New articles: Indigenous IL; Artists; Community representation; Clinical judgement in nursing; 1st gen students; Australian librarians; Toffler

The latest issue of open access journal Journal of Information Literacy contains the following articles and also some book reviews. Go to https://journals.cilip.org.uk/jil/issue/view/46
- Information as a relation: Defining Indigenous information literacy by Sandra Littletree, Nicola Andrews, Jessie Loyer
- Emerging artists in transition: What role does information play in negotiating success and failure? by Maud Cooper
- An information literacy lens on community representation for participatory budgeting in Brazil by Peter Cruickshank, Bruce Ryan
- Engaging with practice: Information literacy instruction as a part of developing reflective thinking and clinical judgement in nursing studies by Margrethe Bakstad Søvik, Kari Røykenes
- Insights on first-generation students’ development of social capital for the rigours of college-level research by Leslin H. Charles
- Artificial intelligence literacy in libraries: Experiences and critical impressions from a learning circle by Karolina Andersdotter
- Giving voice to regional Australian academic librarians: Perceptions of information literacy and information literacy instruction by Annette Goodwin, Waseem Afzal
- Information literacy: Did Alvin Toffler beat Paul Zurkowski to it? by Andrew Shenton
Image created by Sheila Webber with Midjourney AI - the prompt was the string of words in the subject line

#MILCLICKS in The Gambia

This short news item from UNESCO reports on a session they supported at the Gambia's Youth Connekt conference in October 2023, the session being on using media and information literacy to combat hate speech, misinformation, and disinformation. Go to https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/media-information-literacy-avenue-youth-combat-hate-speech-misinformation-disinformation

Information Literacy presentations

Presentations from the LOEX Fall Focus conference held in November 2023 have been posted. One focus was developing colleagiues research and practice (for example materials are given from a workshop on Cultivating Community with Future Colleagues: Reference and Instruction Skill Building) Another theme was the first year experience, including first-generation students (e.g. More Than One Shot: Collectively Scaffolding Information Literacy in the First-Year Seminar and they include a link to lesson plans at http://lib.uncw.edu/il-uni101) There are also materials from a workshop on Generative Discussions on Generative AI: Preparing Librarians to Teach about Artificial Intelligence.
Go to https://loexfallfocus.org/session-materials/
Photo by Sheila Webber: Napoleaon's tomb, Paris, November 2023

Podcast: Let’s Talk About Media and Communication

A podcast from Cogitatio Press is Let’s Talk About Media and Communication. This is part of this Portuguese publisher's communication strategy, in which they invite an author from one of their journals (all open access) to talk about their article.
In the latest podcast Mathias-Felipe de-Lima-Santos talks about Google News Initiative: A double-edged sword for journalism (arguing it could undermine independent journalism: this is the article they are talking about). This is the podcast's home page https://www.cogitatiopress.com/wp/topics/mac
Photo by Sheila Webber taken in Second Life - the podcaster, November 2023

Teaching and Learning with Digital Primary Sources

There is a new report from Choice and JSTOR about Teaching and Learning with Digital Primary Sources: Nine insights into awareness, literacy, and collaboration between librarians, faculty, and students. You have to give some details about your name, place of work etc. before you can get the free download. The report includes brief interviews with 5 librarians who support teaching or teach IL using primary sources.
You can download the report at https://www.choice360.org/research/teaching-and-learning-with-digital-primary-sources-nine-insights-into-awareness-literacy-and-collaboration-between-librarians-faculty-and-students/
You can also see the launch webinar (November 14, 2023) here: https://youtu.be/dqdbBmiptW0?feature=shared
Image by Sheila Webber using Midjourney AI using prompt ancient manuscripts, in museum cases, hyperreal

Webinar: From In-Person to Online & Back Again: Converting Information Literacy Instruction Between Formats

There is a free LiLi Show and Tell session on 13 December 2023 at 10.00 US Pacific time (which is, e.g. 18.00 UK time) From In-Person to Online & Back Again: Converting Information Literacy Instruction Between Formats, presented by Monica Maher (Online Learning & Education Librarian, University of Nebraska Omaha, USA).
"Continuous assessment and editing of information literacy instruction is essential to assure our students are meeting their learning outcomes. Over the last three years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, many aspects of our lives and jobs have been altered. It comes as no surprise then, that our lesson plans must change as well! This session will focus on one librarian’s reflections about converting information literacy instruction for undergraduate and graduate students from in-person, to online, and then back to in-person again. How to gain meaningful faculty collaboration, tips and tricks for identifying the best format for your instruction, sustainability best practices, and lessons learned will be discussed."
Register at https://northampton-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYkc-GtrjwpHtdhLnVPeshBXbJ8BuUxAsHe

Photo by Sheila Webber: Montmartre museum gardens, November 2023

Call for Proposals: Institute for Information Literacy at Purdue research grants

The Institute for Information Literacy at Purdue University, USA, is offering five $4,000 two-year Research Grants. The deadline for applications is 31 March 2023. The Institute will fund research projects that examine complex information challenges within select contexts and aim to develop or enhance information literacy models that enable people to successfully navigate and contribute to today’s information environment. The Institute supports and shares innovative, community- or context-specific information literacy research (i.e. healthcare, social media, publishing).
"As information literacy is interdisciplinary by nature, projects that demonstrate a substantive collaboration between research from different fields (such as psychology or political science and information studies) will be prioritized for funding. ... priority will be given to projects that focus on effective information practices applied in a range of contexts and communities. This is offered with support from the Esther Ellis Norton Endowment. ... Projects should aim to inform the development or enhancement of an information literacy model or technique that supports individuals, communities, or organizations in using information wisely."
Applicants need to submit a 2-3 page proposal including project title, team members (including their expertise in subjects relevant to the proposed project), budget information, a statement of benefits for stakeholders, alignment with Institute research award priorities, expected budget and justification, and references cited.
There should also be a 2-page CV for each project team member. "Successful proposals will clearly define the need to examine the particular information challenge in the proposed context and how they aim to carry out the research using an award from the Institute.They should email InstituteIL@purdue.edu with the subject line “IILP Research Grant Proposal”.
Full information at https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Jff2sv-H-ujgRzTb65TIcFcl5S3fe03/edit#heading=h.vkpzmyo9bys0
Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn falling, November 2023

José Luis Agraz wins information literacy award

The Universal Information Literacies Association has announced the inaugural Information Literacy Paul G. Zurkowski Esquire Global Individual Award which "recognizes the outstanding contributions of global leaders in advancing information literacy and critical thinking in public service on a global scale." The award winner is José Luis Agraz (Information Officer and Biologist, Secretaría del Tratado Antártico.
"Mr. Agraz is tasked with serving as documentation officer for the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) and coordinating development, maintenance and accuracy of the Secretariat’s information systems. In addition, he is responsible for balancing access of scientific and operational information to comply with requirements in the scope of the Antarctic Treaty with his evaluation of the relevant impact of human activities on terrestrial environments. Having managed this vast array of data and responsibilities using the core concepts of Information Literacy and critical thinking for peaceful purposes to help the people of the world, the UiLA bestows the inaugural Information Literacy Paul G. Zurkowski Esquire Global Individual Award on José Luis Agraz."

Reading's importance: a manifesto and an article

Firstly, The Importance of Higher-Level Reading: A Manifesto, launched at the Frankfurst Book Fair - you can sign this manifesto if you agreed with your argument that higher-level reading (sustained reading etc.) is "our most powerful tool for analytic and strategic thinking". Go to https://readingmanifesto.org/#. Also they link to an article:
Schüller-Zwierlein, A., Mangen, A., Kovač, M. & van der Weel, A. (2022). Why higher-level reading is important. First Monday, 27(9). https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/download/12770/10709   "While digital technologies offer much potential for new forms of reading, recent empirical research shows that the digital environment is having a negative impact on reading, in particular on long-form reading and reading comprehension. It also remains unclear whether the transition to digital media actually lives up to its promise of improving learning outcomes. Recent studies of various kinds indicate a decline of crucial higher-level reading competencies and practices, such as critical and conscious reading, slow reading, non-strategic reading and long-form reading. Current educational policy, meanwhile, relies heavily on monocultural standardized testing of basic reading capabilities and on growing use of digital technologies. Reading education, assessment, research and policy-making should focus more on higher-level reading practices in both adults and children in order to understand the development of reading skills and practices in an age increasingly dependent on a ubiquitous digital infrastructure."
Photo by Sheila Webber: in the gardens of the Musée de Montmartre, November 2023

RUSA/ETS Best Emerging Technology Application (BETA) Awards

You can apply for one of two RUSA/ETS Best Emerging Technology Application (BETA) Awards if you have "used technology in an innovative way to enhance your library or patron services." "The awards offer $3,000 each to an individual or group in recognition of a technology project that directly benefits library users." Submission deadline is 23 February 2024. There are 2 categories:
(1) "Develops an original technology or significantly modifies an existing technology for an entirely novel use that benefits the library and its patrons."
(2) "Utilizes an existing technology and applies it in a novel way that benefits the library and its patrons. " The award is open to any library employee or group of library employees, and you don't have to be based in North America. The initiative has to have taken place no more than 2 years prior to the date of the application deadline. For more info including the evaluation criteria go to http://bit.ly/RUSABETA.
Photo by Sheila Webber: tomb of Napoleon, Les Invalides, November 2023

Call for papers: Fact-Checkers Around the World

The journal Media and Communication seeks papers for its special issue Fact-Checkers Around the World: Regional, Comparative, and Institutional Perspectives (editors Regina Cazzamatta, Lucas Graves, and Laurens Lauer). Deadline for abstracts is 15-30 January 2024.
"This thematic issue brings together scholars who study fact-checking organizations, practices, and institutions around the world. Fact-checkers work in a wide variety of media and political systems. Even where practices converge, they understand their own mission—and the wider problem of misinformation—in very different ways. These vital differences remain underexplored and can offer a revealing lens for journalism studies and political communication researchers to investigate changing media systems around the world.
"To address this gap, this thematic issue highlights research with a regional or comparative focus, as well as studies of the wider global movement. We invite work across methods and theoretical traditions, from ethnographic case studies to large-scale content analysis, with a particular focus on studies that help to deepen our understanding of the specificities or differences in this work in particular kinds of organizations and specific media and political environments."
Full info at https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/pages/view/nextissues#FactCheckers
Photo by Sheila Webber: Krakow, October 2023

Quick Guides

The Scottish Government Library has produced "quick guides" for Scottish Government staff, but they are mostly accessible and free to use by others. They are tutorials etc. on collaborative tools (e.g. Trello, LinkedIn), digital skills etc. Go to https://sglibraryservices.wordpress.com/quick-guides/ 

Photo by Sheila Webber: Maria church, Krakow, October 2023

Keeping up with ... peer tutoring

The latest in the ACRL keeping up with series is Keeping up with ... peer tutoring which,as usual, has a brief outline of what this means and some useful references and links. Peer tutoring is basically students teaching or supporting other students, including in tasks like searching for, and evaluating, information. The keeping up sheet is here https://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/keeping_up_with/peer_tutoring and an example of peer tutoring they link to is at Penn State University, USA.
Image by Sheila Webber using Midjourney AI - interesting that all the pictures for peer tutoring, students, search and evaluating information had students looking at print materials