Thursday, December 31, 2020

Seoul Declaration on Media and Information Literacy for Everyone and by Everyone: A Defence against Disinfodemics #MILCLICKS

My final post of 2020 looks to the future, in highlighting the Seoul Declaration on Media and Information Literacy for Everyone and by Everyone: A Defence against Disinfodemics which was an outcome of this year's Global Media and Information Literacy week. After the usual preambles, it states the following (below), and then lists actions: for government, for "civil society, media, youth, academic institutions and researchers", for the private sector "including Internet communications companies", and for UNESCO. There is much collaborative work laid out in these actions, which it would be good to address in a (post)pandemic 2021. 

"We understand that MIL on its own is not a cure for all problems, including the pandemic, but insist that MIL be further recognized and valued throughout educational, social and economic systems and that it be applied as part of a more proactive approach in order to build a sustainable and inclusive society; 

"We stress that enhancing media and information literacy for all, which addresses critical thinking, provides a sustainable approach to strengthen people’s critical thinking and their power of discernment about how they engage with information and communication technologies – especially in times of crisis.

 "We urge therefore that “Media and Information Literacy for Everyone and by Everyone” should be advanced in the age of digital connectivity. In this connection, we commit to: 

"1. Promoting MIL within wider efforts to tackle divides such as in access to information and quality education, which have been notably widened by the pandemic, to assure no one is left behind; 

"2. Attracting more participation in MIL and MIL policy from Internet communications companies, academia, NGOs, international and regional organizations, communications regulators, media, civil society, youth and communities; 

"3. Advocating for intensified MIL initiatives to tackle the disinfodemic, climate change, etc., while also urging respect for freedom of expression and access to information which are not only human rights but also part of the solution to disinformation; 

"4. Building MIL considerations into ethical frameworks within institutions and companies, so as to ensure transparent, inclusive and safe development of technologies such as AI; 

"5. Advocate for MIL initiatives to tackle technological determinism." 

Go to https://en.unesco.org/news/seoul-declaration-media-and-information-literacy-everyone-and-everyone-0

Photo by Sheila Webber: pink rose after rain, September 2020 

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

African Centre for Media and Information Literacy

I don't think I have featured the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy, a "non-government organisation that focuses on media, information, research, advocacy and training". Its most recent news focuses on media, disinformation and journalists, but it also has programmes focused on Media and Information Literacy, particularly concerning young people, with news and resources. Go to https://www.africmil.org/ and https://twitter.com/Africmil.

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Webinar: Nearpod+Zoom to Make Learning Fun!

The next LiLi Online Instruction Show & Tell is on 6 January 2021 at 10-11am US Pacific time (which is, e.g. 6-7pm UK time): Nearpod+Zoom to Make Learning Fun! Shaimaa Sakr (an Egyptian librarian working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) "will introduce the basic and free subscription of Nearpod with useful features that can be a tool to interact with students." To register go to https://lili.libguides.com/lili/shaimaa-sakr

Monday, December 28, 2020

IFLA webinar recordings

There are recordings from IFLA webinars in its Youtube channel (IFLA=International Federation for Library Associations & Institutions). These include: 

 - Moodle for Education and Training (which took place on 10 December 2020) which has an interesting range of presentations looking at use of Moodle from different perspectives and in different educational contexts. The slides are also avialable here https://www.ifla.org/node/93487

- IFLA Section on Education and Training (SET) 2 day Webinar series (19/20 November 2020). Day 1 included Youth access to social media in Libraryand Information Science in Kuwait and Taiwan (Hanadi Buarki, Hui-Yun Sung); AllWork and All Play. Sustainable Development Awareness Tools for Librarians (RaphaëlleBats, Camille Delaune, Mathilde Gaffet, LaurePapon-Vidal; From checklists to critical thinking: Updating information analysis in the age of fake news (Julie Biando Edwards) . The slides are here https://www.ifla.org/node/93317

- Talks on Fake News & Its Impact on Society (18 November 2020) 

The IFLA channel is at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV81siTMahbtVBA47f4pP3W3dxA1eqzdQ

Photo by Sheila Webber: sun on Christmas Day, December 2020

Sunday, December 27, 2020

Digital Native News Media: Trends and Challenges

Volume 8 issue 2 of the open access journal Media and Communication was devoted to the theme of Digital Native News Media: Trends and Challenges (by which is meant news media that are "born digital", not media aimed at digital natives, looking particularly at hispanic contexts). The articles include: 

-Information Quality in Latin American Digital Native Media: Analysis Based on Structured Dimensions and Indicators by Claudia Rodríguez-Hidalgo, Diana Rivera-Rogel and Luis M. Romero-Rodríguez 

- Cross-National Similarities and Differences between Legacy and Digital-Born News Media Audiences by Alfonso Vara-Miguel 

- Business Model Innovation in News Media: Fostering New Relationships to Stimulate Support from Readers by Giuliander Carpes da Silva and Gabriela Gruszynski Sanseverino 

- Why Do Digital Native News Media Fail? An Investigation of Failure in the Early Start-Up Phase by Christopher Buschow 

- Behind the Comments Section: The Ethics of Digital Native News Discussions by Orge Castellano Parra, Koldobika Meso Ayerdi and Simón Peña Fernández 

- Media Roles in the Online News Domain: Authorities and Emergent Audience Brokers by Sílvia Majó-Vázquez, Ana S. Cardenal, Oleguer Segarra and Pol Colomer de Simón 

- Between Self-Regulation and Participatory Monitoring: Comparing Digital News Media Accountability Practices in Spain by Pedro-Luis Pérez-Díaz, Rocío Zamora Medina and Enrique Arroyas Langa 

 Go to https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/issue/view/174

Photo by Sheila Webber: crib (the basis of which is a set I was given by an aunt when I was about 7), December 2020

Friday, December 25, 2020

Merry Christmas to all Information Literacy enthusiasts!

A very happy Christmas to all those interested in information literacy! I hope you have a joyful and restful/energetic (depending on which you prefer!) holiday season. As usual the photo is of the wreath I made this year with some of the lower branches of our Christmas tree.

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

New articles: Embedding metaliteracy; Evaluating sources; Critical thinking; First year experience; Community colleges

The latest issue of Communications in Information Literacy (Volume 14, Issue 2) contains: 

- Assessing the Potential for Critical Thinking Instruction in Information Literacy Online Learning Objects Using Best Practices by Mandi Goodsett 

- Instructional Experience and Teaching Identities: How Academic Librarians’ Years of Experience in Instruction Impact their Perceptions of Themselves as Educators by Amanda Nichols Hess 

- Teaching and User Satisfaction in an Academic Chat Reference Consortium by Kathryn Barrett, Judith Logan, Sabina Pagotto, and Amy Greenberg 

- Critical Thinking in a Service-Learning Course: Impacts of Information Literacy Instruction by Heather R. Kennedy and Anne Marie H. Gruber 

- Not a Blank Slate: Information Literacy Misconceptions in First-Year Experience Courses by Michelle Keba and Elizabeth Fairall

 - The Journalistic Approach: Evaluating Web Sources in an Age of Mass Disinformation by Victoria Elmwood 

- Information Literacy Practices and Perceptions of Community College Librarians in Florida and New York by Heidi Julien, Don Latham, Melissa Gross, Lindsey Moses, and Felicia Warren 

- Professional Development for Research-Writing Instructors: A Collaborative Approach by Melissa Bowles-Terry and Kaitlin Clinnin 

- Embedding Metaliteracy in the Design of a Post-Truth MOOC: Building Communities of Trust by Thomas P. Mackey 

- Analyzing Information Sources Through the Lens of the ACRL Framework: A Case Study of Wikipedia by Trudi E. Jacobson 

- A Noteworthy Next Class: Making Learning Objectives Work for You by Amy B. James 

Plus book reviews of: The Engaged Library: High-Impact Educational Practices in Academic Libraries; and Learning Beyond the Classroom: Engaging Students in Information Literacy through Co-Curricular Activities; and Meeting the Challenge of Teaching Information Literacy

Go to https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/comminfolit/vol14/iss2/

Photo by Sheila Webber: wreaths of South London, December 2020

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Statement from the ‘civil society’ track of the 3rd Global Infodemic Management Conference: Stopping the Infodemic from Within

A Statement from the ‘civil society’ track of the World Health Organization's 3rd Global Infodemic Management Conference - Stopping the Infodemic from Within - mentions information literacy in summarising the problems and possible solutions. The biggest message in the statement is the importance of involving communities in combatting infodemics. They propose three challenges and three solutions. 

Solution 3 says that "Literacy is not simply an issue of being able to read and write; comprehensive literacy entails critical thinking and analysis, including an ability to discern fact from fiction. Advancing literacy requires us to understand key barriers to meaningful access to information and services, including healthcare. Once these barriers are understood, investments must be made in literacy capacity building and information infrastructure. Information literacy must be developed with and informed by the inputs, beliefs, attitudes, experiences, perceptions, social norms, and capacities of individuals and communities. Information and communication systems should be developed with communities and a comprehensive understanding of information actors and the existing ecosystem(s) in which they operate. ... Investments should be made globally and locally in media and information literacy education, ensuring it is part of core education curriculum." 

https://www.who.int/news/item/10-12-2020-statement-from-the-civil-society-track-of-the-3rd-global-infodemic-management-conference

Photo by Sheila Webber: another wreath of South London, December 2020

Monday, December 21, 2020

Call for Chapters: Exploring Inclusive & Equitable Pedagogies

There is a call all for chapters for a proposed book to be published by ACRL: Exploring Inclusive & Equitable Pedagogies: Creating Space for All Learners. Proposals are due by 15 January 2020. "Some of the questions we seek to address in this publication include: How do theories and practices related to equitable and inclusive pedagogies inspire your teaching? How have librarians engaged in equitable and inclusive teaching? How might librarians implement equitable and inclusive pedagogy in ways specific to library instruction? Taking an inclusive approach to content, chapters will take a variety of formats such as: reflective and personal essays, narratives, analytical and academic essays, case studies, autoethnographies, lesson plans, or zines and other graphic formats. You can share your ideas for your own teaching or take a more programmatic approach. Submissions may reflect the range of instructional activities and settings with which academic library educators engage" 

More information at http://bit.ly/CFP_ACRLinclusivepedbook

Photo by Sheila Webber: Christmas trees in Second Life, November 2020

Recent articles: student skills; faculty and OERs; Boolean search; scholarly information seeking; COVID

The latest issue of the Journal of Academic Librarianship (priced) (Volume 46 issue 6) includes: 

- Toward a conceptual framework for scholarly information seeking by Sarah Rose Fitzgerald 

- Impact of library instruction on the development of student skills in synthesis and source attribution: A model for academic program assessment by Sarah P.C. Dahlen, Ryne Leuzinger (open access) 

- Incentivizing faculty for open educational resources (OER) adoption and open textbook authoring by Lily Todorinova, Zara T. Wilkinson 

- Boolean redux: Performance of advanced versus simple boolean searches and implications for upper-level instruction by M. Sara Lowe, Sean M. Stone, Bronwen K. Maxson, Eric Snajdr, Willie Miller 

- Implementing an information literacy course: Impact on undergraduate medical students' abilities and attitudes by Baris Sezer 

- Library support for student mental health and well-being in the UK: Before and during the COVID-19 pandemic by Andrew Cox, Liz Brewster (open access) 

- Covid – 19 pandemic and the future of Nigeria's university system: The quest for libraries' relevance by Goodluck Ifijeh, Felicia Yusuf (open access) 

- The role of Roman Urdu in multilingual information retrieval: A regional study by Zanab Safdar, Ruqia Safdar Bajwa, Shafiq Hussain, Haslinda Binti Abdullah, ... Umar Draz 

Go to https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/the-journal-of-academic-librarianship/vol/46/issue/6

Saturday, December 19, 2020

Fake News Immunity project

A research project Being Alone Together: Developing Fake News Immunity project "is about empowering citizens to critically understand and engage with the information manipulations they encounter on the internet" so that citizens can become fact checkers. The project site is at https://fakenewsimmunity.liverpool.ac.uk/ and they have just released a chatbot which aims to train citizens to be sceptical and question the news they encounter. The two distinctive aspects are their analysis, using Natural Language Processing, of a database of news from fact checking sites (with the fact checkers evaluations) and their use of philosophical methods (and avatars of three philosophers - Socrates, Gorgias and Aristotle) in the chatbot. The demo chatbot is here if you want to try it out: https://fakenewsimmunity.liverpool.ac.uk/the-chatbot/. I must confess I got a bit impatient with the chatbot after a while, mostly beacuse of me not being able to guess what kind of answers it was expecting and would accept, or perhaps I'm just impatient.  

Photo by Sheila Webber: wreaths of South London, December 2020

Thursday, December 17, 2020

New articles: Sustainability and Libraries

The latest issue of the open access International Journal of Librarianship (vol. 5 no. 2) is an interesting one with the theme of Sustainability and Libraries. Articles include The Use of Social Media Instagram to Disseminate Sustainable Information; Sustainable Development Goals: Insights from Research Libraries; Managing a Sustainable Work-from-Home Scheme. Go to https://journal.calaijol.org/index.php/ijol/issue/view/12

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

New articles: scoping reviews on: business information literacy; analsying the syllabus for information literacy

The latest issue of open access journal Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (vol 15 number 4) includes (picking out ones most relevant to this blog): 

- Syllabus Mining for Information Literacy Instruction: A Scoping Review by Kathleen Butler, Theresa Calcagno 

- Twenty Years of Business Information Literacy Research: A Scoping Review by Meggan A. Houlihan, Amanda B. Click, Claire Walker Wiley 

and evidence summaries, including 

- Graduate Assistants Trained in Reference May Not Consistently Apply Reference Interview and Instructional Strategies in Reference Interactions (summary by Sarah Bartlett Schroeder) 

- The Urgency and Importance of an Active Information Seeking Task Influence the Interruption of Information Encountering Episodes (summary by Barbara M. Wildemuth) 

- Information Horizons Mapping is Related to Other Measures of Health Literacy but Not Information Literacy (summary by Eugenia Opuda) 

- Students Value Asynchronous Instruction, Individual Projects and Frequent Communication with the Instructor in an Online Library Science Classroom (summary by Heather MacDonald) 

Contents at https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/eblip/index.php/EBLIP/issue/view/1954

Photo by Sheila Webber: farmers market, December 2020

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

California Conference on Library Instruction call for proposals

There is a call for proposals for the California Conference on Library Instruction, taking place online, on May 21, 2021. It has the theme: Same, But Different: How 2020 stretched our teaching capabilities and strengthened our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Proposal deadline is December 21 2020 (extended from the 14th December). "The extraordinary events of 2020 turned online instruction, sometimes viewed with skepticism, into the only viable way to reach our students. In the process of converting teaching and allied services from in-person to online, DEI issues have continued to disproportionately affect our most vulnerable populations of students. CCLI 2021 will provide a venue to reflect on the various ways we have responded to these very unique challenges." More info at https://www.cclibinstruction.org/call-for-speaker-proposals-2021/

Photo by Sheila Webber: fluffy cat, December 2020

Monday, December 14, 2020

Draft Framework for Information Literacy in Sociology

The Instruction & Information Literacy Committee of the ACRL Anthropology & Sociology Section has created a draft Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education in Sociology, and seeks feedback by January 31 2021. They use the "five essential concepts: The Sociological Eye, Social Structure, Socialization, Stratification, and Social Change and Social Reproduction" of the Sociological Literacy Framework (SLF) as the lens for each of the ACRL frames.The document starts with a definition of Sociological information literacy and a brief summary of how the document ws drafted. Questions to ANSS-IIL Co-chairs Gina Schlesselman-Tarango at gschlesselman@csusb.edu or Krystal Lewis (Co-PI) at klewis48@depaul.edu Go to https://acrl.libguides.com/ANSS_IIL/Sociology_Draft_Documents?preview=82d01995399324fb72a418837e270b56 for links to the document, and to the feedback survey (the link to that is in the paragraph of text). 

Photo by Sheila Webber: more winter oak leaves, December 2020

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Presentations from #CILIPConf20 health literacy and digital pivot

Presentations from the CILIP conference (held in November 2020) are available on CILIP Slideshare. Ones I think particularly relevant to this blog are:

Ruth Carlyle Health Literacy: Knowledge for healthcare and building on your skills https://www2.slideshare.net/CILIP/cilip-conference-2020-health-literacy-knowledge-for-healthcare-and-building-on-your-skills 

Bob Gann Supporting digital health literacy and combating digital health inequalities: what libraries can do https://www2.slideshare.net/CILIP/cilip-conference-2020-supporting-digital-health-literacy-and-combating-digital-health-inequalities-what-libraries-can-do 

Jane Secker The 'Digital Pivot' - the role of librarnas and knowledge specialists in moving teaching and learning online https://www2.slideshare.net/CILIP/cilip-conference-2020-the-digital-pivot-the-role-of-librarnas-and-knowledge-specialists-in-moving-teaching-and-learning-online 

Hossam Kassum The 'Digital Pivot' - the role of librarians and knowledge specialists in moving teaching and learning onlines https://www2.slideshare.net/CILIP/cilip-conference-2020-the-digital-pivot-the-role-of-librarians-and-knowledge-specialists-in-moving-teaching-and-learning-online 

Claire McGuinness and Crystal Fulton Preparing to Pivot: From Blended to Online Learning in the time of COVID https://www2.slideshare.net/CILIP/cilip-conference-2020-preparing-to-pivot-from-blended-to-online-learning-in-the-time-of-covid 

Photo by Sheila Webber: local Christmas wreaths II, December 2020

Wednesday, December 09, 2020

Forthcoming short courses

Forthcoming Library Juice Academy short courses include 

- Critical Concepts in LIS: Research, Teaching, and Practice; US $175.00; Dates: January 4 - January 31. https://libraryjuiceacademy.com/shop/course/265-critical-concepts-in-lis-research-teaching-and-practice/ 

- Sociology of Information Disorder and Fake News; US $250.00; Dates: January 4 - February 14. https://libraryjuiceacademy.com/shop/course/261-sociology-of-information-disorder-and-fake-news/ 

- Inclusive Instructional Design; US $175.00; Dates: February 1 - February 28. https://libraryjuiceacademy.com/shop/course/258-inclusive-instructional-design/

Photo by Sheila Webber: dead leaves on a wall, November 2020

Tuesday, December 08, 2020

Working Group on Infodemics Policy Framework

The Forum on Information and Democracy (an international organisation with high level connections) has had a working group on Infodemics, which produced a report in November 2020. It focuses on regulatory solutions and measures that could be taken by platforms, with recommendations to governments and online service providers. The start of the report outlines the origins and workings of the Forum. The steering committee of the working group is international, as were the 60 experts consulted for the report. I don't think anyone from an Information School or a library agency was included, distrubingly it seems like no international forum or agency appears to think that anyone from information science or librarianship has anything to contribute on the topic of infodemics. The report can be downloaded here: https://informationdemocracy.org/working-groups/concrete-solutions-against-the-infodemic/

Photo by Sheila Webber: early winter leaves, December 2020

Monday, December 07, 2020

New articles: Information Literacy bibliography 2019; business students; undergrads IL; Attitudes to Google Scholar

The latest issue of priced publication Reference Services Review is Volume 48 Issue 4. It includes 

- Library instruction and information literacy 2019 by Tessa Withorn, Joanna Messer Kimmitt, Carolyn Caffrey Gardner, Anthony Andora, Cristina Springfield, Dana Ospina, Maggie Clarke, George Martinez, Amalia Castañeda, Aric Haas, Wendolyn Vermeer. This is the latest of the annual annotated bibliographies published by RSR. "This year, 370 articles, books, reports and dissertations are annotated and organized in the following categories: K-12 Education, Children and Adolescents (31); Academic and Professional Programs (257); Everyday Life, Community and the Workplace (30); Libraries and Health Information Literacy (23); Multiple Library Types (13); and Other Information Literacy Research and Theory (16)." As usual, this is not a comprehensive listing of all articles to do with information literacy from 2019, but it covers English-language LIS journals well and is very useful. When I accessed it the pdf was of the article from the previous year, but the web version was correct, hopefully it will all be correct by the time you look at it.

- Relating library user education to business students’ information needs and learning practices: a comparative study by Yifei Zhang, Patrick Lo, Stuart So, Dickson K.W. Chiu 

- Belief in importance of information literacy abilities among undergraduates. Underlying factors and analysis of variance by Maria Pinto, David Caballero, Dora Sales, Alicia Segura 

- OhioLINK librarians and Google Scholar over time: a longitudinal analysis of attitudes and uses by David Luftig, Joan Plungis. 

Go to https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/0090-7324/vol/48/iss/4

Photo by Sheila Webber: I made the Christmas puddings a week ago, using my mother's recipe. They are now all cooked (steamed) and maturing.

Sunday, December 06, 2020

New articles: Interdisciplinarity of Information Science Research @zin_journal

The Polish journal ZIN Zagadnienia Informacji Naukowej (volume 58 no. 1A) has an interesting issue on Interdisciplinarity of Information Science Research. The home page is (unsurprisingly) in Polish, but click the UK flag top right and you have the page in English and the articles are in English. They include: 

- Complex Interdisciplinary Approach to Modelling Information Literacy Education by Tibor Koltay, Enikő Szőke-Milinte 

- Affective Factors in Human Information Behavior: A Conceptual Analysis of Interdisciplinary Research on Information Behavior by Monika Krakowska 

- Theoretical Bases of Critical Data Studies by Łukasz Iwasiński 

- Information Science in Dialogue with Archival Science, Library Science and Museum Studies: The Recent Brazilian Experience by Carlos Alberto Ávila Araújo 

Go to http://ojs.sbp.pl/index.php/zin/issue/view/73  

Photo by Sheila Webber: old oak, November 2020

Saturday, December 05, 2020

Misinformation Workshop; Public pedagogy

Material from the CILIP Scotland conference (held in October 2020) have been released, notably:

- a prezi and padlet from the workshop Fighting ‘Fake News’: a workshop on misinformation, delivered by Paul Gray, Jenny Foreman, and Morag Higgison, Scottish Government Librarians https://prezi.com/wbbqdz-2lvga/fighting-fake-news-for-cilips-conference/  and http://tinyurl.com/sglibraryfakenews (the prezi is extensive, but noone seems to have contributed to the padlet yet). 

- recording of Sheila MacNeill's keynote presentation The Role of Public Pedagogy, Open Education and Information Literacy in a Rapidly Changing World https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S90NA8zN7giYoHyse67muQvjB9c0SGkh/view?usp=sharing - I already blogged her own blog post about it and her powerpoint here.

Photo by Sheila Webber: The first Xmas wreath: spotted a couple of weeks ago, there are loads of them about now.

Thursday, December 03, 2020

New articles: infolit and lifelong learning; trends in LIS research

The latest issue of open-access IFLA Journal (volume 46 no. 3) can now be downloaded from the IFLA website (the whole issue in a pdf). It includes: 

- The effect of information literacy instruction on lifelong learning readiness Leili Seifi, Maryam Habibi and Mohsen Ayati 

- National and international trends in library and information science research: A comparative review of the literature Mallikarjun Dora and H. Anil Kumar 

Go to https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/hq/publications/ifla-journal/ifla-journal-46-3_2020.pdf  

Photo by Sheila Webber: path on the heath, December 2020

Wednesday, December 02, 2020

Business Reference in Academic Libraries webinar

On December 9th and 16th there is a series of sessions comprising The Brass (Business Reference and Services Section) Symposium. Several sessions are relevant to this blog. The timetable is as follows - all times are US Eastern time (which is, e.g., 5 hours behind time in the UK)

- December 9th 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. US EST. Make a Case: Strategies for writing effective business information literacy case studies during COVID-19 and beyond. Presenters: Zoeanna Mayhook and Dr. Annette Bochenek 

- December 9th from 1:00 - 1:45 p.m. US EST. Classroom Assessment in the Virtual Classroom. Presenter: Chloe Dufour 

- December 9th from 4:00 - 4:45 p.m. EST. The Ladder of Inference and 4-Step Source Assessment Model: Making Connection between Business and Information Literacy. Presenter: Grace Liu 

- December 16th from 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. EST. You, me, and data literacy: A professional community exploration through the emerging themes from the research on business and economics librarians' data literacy instruction practices. Presenter: Charissa Jefferson 

- December 16th from 1:00 - 1:45 p.m. EST. Rework the Network: Virtual Outreach Methods in the Covid Era. Presenters: Alexandra Howard and Amber Willenborg 

- December 16th from 3:00 - 3:45 p.m. EST. Light, camera, action: attracting business students to library resources. Presenter: Doris Jui 

- December 16th from 4:00 - 4:45 p.m. EST. Outreach, Collections and Open Educational Resources: Unique partners with ideas for saving cost during a pandemic. Presenters: Janet Reid and Patricia Sobczak

To register go to https://forms.gle/BU2KoNzPZ99jjk7s6 Photo by Sheila Webber: imprint of a leaf on teh pavement, November 2020

Tuesday, December 01, 2020

New articles: researching conflicts; digital reading; IL in public libraries; university-school outreach; nursing students

The latest issue (Volume 14 No 2) of open access Journal of Information Literacy has been published. The articles are: 

- Be kind: Teaching for information literacy in a pandemic era by Alison Hicks (Editorial)

- Students’ approaches when researching complex geographical conflicts using the internet by Eva Engelen, Alexandra Budke  (the participants were secondary school students in Germany)

- How to teach digital reading? by Fei Victor Lim, Weimin Toh 

- Information literacy outreach between universities and schools by Sharon Wagg, Pam McKinney (a case study using situational analysis of a programme)

- Information literacy instruction in public libraries by Miriam Louise Matteson, Beate Gersch  ("Key findings were that public librarians incorporate a range of IL concepts in their interactions with patrons, across a wide variety of expressed information needs, with most of the instruction directed toward helping patrons plan their information tasks, access information, and judge information. Secondary themes showed that although librarians believed strongly in the value and importance of providing instruction, individual and situational factors presented barriers to effective instruction.")

- Developing information literacy skills in elementary students [10-12 years] using the web-based Inquiry Strategies for the Information Society of the Twenty-First (ISIS-21) Century by Anne C. Wade, Larysa Lysenko,Philip C. Abrami 

- Innovative digital tools in EBP [evidence based practice] and information literacy education for undergraduate nursing students by Bryan Chan, Ruth Wei 

Go to https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/JIL/issue/view/221  

Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn anemone, November 2020

Monday, November 30, 2020

Webinar: Moodle for Education and Training

A webinar organised on 10 December 2020 at 5pm CET (which is, e.g., 4pm Uk time, 11am US Eastern time) by the IFLA SET (International Federation of Library and Information Associations: Education & Training Section)- Moodle for Education and Training. "Are you thinking about using or currently using Moodle for Education and Training? Join us as four speakers share their experiences about Moodle. Joanne Rodger will talk about using Moodle in public libraries and non profit sector. Dave Laurie will talk about supports for users (instructors and students/learners) to be successful in the Moodle environment. Kais Abid will talk about making Moodle work for you including sharing plug-ins that help specific organizations make the best use of Moodle. Jerine Pegg will talk about research with online instructors who use Moodle and share implications to support instructors as they teach and learn online." In English, with text translation into other IFLA Languages. Registration at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_I47xEHslQ6-2zJrhiQC86Q

Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn tree, November 2020

Saturday, November 28, 2020

Manifesto per l’Information Literacy

Published a few years ago, but I had only just come across it: the Italian Library Association's working group on information literacy (Associazione Italiana Biblioteche, Gruppo di studio nazionale AIB sulla Information Literacy (GLIT) produced a Manifesto per l’Information Literacy https://www.aib.it/struttura/commissioni-e-gruppi/gruppo-literacy/ilmanifesto/ (in Italian, obviously)

Friday, November 27, 2020

Survey: please complete and retweet TODAY! #MILCLICKS

Today (27th November) is the final day for the UNESCO Global Survey on Media and Information Literacy Developments. The more responses the better, so please take the time to fill this in and tell others! In particular it is important if you are connected to any kind of institution or association, and they need to collect information from as many countries as possible. Go to https://en.unesco.org/news/take-our-global-survey-media-and-information-literacy-developments (the link is halfway down the page)

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

New articles: historical perspecive on fact checking; transcendental information

The latest issue of open access journal Libres (volume 30, Issue 1) features: 

- Gaining Historical Perspective on Political Fact-Checking: The Experience of the United States by James W. Cortada and William Aspray 

- What is Transcendental Information? A Conceptual Paper by Yazdan Mansourian "The paper introduces transcendental information as a subjective and contextual concept to provide insights on lesser explored corners of the information behaviour scholarship. This concept is compared with existing theories and concepts in the information behaviour area. ... This conceptual paper is based on a critical literature review of human information behaviour, and reflects on some key concepts in the field, including the nature of information, information needs, information seeking and sharing. The paper also provides a selective literature review of the serious leisure perspective to contextualise the analysis. ... It is found that transcendental information usually has an aesthetic and intellectual essence. It may be expressed in various imaginative forms and can appear in different non-textual and embedded formats. Moreover, it can generate joyful and inspiring impacts. The paper refers to serious leisure as an exemplary setting to contextualise transcendental information within a relevant and well-established theoretical framework." 

 Go to https://www.libres-ejournal.info/all-issues/volume-30-issue-1/

Photo by Sheila Webber: apples and pears, October 2020

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance Awards 2020

Last week, the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance Awards 2020 were announced. First place went jointly to Michelle Ciulla-Lipkin, representing the USA's National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) and Willice Onyango representing the Youth Cafe Limited in Kenya. Joint second place went to Silvia Bacher representing the Las Otras Voces, Comunicacion para la Democracia (LOV) in Argentina and USA's Sam Wineburg, working with who supports media literacy "lateral reading" skills and tools to schools. Joint third place went to Carlos Lima, who created an educational programme within the Imprensa Jovem (Youth Press) organisation and Syed Ommer Amer, who founded the Daastan institution in Pakistan. More information at https://en.unesco.org/news/all-candidates-are-winners-unesco-media-and-information-literacy-alliance-awards-2020

Monday, November 23, 2020

Lake-Sumter State College Information Literacy Conference

At 8.15-4.30 US Eastern time (so e.g. 1.15pm-9.30pm UK time) on January 6th 2021, Lake-Sumter State College (USA) is holding a online free Information Literacy Conference. The conference includes sessions about the IL programme at Lake-Sumter (which can be interesting as an example of how one institution intergrates IL) and also sessions which look more broadly useful e.g. "Setting Students Up for Success: Incorporating Information Literacy Through Collaboration", "Crafting a Research Assignment: The Good, the Bad, and the Confusing". Presenters include librarians and faculty. Further information on the conference programme and registration (there is a link to each on this page): https://lssc.libwizard.com/f/IL_Conference and more information about the Quality Enhancement Programme that IL seems to be a core lement of at the college at http://www.lssc.edu/qep

Photo by Sheila Webber: white lily, October 2020

Sunday, November 22, 2020

Cfp: Critical Approaches to Libraries Conference 2021 #CALC2021

The Critical Approaches to Libraries Conference 2021 takes place provisionally on 5-6th May 2021, and is likely to be online. The Call for Papers Stage 1 has been announced. "This stage is reserved for presenters from marginalised and/or underrepresented groups (a complete list of eligible groups can be found on the CfP page http://calc.coventry.domains/participate/call-for-papers/). The closing date for Stage 1 is Sunday 10th January 2020 23.59 UK time. The second stage CfP will be open to all and will start in January 2021."

Friday, November 20, 2020

Webinar - Being open: taking your Library teaching online

A CILIP London event is a webinar on 25th November 2020, 5pm-6pm UK time, Being open: taking your Library teaching online (a Zoom link will be provided). Presenters are Amanda Closier and Fiona Durham. It is "an event looking at the way Open University Librarians deliver online teaching, both in live tutorials and authored activities, and how you might adapt our experiences for your own institution. We will be sharing examples from both our live teaching and authored activities. This session is aimed specifically (but certainly not exclusively) at librarians outside an HE context. Aims of this session: Give examples of how to make live online teaching more engaging; Think about the benefits of synchronous vs asynchronous teaching; Be introduced to examples of asynchronous activities and how we integrate them." The cost is £5, or £3 to CILIP members (remember to sign in before starting the billing process!) To register go here https://www.cilip.org.uk/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1447669&group=201291

Photo by Sheila Webber: a London park, November 2020

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Webinar: Privacy Literacy Reboot: Grounding Practice in Theory

On December 4 2020, at 2pm US Eastern time, which is 7pm UK time, there is a virtual panel discussion: Privacy Literacy Reboot: Grounding Practice in Theory. It is moderated by Alexandria Chisholm and Sarah Hartman-Caverly (Pennsylvania State University) with panelists Symphony Bruce (American University), Claire Lobdell (Greenfield Community College), and Andrew Wesolek (Vanderbilt University). 

"With growing social justice issues related to algorithmic bias and the disparate impact of surveillance, it is more important than ever for librarians to assume leadership in advocating for and educating about privacy literacy (PL). Participants will gain working knowledge of contemporary privacy challenges and solutions to build professional self-efficacy, access the moderators’ PL toolkit featuring resources to develop future PL programming, and leave inspired to lead PL education and advocacy initiatives." 

Register at https://ala-events.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ro8T86USTjuHxHLZ8bEHTQ Discussion questions and background reading at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hFn7bP_oi_qjSQG4FRHEIUkYIsYr82LS/view?usp=sharin: one of the readings is - Hartman-Caverly, S., & Chisholm, A. (2020). Privacy literacy instruction practices in academic libraries: Past, present, and possibilities. IFLA Journal. open access https://scholarsphere.psu.edu/resources/6e465f98-fc36-478e-bba5-3f29c52a7632

Photo by Sheila Webber: winter branches, with birds, November 2020

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT) awards

Nominations are sought for the LIRT Librarian Recognition Award (for librarians) and the LIRT Innovation in Instruction Award (for libraries). Deadline is 15 January 2021 for both awards. These are presented by the American Library Association Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT), but none of the criteria mention restriction to North America, so I think librarians from any country can apply, and the awards are also open to any type of library. 

The LIRT Librarian Recognition Award "is given to acknowledge a librarian's contribution to the development, advancement, and support of information literacy and instruction. The award is open to any librarian who participates in instruction/information literacy activities in any type of library. Instruction need not be the main focus of their position." Elements wich are considered are: Contributions to library literature; Key role in the creation of an instruction/information literacy program or project; Impactful participation within professional organizations at local, regional, national, and/or international levels. You get a $1,000 cash award, a plaque, and a $500 travel stipend to be used to attend the ALA Conference. 

The LIRT Innovation in Instruction Award "is given to acknowledge a Library's contributions to the development, advancement, and support of information literacy instruction.... Practice(s) will be prioritized over scholarship with preference for innovative practices that are low-cost and can be easily reproduced elsewhere." It will have done something like: "Revamped its public instruction program in response to a new technology, an assessment report, etc.; Initiated a public program that utilizes best practices of instruction in combination with new methods of delivery; Created an original type of instruction." The prizes are the same as for the other award. 

For full information go to http://www.ala.org/rt/lirt/awards

Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn roses, October 2020.

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Featured Teaching Librarian: Yvonne Mery

The ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) Instruction Section Teaching Methods Committee periodically interviews a librarian involved in teaching. You can find the latest interview, with Yvonne Mery (University of Arizona) here, and there are links to the previous interviews here: https://acrl.ala.org/IS/category/istm/featured-teaching-librarian/

Monday, November 16, 2020

#lisrival presentations on Syrian Information Literacy; public libraries & citizenship; e-legal deposit; school library provision

RIVAL is a collaborative network of Scotland-based Library and Information Science (LIS) researchers and practising library and information professionals interested in maximising the impact and value of library and information science research. They are having a closed meeting on 19 November, but video presentations and some other resources are already available to all. These include 

- A keynote from my colleague in the Information School, University of Sheffield, Dr Leo Appleton: Public library services and citizenship: a longitudinal analysis of roles, impact, and value 

- Syrian new Scots’ information literacy way-finding practices: Dr Konstantina Martzoukou and Professor Simon Burnett (Robert Gordon University) 

- Digital library futures: the impact of e-legal deposit in the academic sector: Dr Paul Gooding (University of Glasgow) with Dr Frankie Wilson (Bodleian Libraries) 

- Turning school library provision digital and return to school in times of COVID19: Hayley Lockerbie 

Go to https://lisrival.com/rival-events/event-3/

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Project Information Literacy seeking a part-time Fellow

Project Information Literacy is seeking a PIL Fellow, who must be based in the USA. You are expected to work 6-8 hours (remotely) a week between January and June 2021, and the payment is a US $500 honorarium to be paid at the end of the Fellowship in June 2021. The deadline for applications is 10 December 2020. "The PIL 2021 Fellow will work virtually on a brand new initiative, the “PIL Provocation Series.” The purpose of this occasional series is to provide the library and higher education fields with an OA forum for formalizing and voicing pressing information literacy-related issues, ideas, and concerns while raising solutions or new ways of thinking for plotting a way forward. The goal of the web-based publications is to create better teaching and learning opportunities for students, librarians, and educators, while identifying new directions that inform future research." For more details about the Provocation Series go to https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CmAfjXSaOWd5dEI3xZ-2bSBIWmTbQ9mtNCtBHlXahV8/view More detils of the Fellowship and an application form go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf20zSuhg9YQvk9_265cR7PZA-NbIrJr4YjrcCYt0wX-FyfZA/viewform

Saturday, November 14, 2020

The FOSIL Group

An interesting group that I haven't blogged about directly is the FOSIL group, which developed the FOSIL model "a model of the inquiry process, an evolving continuum of specific and measurable skills that enable each of the stages in the inquiry process" and which has a website which hosts thoughtful discussion and "a growing collection of freely available resources that develop these skills within the inquiry process." Based on Barbara Stripling's model, the FOSIL (Framework Of Skills for Inquiry Learning) model has the stages: Connect; Wonder; Investigate; Construct; Express; Reflect. Pam McKinney previously blogged a conference session that talked about its use. Their website is at https://fosil.org.uk

Thursday, November 12, 2020

#PIDLit

I'm not too sure about the acronym (perhaps it doesn't call up the same word for Americans?), but the concept of PIDLit is interesting "Public Interest Data Literacy (PIDLit) weds Public Interest Technology and Data Literacy. Students who are skilled in finding, evaluating, analyzing, and using data are better equipped to serve the public good. Communities need thoughtful and well-prepared data experts who can evaluate and use data for informed decision making for the public good, while being ever mindful of the ethical implications that go along with big data collection and increased surveillance." 

Georgia State University is recruiting a PIDLit Fellow who "will take the lead on developing a curriculum for first-year students at Georgia State’s main campus and two-year Perimeter College around data literacy and promoting data careers for the public good. GRAs and undergraduate Peer Leaders will assist with program development, outreach, and instruction. The Fellow will coordinate outreach and marketing efforts, including the hosting of webinars with other universities in order to gain insights and share experiences in reaching undergraduates". (dealine for applications is 10 December) They are also recruiting a graduate research assistant. More information at https://research.library.gsu.edu/PIDLit  

Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn berries, Sheffield Botanics, October 2020

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

New articles: underserved students; comparing student competencies; collaboration

Foskey, A., & Roper, A. (2020). Constructing authority: Using the ACRL Framework to connect with underserved students. College & Research Libraries News, 81(10), 508. https://doi.org/10.5860/crln.81.10.508 "At the community college level, rethinking library instruction in light of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education often feels like a puzzle. ... In this column, we outline our library’s outreach efforts to engage with two intersecting and underserved groups: returning adult students and students in the LGBTQ+ community.  ... At our library, engaging with the Framework provided an opportunity to design innovative instruction and programming."

Głowacka, E., Kisilowska, M., & Paul, M. (2020). Patterns of Differentiation of Students’ Competencies: A Comparative Study. College & Research Libraries, 81(7), 1061. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.81.7.1061 "The aim of the project is threefold. First, it offers a comparative analysis of the information literacy skills of Polish and Spanish students, regarding both their self-assessment and belief in the importance of information literacy. Second, it focuses on differences and unique IL needs of students of courses rooted in social sciences and/or humanities. And third, due to these differences, it discusses the role of academic librarians in profiled IL training, integrated with the specific courses. Quantitative methodology was applied. The comparative study covered subgroups of humanities and social science students from Poland and Spain. Competencies in information searching, processing, evaluation, and communication/dissemination were taken into account. The results indicate some common ways of perception of valuing information competencies and major differences in assessment of IL self-efficacy. Students’ reluctance to visit libraries is another argument to enhance profiled IL training being realized in close cooperation of academic librarians and the faculty."

Tran, N., & Chan, E. (2020). Seeking and Finding Research Collaborators: An Exploratory Study of Librarian Motivations, Strategies, and Success Rates. College & Research Libraries, 81(7), 1095. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.81.7.1095 "This exploratory study explores librarians’ motivations, strategies, and their perceived or relative success rates for finding collaborations on research projects or library initiatives. Survey results indicate that the most prevalent motivators for seeking a collaborator were to acquire expertise that one lacked, sustain research interest, and obtain a sounding board. Workplace culture, being open to collaborations, and attending conferences and meetings were the top selected strategies for finding research collaborators with the highest relative success rates."

There is also a book review of Julien, H., Gross, M. & Latham, D. (2020). The Information Literacy Framework: Case Studies of Successful Implementation. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield (ISBN 978-1-5381-2144-3) Photo by Sheila Webber: remembrance poppies and sunlight, November 2020

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Tips and trends: Zoom for Library Instruction: Benefits and Considerations

The latest in the short Tips & Trends guides series (each a few pages with links) is Zoom for Library Instruction: Benefits and Considerations by Meg Grotti and Jamie Johnson, which "explores how the Covid-19 pandemic has altered library instruction and how Zoom can be used as to build classroom community and deliver synchronous instruction. The series is published by the Instructional Technologies Committee of the ACRL Instruction Section. Download the guide at https://bit.ly/tirpsandtrendsf20

Photo by Sheila Webber: knitted remembrance day poppies, November 2020

Monday, November 09, 2020

Updated call: WILU 2021:  Visions of the  Possible

The 2021 WILU (Canadian information literacy) conference will take place online, June 17-25 2021. There is an updated call for presentations from Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) colleagues with review beginning on 18 December 2020. They say "Academic institutions, including libraries, continue to fall short with representing our diverse communities. The academic environment continues to favour white people, as they hold the majority of academic roles, positions of power, and decision-making capabilities. The WILU 2021 Steering Committee has reflected on and discussed the outcomes of these imbalances. One change going forward is a new call for presentations from our BIPOC colleagues. The WILU Steering Committee believes that it is crucial to augment, amplify, and honour these voices. 

Therefore, we are adding space to our program, to ensure that our conference is more inclusive. The WILU 2021 Programming Committee is now inviting proposal submissions from BIPOC library professionals. Speakers may report on original research, completed projects, instructional programs, innovative projects, or other information literacy initiatives. Discussions of pedagogy, learning theory, and educational philosophy are also acceptable. Participants may represent diverse experiences or points of view." 

Presentations and panels are sought. Submit using this online form.

Saturday, November 07, 2020

Final cfp #LILAC21

The call for papers for LILAC (the UK information literacy conference, taking place 7-9 April 2021) closes on 12 November 2020 5pm UK time. The current plans are for it to take place at Manchester Metropolitan University, but, they say "are closely monitoring the current COVID situation. We are exploring an online option should things change". "LILAC welcomes proposals which address information literacy from all sectors and contexts. For LILAC 2021 we invite you to present on any aspect of information literacy, there are no specific themes. We ask that your presentation makes explicit reference to your innovative practice or research in information literacy. All submissions to the conference are peer reviewed before acceptance." 

The options are: Micro-teach (15 minutes long); Masterclass (30 or 60 minutes); Workshops (60 minutes); Short presentation (30 mins inc questions); Long presentation (60 mins inc questions); Panel Discussion (60 mins). Go to

https://www.lilacconference.com/lilac-2021/call-for-presentations

Thursday, November 05, 2020

The role of public pedagogy, open education and information literacy in a rapidly changing world

Sheila MacNeill presented an interesting keynote at the CILIP Scotland conference, on The role of public pedagogy, open education and information literacy in a rapidly changing world. The slides are embedded below and she blogs about it here: https://howsheilaseesit.net/digitalcapability/the-role-of-public-pedagogy-open-education-and-information-literacy-in-a-rapidly-changing-world-cilips-2020-keynote/ noting that "In my keynote I wanted to focus on the role of information and public pedagogy and the direct relationship they have on each other. In our increasingly confused world ensuring that everyone has the capacity and opportunities (both in digital and physical spaces) to find, share and critique information is increasingly important, if not urgent"

She also refers to a recent article: MacNeill, S., Johnston, B. and Smyth, K. (2020). Critical Engagement for Active Participation: The Digital University in an Age of PopulismNew Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 115-127. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.20372
(there is also an open access version here). "In this article, the authors describe a new vision of open education, a “public pedagogy,” that can respond to both the neoliberal university and contemporary rightwing media."

 

Wednesday, November 04, 2020

Online course: Introduction to Universal Design for Learning

Starting next month is a Library Juice Academy online course: Introduction to Universal Design for Learning, running from 7 December 2020 to 3 January 2021 (so, something for those of you unsure of how to occupy yourselves during a lockdown Christmas). The cost is US $175.00. "This four-week course will introduce participants to the principles and practices of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The UDL framework provides an approach to designing meaningful learning environments that support learning variability in instructional settings, and creates a learning environment that supports all learners by removing barriers to learning before the learner encounters the barrier." It is taught by Liz Johns, the Teaching and Learning Librarian at Goucher College in Baltimore, USA.

Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn leaves, October 2020

Tuesday, November 03, 2020

ACRL Instruction Section newsletter

The Association of College & Research Libraries Instruction Section newsletter (vol 37 no 2) has been published. It has short articles on Using Canvas Commons; Adding Learning Units to Canvas Commons; & Teaching Online with Active Learning Tools, and also includes information on the ACRL Framework Sandbox (https://sandbox.acrl.org/) Go to http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/aboutacrl/directoryofleadership/sections/is/iswebsite/projpubs/newsletter/is_fall2020.pdf - the newsletter home page is at https://acrl.ala.org/IS/about-is-2/instruction-section-newsletters/

Photo by Sheila Webber: Sheffield Botanics, October 2020

Saturday, October 31, 2020

A #GlobalMILweek collection of #disinformation and #infodemic links #MILCLICKS

Enjoy the selection of articles, games, news stories, videos and websites about disinformation and infodemics, curated by students in my Information Literacy class in the Information School, University of Sheffield, UK. They created this padlet, which is a treasure trove of advice and information, as their contribution to Global Media and Information Literacy week. Go to https://padlet.com/s_webber/globalmilweek

Thursday, October 29, 2020

The use of Web 2.0 tools to teach information literacy in the UK university library context #FOILresearch #GlobalMILweek

 

This is my final blog post from the second FOIL webinar , entitled Masters’ Class: Emerging Voices in Media & Information Literacy Research. The final presentation was: William Shire (working at Magdalene College, Oxford and dissertation submitted to University of Sheffield): The use of Web 2.0 tools to teach information literacy in the UK university library context 

Shire's research questions included finding out what Web 2.0 tools were being used, why people were using them, whether they were connected with pedagogy and how they perceived the tools.  He gathered 110 questionnaires from academic librarians and did three follow up interviews. Librarians were using a wide variety of tools, with Virtual Learning Environments, Libguides and quizes coming up most frequently. In terms of the intended use, improving student engagement was more frequently mentioned, closely followed by course delivery. When examining the link with pedagogy, the research revealed that some tools were used more intrumentally (e.g. for advertising) but many were using them in a more complex way: "79% use tools for student engagement, 48% to enable students to share information with the teacher" and the qualitative research revealed constructivist approaches.

A small minority of the respondents did not find Web 2.0 tools useful and did not use them, but the majority found them "useful" or "very useful" (and responding in this way correlated with reporting use of more Web 2.0 tools, in the earlier question). Some respondents said they would like to explore more use of Web 2.0 tools, but did not have time/ management support for this exploration. Shire finished by talking about the ways that his own library had used many more of these tools for the online delivery of services, induction etc. in the current pandemic.

 

The place and role of workplace information literacy in a corporate environment #FOILresearch #GlobalMILweek

 More blogging on the second FOIL webinar , entitled Masters’ Class: Emerging Voices in Media & Information Literacy Research, hosted by Dr Drew Whitworth. The second presentation was:

 - Tsveta Rafaylova (working at RSM UK, dissertation submitted to University College London): The place and role of workplace information literacy in a corporate environment: exploring the information literacy capabilities of knowledge workers in a professional services firm  

She started by explaining her motivation for the research, wanting to focus on the less-studied workplace context and being encouraged to focus on her own workplace. Her research question was: what does Information Literacy look like for knowledge workers in a tax and accounting firm? She focused on workers in the tax faculty, and used Lloyd's 2017 IL model. She got 149 questionnaires returned (20% of those workers) and did four interviews. Useful in recruiting responses was the presentation of the research as a collaboration between the Information Department and the tax Knowledge Manager. The findings were shared with the tax faculty afterwards. Rafaylova identified some limitations of the research (e.g. that is was mainly descriptive) but interesting findings emegred. The first finding was the social processing of information, with junior colleagues reaching out to colleagues more than senior colleagues did. Information processing emerged as a shared team activity. The second set of finding related to challenges and barriers. These did not seem attached to particular to job roles, but were specific to the tax work context. Challenges included assessing internal information and finding andd applying external information. Because tax work involves interpretation and judgement, just finding the information is not the end of the story, it has to be combined with the worker's knowledge and applied to the specific problem. The process of acquiring knowhow and sharing and guiding colleagues has become more difficult in a working-from-home situation. One of the recommendations was to focus more on the IL of junior tax employees.

Approaches to Integrating Media Literacy in the K-12 Curriculum: The Case of Qatar #FOILresearch #GlobalMILweek

The second free webinar that the University of Sheffield Information School (my department) was involved with for Global Media and Information Literacy was today, entitled Masters’ Class: Emerging Voices in Media & Information Literacy Research. This was hosted by Dr Drew Whitworth (University of Manchester). This session was another event organised by the Forum on Information Literacy (FOIL), which is committed to sharing Information Literacy research and providing opportunities for new researchers to participate. I'll blog a little bit about each of the presentations. The first was:

 - Dona Fernandes (working at Hamid Bin Khalifa University, dissertation submitted to University of Manchester): Approaches to Integrating Media Literacy in the K-12 Curriculum: The Case of Qatar  

She started with an introduction to Qatar and the schools (K12) sector. There are a range of curricula in independent and private schools, catering to the different nationalities in the student body. Fernandes presented a timeline of Media Literacy in Qatar, relating it to other developments in education, politics (e.g. the opening and closure of the Doha Centre for Media Freedom & Doha News, issues to do with fake news) and outlined her conceptual frameworks e.g. aligning with local interests. Fernandes' research questions focused on the challenges to developing media literacy in the school curriculum and she explored them by analysing the literature. She identified the overarching challenges as. The first was lack of media freedom (although by itself it does not enable media literacy (ML) education) - from that point of view it is important, therefore not to import unrealistic Western models of ML curricula. The second challenge was an absence of national policy for ML, linked to the third challenge, a lack of multilateral colaboration in the region. The fourth challenge was a lack of technical training opportunities, including the contextual ML skills of being able to navigate the media landscape of Qatar without breaking the laws. In her final slide, Fernandes presented a diagram linking the conceptual framework and these challenges.