Articles: Infolit/AI framework; Reflective teaching practice; Teaching research; Self-efficacy; Students learning IL

Somehow I forgot to blog Communications in Information Literacy Volume 19, Issue 2 (2025) (although I've already blogged vol 20 issue 1). This open access journal always has good material, so I'll do it now! As well as a valedictory editorial from Christopher V. Hollister it includes:
- “‘What is one takeaway you've gotten from this learning experience?’ Analyzing Student Reflections on Introductory Information Literacy Instruction” by Amanda Nichols Hess, Emily Ruth Benoit, Rebecca M. Krystyniak, and Stephanie Williams
- The Librarian Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale by Maoria J. Kirker and David X. Lemmons
- Teaching Research as an Interdependent Practice: Bringing Alternate Models into the Scholarly Conversation by Natalia Kapacinskas and Veronica Arellano Douglas
- The Library Instructor as Learner: A Survey of Reflective Teaching Practices in US Academic Libraries by Alicia G. Vaandering and Amanda Crego-Emley
- Information Literacy in the Artificial Intelligence Era: A Proposed Framework by Radwan Ali and Matthew L. Wilson
- Searching for Change: Exploring Historical Silences and Counterstorytelling Through Youth-Led Social Justice Movements by Ariana Varela
Go to https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/comminfolit/vol19/iss2/
Photo by Sheila Webber: succulent art - these appeared one morning in a tiny park near where I live, September 2026

AI Archetype overload

This is a post just to gawp at the number of "archetypes" of AI users people have thought up e.g.:
- the AI Enthusiast, Secret User, Skeptic, and Onlooker  This event is what sent me on the hunt, spending many seconds on crafting a quick Google search to find ...
- the Bystander, Conversationlist, Automator, and Orchestrator.
- the Skeptic, the Empowered, the Cowboy, the Blocker, and the AI-native.
- the Curious but cautious, Dabbler, Enthusiast, Emergent explorer, and Resounding rejector (that one seems to have some underpinning research which is ...
- ... possibly related to the ones in this research paper Enthusiasts, Dabblers, Gradual Explorers, Evaluators, and Rejectors 
 - the Scaler, Horizon builder, Streamliner, and Reinventor (this applies to organisations, rather than people)
- the Scientist, the Sculptor, the Maker, and the Leveraged Financier.
- The Intellectual Individualist, The Collaborative Conformer, The Conflict-Driven Contestant, and The People Pleaser (this categorises the LLMs themselves, so it could form the basis of a fun "what LLM am I" game)
- the Sage, Warrior, Creator, Producer ("and others" - I only had access to the abstract, it's a Springer publication)

- I asked Gemini to synthesise the above into four categories and it came up with: Advanced champions; Practical Crafters & Experimenters; Risk-Aware Evaluators & Observers, and Resistive Blockers & Volatile Disruptors. I think it needs to do more work on crafty snappy category names. 

I recommend you develop your own set of archetypes e.g. the Sage Dabbler or the Conflict-Driven Cowboy.
The rabbit hole also led me to an interesting paper on How do employees imagine AI they would like to work with: a drawing study
Image created with Midjourney AI: I prompted it to show four archetypes, with the names the AI came up with, but did not mention that they were AI user archetypes as I wanted to avoid the usual spooky-woman-robot-with-wires

Recording: Multispecies Information Science

There is a recording of a webinar jeld in August 2026 Book Talk: Multispecies Information Science (2026). 
"As part of the Information and Communication Studies (SICS) Research Seminar Series 2026 at Charles Sturt University, Niloofar Solhjoo, editor of Multispecies Information Science (2026, Routledge), shares the story behind the book—from the early conversations and ideas that shaped the collection to its development and publication. ... As editor, Niloofar introduces the book’s contributors and discuss the different perspectives, approaches, and questions brought together across its chapters. The talk reflects on why multispecies perspectives matter for information disciplines and what they might mean for the future of LIS [Library and Information Science].
Go to https://youtu.be/sB36x1SdYiw?si=PqbpThP_3VmGur2jPhoto by Sheila Webber: Oxford Street pigeons, October 2026

Webinar: Navigating the Novice-Expert Research Gap

On 9 November 9 at 12 noon US Eastern time (17.00 GMT) there is a free webinar organised by Ohio State University libraries: Navigating the Novice-Expert Research Gap: An Information Literacy Taxonomy.
"Students and instructors can find research assignments to be frustrating, as students (as novices) and instructors (as disciplinary experts) are seemingly speaking two different languages. Instructors develop assignments and expectations for performance based on ways of thinking and knowing that are common to experts, but these expectations are not always explicitly or transparently taught or discussed with students. In this presentation, we will outline a taxonomy that is intended to help instructors and librarians navigate this expert-novice research gap. Participants will be introduced to the taxonomy and consider how they can utilize it to develop research assignments with clear expectations and appropriate scaffolding for learning. This presentation is intended for course instructors, graduate teaching associates, and librarians."
Register at https://osu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WGFP1g3wRIq1c-HXPqhbbw#/
Photo by Sheila Webber: coffee pot on the stairs, October 2026

Critical Perspectives on "AI" in Education

The initiative Critical Perspectives on AI in Education (from the California Faculty Association) organises events in which they "explore the educational landscape amidst the uncritical adoption of “AI” tools, and the implications for faculty, students, college campuses, and beyond."
There are some resource links (e.g. videos, books, teaching resources), news of forthcoming events, and recordings of past events e.g. Designing Learning that Promotes Critical Thinking and Minimizes AI Use.
Go to https://sites.google.com/csusb.edu/criticalperspectives/home?pli=1&authuser=0
Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn reflections (on a shiny red car), October 2026

Call for comments: Revision of the CILIP information literacy definition

The CILIP Information Literacy Group (CILIP is the UK's association for library and information professionals) is revising its definition and elaboration of Information Literacy. 
The last official CILIP definition of Information Literacy that the Information Literacy Group created dates from 2018. 

They have published an anonymous survey that "aims to gather feedback, suggestions, and thoughts from our community on what you would find beneficial in an updated definition of Information Literacy." They are seeking input from all sectors, but this is obviously particularly relevant if you are based in the United Kingdom.

 The survey is here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc43WWLm82sApUvLViHFHP094lFfTpHcrjEyN1lpSDx_CwXEg/viewform?pli=1
Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn reflected in a car window, October 2026

Webinar: New Voices in Information Literacy

On 18 November at 13.00-14.00 GMT the CILIP Information Literacy Group has organised a free webinar New Voices in Information Literacy featuring presentations from four new graduates from Masters programmes, on their dissertation research, two from the course I teach on (the Library and Information Services Management programme at the University of Sheffield School of Information, Journalism and Communication) and two from University Collge London. The speakers are: 
- Arielle Ben-Itzhak (University College London) Envisioning Multispecies Information Literacy.
- Vicki Clarke (University of Sheffield) Information literacy outreach provision: a case study of librarian and outreach officer perspectives at a collegiate university.
- Lisa Hough (University of Sheffield) Mature returners and information literacy support: A phenomenographic study of students 10+ years out of formal education.
- Jango Janigian (University College London) Roll for Information: Using Tabletop Role-Playing Games to Teach Information Literacy.
Register at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/cilipinformationliteracygroup/2504478

New articles: Law students and databases; Tutorials; Inclusive infolit education; Career progression in North American libraries

The latest issue of College & Research Libraries News (Vol 87, No 9) (open access) includes:
- Toward Inclusive Library Instruction: Guidelines for Integrating Inclusive Practices by Kanu A. Nagra
- Finding the Power in Mini: Rethinking Library Tutorials with Microlearning by Kathryn Senn, Samantha Peter, Shannon M. Smith, Elena Payne, Aralynn Juarez
- The Ten Treasures: Structuring a Course Using Ten Primary Sources from Special Collections by Pamela A. Jackson
- Adapting to How Students Learn: Rethinking Information Literacy Instruction in the Age of Short-Form Content by Katie Heeren
- Rank, Promotion, and Tenure in the Library: How Criteria and Process (Still) Favor Reference and Instruction Work by Nina McHale
- From the Classroom to the Field: A Year of Exploring Why We Choose Librarianship by Tia Phillip, Caitlin Perkins, Daniel Burnett
Go to https://crln.acrl.org/index.php/crlnews/issue/view/1703/showToc

Also, not recent & but interesting: Parkin, C. & Sehgal, A. (2024). Guiding Away from Google: Finding Ways to Engage Law Students with Academic Databases. Legal Information Management, 24(4). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1472669624000525 (accepted version open access here https://eprints.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/id/eprint/11432/)
Photo by Sheila Webber: I think this is an Echinacea, but it might be a Rudbeckia, September 2026

Webinar: Student Citation Resources: Best Practices for Creating Online Citation Style Tutorials for Students

There is a LILi Show & Tell webinar on 10 November 13:30 US ET (18.30 GMT): Student Citation Resources: Best Practices for Creating Online Citation Style Tutorials for Students presented by Meli Taylor (Bowling Green State University, USA)
"After receiving requests each semester to teach citation styles as part of one-shot library instruction sessions, I spent this past summer creating self-paced citation style tutorials for APA Style, 7th ed. and MLA Style, 9th ed. (a tutorial on Chicago Style is forthcoming). These tutorials discuss why we cite sources, why different styles exist, and the unique elements of the style. The tutorials then feature sections on how to cite common source types, combining textual and visual instruction with the use of interactive screenshots to make the tutorials accessible to a wide variety of learners. Short “knowledge checks” are also included throughout the tutorials so that students can check their learning. The goal of the tutorials is to give students an interactive, self-paced method to learn citation styles that they can access whenever necessary. For my demonstration, I would discuss my process for creating the tutorials as well as best practices for creating online learning objects to teach citation styles, with an emphasis on accessibility and multimodal instruction.
Register at https://stonybrook.zoom.us/meeting/register/sWfHF8eKRUuUp-VqVVGdxg#/registration
Photo by Sheila Webber: fallen leaves, October 2026

Winners of UNESCO's 2026 Youth Hackathon on Media and Information Literacy

The winners of UNESCO's 2026 Youth Hackathon on Media and Information Literacy have been announced during Global MIL Week. The teams had to pitch designs for "practical solutions to strengthen critical thinking and media and information literacy" (they didn't have to implement them). The winning teams were:
- From a team from Benin – Lucide "an intergenerational platform helping older adults identify disinformation, AI-generated content and online scams."
- From a team from Indonesia – PEKA "an educational toolkit designed to help children aged 6 to 12 develop critical thinking skills."
- From a team from India – Beyond the Bubble "an interactive platform helping young people understand how social media algorithms influence the information they encounter online. "
- From an international team (Germany, Guatemala, Japan and Ecuador) – I Thought I Knew You "an interactive mystery game that helps teenagers recognize AI-manipulated content and prevent cyberbullying.|"
More information here: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/meet-winners-unescos-2026-youth-hackathon-media-and-information-literacy

Librarians we have lost

This is an initiative to document notable librarians who have died, mostly North American. It includes people who contributed to information literacy or information behaviour e.g. Ross Todd, Hannelore Busch Rader, Ilene F. Rockman, Patricia Senn Breivik and Elfreda Chatman. Patricia Senn Breivik is pictured (in the pink jacket) in the blurred photo I took at the Creating Knowledge conference in 2006.
Go to https://alair.ala.org/collections/1ea0f128-01ca-4ed8-a1ea-4f78734f7cad/search

UNESCO MIL Alliance Chapters announced!

UNESCO's Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Alliance dissolved its old structure, to form a new global board, and it has now announced the first 16 MILA Chapters, regional and thematic. "Conceived as a network of networks, the MIL Alliance aims to bring together organizations and individuals working to advance media and information literacy across the world. The new Chapters will help turn this vision into action by connecting members around shared geographical or thematic priorities, facilitating knowledge exchange, encouraging joint initiatives and strengthening cooperation across countries and sectors.
The regional chapters are:
- Australian Media Literacy Alliance (AMLA) Chapter
- East Africa MIL Chapter
- Europe & North America Research & Practice Chapter (MILENARPC)
- European Intersectoral Network Chapter for Digital and Media Literacy
- Francophone Africa Chapter
- Latin American Chapter
- South Asian Network for MIL Pedagogy, Resources and Assessment
The thematic chapters are
- Artificial Intelligence and Media and Information Literacy Chapter Conflict Resolution Chapter 
- DEMOCRAC-IAGen Chapter
- Impact Network for Media and Information Literacy
- MIL and Families Chapter
- MIL Cities Chapter
- MIL Diplomacy for Human Rights, Peace, Cultural Diversity and Sustainability Chapter
- School Media and Children's Communication Chapter
- Youth Engagement Chapter
The chapter list is here https://www.unesco.org/en/media-information-literacy/alliance/chapters-list 
An article about it is here: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-mil-alliance-announces-creation-16-chapters-strengthen-global-cooperation

Webinars: Information Literacy in the Age of AI #GlobalMILweek

JoVE (who produce educational videos and also a journal) has organised free webinars on the theme of Information Literacy in the Age of AI. 
Firstly there is a roundtable 28 October 2026 9.00-10.00 GMT with Chareen Mathope-Dasilva (Faculty Librarian, Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT), South Africa; Michela Moratto (Reference and Information Literacy Librarian, University of Pavia, Italy); Emmanuel Mashonjowa (Researcher and Educator·University of Zimbabwe); Isaac Okiyai (University Librarian, Open Univresity of Kenya). 
Secondly there is a talk/discusion on 28 October 2026 at 14.00 GMT with Erich Purpur (Science and Engineering Research Librarian, Universuty of Virginia, USA) and finally 
a webinar on 29 October 2026 at 14:30 GMT with Elizabeth Killeen (Liaison Librarian: Life Sciences, Imperial College London, UK). 
Information and links to registration at https://info.jove.com/information-literacy-in-the-age-of-ai_webinar_upcoming-webinar-lp