for contributions is 9 January 2023. It special issue is edited by Lauren Smith and Alison Hicks.
Contributions "are welcomed in a wide range of formats. We will consider traditional manuscripts focusing on theory or research but are also keen to receive practice-based contributions and those taking unconventional forms. These could include zines, photo- or video-essays, research agendas, collaborative discussions, or audio recordings" As well as contributions, they are seeking mentors to support authors through the process.
They say that the aim "is twofold: to expand on the rich knowledge sharing occurring in critical information literacy practice; and to highlight explorations of this work from a research perspective. What is the nature of the ways the body of theoretical and research literature on critical information literacy is (and is not) reflected in practice? How are social changes influencing discourse in librarianship, and in turn, the boundaries between theory, research and practice related to critical information literacy?"
For more information go to https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/JIL/announcement/view/44

Photo by Sheila Webber: remembering summer roses 2, June 2021