Webinar: Media and Information Literate Youth: A Cornerstone to Implementing Access to Information Policies

I'm highlighting one of the webinars mentioned yesterday. Today, 30 September 2020, at 3pm Paris time (which is, e.g., 2pm UK time or 9am US Eastern time) there is a free webinar Media and Information Literate Youth: A Cornerstone to Implementing Access to Information Policies as part of International Day for Universal Access to Information. The event info is here. Register at https://unesco-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gupMYFOASzGqnQTTpfW4iQ 

The Global MIL week site (which this event is also linked to) is at http://gmil2020.com

Webinars and documents for International Day for Universal Access to Information day #accesstoinfoday

International Day for Universal Access to Information was yesterday, but UNESCO has a programme of events which continues today and tomorrow (apologies, I only just came across these). The page with all the links is at https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/accesstoinformationday

There is a webinar today at 4.30pm Paris time Access to Information implementation and Crisis Resolution during COVID-19 Outbreak which "will discuss best practices in access to information and how they could be employed to save citizens from the COVID-19 pandemic" 

Webinars on 30 September (tomorrow) are: Media and Information Literate Youth: A Cornerstone to Implementing Access to Information Policies (3pm Paris time) and Open Access an imperative for Open Science for Building Resilience in the Face of COVID-19 (4.30pm Paris time)

There is also a 16 page statement here The right to information in times of crisis: access to information – saving lives, building trust, bringing hope!

Routledge Companion to Digital Media and Children

To be published in October, with 630 pages and 54 chapters: Green, L., Holloway, D., Stevenson, K., Leaver, T. & Haddon, L. (2020). The Routledge Companion to Digital Media and Children. Routledge. ISBN 9781351004107. The sections are:
- Creation of Knowledge
- Digital Media Lives
- Complexities of Commodification
- Children’s Rights
- Changing and Challenging Circumstances
- Local Complexities in a Global Context
More info at https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-Digital-Media-and-Children/Green-Holloway-Stevenson-Leaver-Haddon/p/book/9781351004107 

Photo by Sheila Webber, taken in Second Life "Cute thief", August 2020

Recordings from the Critical librarianship and pedagogy symposium #CLAPS2020

This year's Critical librarianship and pedagogy symposium took place online between the 1st and 17th September 2020. There are some pre-recorded presentations and some session recordings available. Recordings include: Do I have to have a librarian come to my class? Power imbalances and power moves in library instruction (Roberto Arteaga & Christine Moeller; Casting a critical eye on "fake news" literacy and post truth pedagogy (Carrie Wade); Knowledge justice (Sofia Leung), see also https://www.sofiayleung.com/thoughts/knowledgejusticekeynote ); Scaffolding your instruction with epistemology (Kirsten Dean). 

Pre-recordings include: Support beyond the studio: critical pedagogy in art librarianship (Michele Jennings); Information has value: a Marxist approach (Dave Ellenwood); Assessment is constructed & contextual: a faculty-librarian pilot to explore critical approaches to curriculum and assessment (Nicole Branch, Loring Pfeiffer, & Julia Voss); 

The schedule with abstracts and links to recordings is here https://clps.arizona.edu/registration-schedule and the Youtube stream with recordings is here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFiSK6NJJvNsrYlzg49_E4w/videos 

A couple of presentations from the lightning session (which weren't recorded and aren't linked on the website are An appeal to Kairos: building a sustainable assessment practice (Sheila Garcia: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14fAGueYvMbKh8w5gnXx1agsBdjHTbljrvsMDB1yADAE/edit#slide=id.g35f391192_00 ) and Data literacy and feminist epistemology (Scout Calvert http://calvert4.msu.domains/presenting/datalitfmstepist.html#/)

Photo by Sheila Webber: the friendly cat likes my feet, September 2020

Short course: Information Literacy in Politically Polarized Times

There is a short online course Information Literacy in Politically Polarized Times, running from October 19 to November 17 2020, costing US $175. The course is run by Andrea Baer. "At a time of political polarization – when digital environments lend themselves to the spread of misinformation, information silos, and echo chambers that can exacerbate social divisions – many educators have pointed to information literacy education as a way to foster a more informed and civically engaged society. Participants in this course will reflect on and further develop their approaches to information literacy education in polarized moments, as they engage with research and teaching approaches from disciplines like media literacy, information studies, education, cognitive psychology, and sociology. Participants will ultimately develop an instruction plan that they can apply to their teaching practice." 

The course structure is: Week 1: Beyond “Standard” Approaches to Information Literacy; Week 2: Research on Social Identity, Beliefs, and Information Behaviors; Week 3: Exploring Instruction Ideas; Week 4: Putting Ideas into Action 

More information at https://inquiringteachers.com/courses/il-polarized-times/

Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn hydrangea, September 2020

Call for chapters: Innovation and Experiential Learning in Academic Libraries

Chapters are sought for the book: Innovation and Experiential Learning in Academic Libraries: Meeting the Needs of 21st Century Students. This will be part of the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group Series: Innovations in Information Literacy  Deadline for submissions is November 15, 2020

The editors are Sarah Nagle and Elias Tzoc.  "As technology advances and the skills required for the future workforce continue to change rapidly, academic libraries have begun to expand the definition of information literacy and the type of library services they provide to better prepare students for the constantly-developing world they will face upon graduation. More than teaching the newest technologies, information literacy is expanding to help students develop enduring skills such as critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, communication, teamwork, and more. Innovation and Experiential Learning in Academic Libraries: Meeting the Needs of 21st Century Students addresses the multitude of ways that academic librarians are collaborating with faculty and helping students develop these enduring skills by developing and integrating active and experiential learning approaches into teaching activities. "

More information on how to submit proposals at https://sites.google.com/miamioh.edu/chapter-proposals/

Photo by Sheila Webber: friendly cat, September 2020 (the yellow blob is where I blanked out the registration number)

Free webinar series - Fake News: Impact on Society

A great free Virtual Lecture Series organised jointly by four IFLA sections: News Media, Digital Humanities, FAIFE, and Copyright/Legal Matters with the theme of Fake News: Impact on Society 

Lecture 1 is on 30 October 2020 at 4pm Central European time (which is, e.g., 3pm UK time, 10am US Eastern time). Presenters are Phillip Russell, ‘Stop, Think, Check’: Ireland’s Be Media Smart Campaign and Giuseppe Vitiello, Assessing the Promotion of Freedom of Expression and Free Access to Information in Libraries: Implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goal 16.10 through the EBLIDA-NewsGuard partnership 

Lecture 2 is on 18 November 2020, at 5pm Central European time. Presenters are Abby Moore & Catherine Tingelstad, Nuanced Literacy and Fake News: Academic Librarians’ Role in New Information Environments and Enrica Manenti, 'Handle with Double Care.' Memorial Sites, Teens, Libraries and Wikipedia

Lecture 3 is on 21 January 2021, at 5pm Central European time. Presenters are Katharina Beckh & Vishwani Gupta, Supporting Verification of News Articles with Machine Learning Methods: Automated Search for Semantically Similar Articles and Katherine E. Boss, April Hines, Jeffrey Knapp, et. al., 'It would be horrible if I printed something that wasn't true': Examining the Research Behaviors of Journalism Students

Lecture 4 is on 8 February 2021 at 4pm Central European time. Presenters are Damien Wang & Sara Pek, Strengthening Information Literacy in the Time of COVID-19: The Role and Contributions of the National Library of Singapore and Victor Mutyev, News Analytics in LIS Education and Practice

Go to https://www.ifla.org/news-media/conferences where there are links to register for each seminar  

Photo by Sheila Webber, roses, September 2020

Nominations for the Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian of the Year Award

The ACRL Instruction Section is seeking nominations for the Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian of the Year Award, with the deadline of December 4, 2020. "This award recognizes an individual librarian who has built a record of contributions that have advanced the pursuit of teaching and learning in a college or research library environment. The winner will receive a US $1,000 prize. Nominees should be highly accomplished in aspects of librarianship such as leadership of a library instruction program, production of a body of research and publication, outstanding participation in organizations at the regional or national level, and/or consistent mentorship or professional development of other library professionals." More information at http://www.ala.org/acrl/awards/achievementawards/miriamdudley.

Photo by Sheila Webber: Begonias, September 2020

Pedagogy chat: integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into student research

The next LIS Pedagogy Chat on Zoom is on 25 September at 2pm US Eastern time (e.g. 7pm UK time) when "Mónica Colón-Aguirre and Kawanna Bright will lead a discussion on integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into student research." This is a "a discussion series for library and information science instructors" but other librarians/educators may also find the issues interesting. Register at https://forms.gle/hWUXVTxK1HT5HdNx7 and the previous chats etc. are at https://tinyurl.com/rewn4tt - the schedule of forthcoming chats is at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GxGXvuFUxjKufppz6J6ZfdthTZLmUkl5CpP9Gpn4_oc/edit

Webinar: Enabling information ethics in a technologically saturated world

On 7 October 2020 at 3pm UK time, 10.00am US Eastern time, there is a free webinar Enabling information ethics in a technologically saturated world. This was to have been the topic for the IFLA RIS Section session at the IFLA conference that was to have taken place in Dublin, Ireland, last month. The speakers are: 

Peter Lor (South Africa), Johannes Britz (USA) and Bradley Wiles (USA). The Infodemic of our choosing: Truth, conspiracy theories and librarians in the COVID-19 Era. "Today's worldwide health crisis generates an amplified public discussion that is both politically contentious and rife with misinformation, creating many challenges for librarians. Our speaker discuss an ethical framework based on alethic rights (the right to truth)" 

Matilde Fontanin (Italy). The connecting machine: Librarians' mission after the Fourth Revolution. "She looks at how ethical issues involved in information sharing affect its evaluation, fair use, privacy and openness." 

To register go to https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WKKBpVRIQEqBxLoS60Fbrw

Photo by Sheila Webber: September berries, 2020

Learning resources and teaching material for COVID19 mis/information

Following up on the last post about the Project Information Literacy report, they have published some associated learning and teaching resources as well: 

1. PIL's list of Covid-19 misinformation resources has selected resources under the headings. Resources for building activities: Readings: Podcasts: Videos: Resources related to photos, charts, and graphs: Background resources. These are chosen for a North American audience, but include some non-US materials. In fact one class exercise could be remaking the list so that it was better tailored to a particular set of students. https://projectinfolit.org/pubs/covid19-first-100-days/supplementary/misinformation-resources.html

2. Ideas and prompts for learning and teaching with a focus on Visual messaging of the coronavirus news story. There are discussion prompts, lists of probing questions and activities for each of the following aspects: Context; Inspect; Affect; Effect; Investigate, Reflect, Create. https://projectinfolit.org/pubs/covid19-first-100-days/visual-messaging/learning-resources.html 

Photo by Sheila Webber: restricted parking, August 2020

Covid-19: The first 100 days of U.S. news coverage

There is a new 2-part report from Project Information Literacy: Covid-19: The first 100 days of U.S. news coverage. 

Report 1 includes "interactive data visualizations showing the results of a computational analysis of 125,696 news articles from 66 widely-read national, metropolitan, and digital-only news websites. A follow-up analysis identifies the top 12 news outlets producing the most coverage (N=74,737) of Covid-19. ... Certain stories were amplified and re-circulated across news sites and on social media, thus creating a network of diverse contributors to this vast news ecosystem." 

"In Report 2, a content analysis of 532 randomly selected news images from the top 12 outlets examined the visual representation of the coronavirus story. Five dominant visual themes – fear, hope, loneliness, determination, and grief – emerged from the sample of news images analyzed. ... Applying a critical lens to how the news constructs our understanding of events develops information agency and makes individuals more discerning news consumers. Teaching and learning for librarians, educators, students, and journalists that make use of interactive news datasets and information visualizations from the series are included for building students’ news and visual literacy skills." 

Head, A., Braun, S., MacMillan, M., Yurkofsky, J. and Bull, A. (2020). Covid-19: The first 100 days of U.S. news coverage: Lessons about the media ecosystem for librarians, educators, students, and journalists. Project Information Literacy Research Institute. https://projectinfolit.org/publications/covid-19-the-first-100-days/
Photo by Sheila Webber: someone else's vines, September 2020

New articles: IB theory in other disciplines; information behaviour in discussion groups & social media; Life in the Round in China; Health information

There is a new issue (volume 25 no. 3) of the open access journal Information Research. Articles include:
- T.D. Wilson: The transfer of theories and models from information behaviour research into other disciplines
- Reijo Savolainen: Dialogue processes in online information seeking and sharing: a study of an asynchronous discussion group 
- Reijo Savolainen: For or against Brexit? Justifying oppositional arguments in online discussion 
- Feng Yang, Shan Zhao, Wenyong Li, Richard Evans, and Wei Zhang: Understanding user satisfaction with Chinese government social media platforms 
- Judit Bar-Ilan, Tali Gazit, and Yair Amichai-Hamburger: Leading factors that explain engagement in closed Facebook groups 
- Ming Zhu and Xizhu Liao: Chatman’s theory of life in the round applied to the information seeking of small populations of ethnic minorities in China 
- Martijn Huisman, Stijn Joye, and Daniël Biltereyst: To share or not to share: an explorative study of health information non-sharing behaviour among Flemish adults aged fifty and over 
- A.F. Tyson and Jesse David Dinneen: A cross-discipline comparison of subject guides and resource discovery tools 
- Loukia Drosopoulou and Andrew M. Cox: Information School academics and the value of their personal digital archives 
Go to http://informationr.net/ir/25-3/infres253.html
Photo by Sheila Webber: white rose, September 2020

Webinar: The influence of global streaming services

Tomorrow, Wednesday 16 September at 3pm UK time, 4pm Paris time, 10am US Eastern time, there is a free webinar in the UNESCO MILID (Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue) series: The influence of global streaming services. "Major streaming services such as Netflix offer thousands of hours of content to audiences across the globe. What influence does this content have on society? How have streaming services changed what it means to 'watch' TV? Does global content provide a narrow representation of people and places around the world? Streaming services influence what type of information people learn and from whom they learn it. Although there are many streaming services, the influence of the largest companies is tremendous. Should we be concerned? How can we bring our MIL skills to our media consumption?" Panellists include:
Guillermo Orozco, Professor of Communication-Education at University of Guadalajara.
Tomas Duran, National Research Director at CUN University, Colombia
Beth Hewitt, Creative Director, School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology, University of Salford, UK
Nikos Panagiotou, associate professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Aristotle University, Greece
Register at http://unitwinmilidschool.net/2020/09/14/dialogue-the-influence-of-global-streaming-services-upcoming-event/

Online discussion: Imagining the contemplative academic library

The next ACRL Contemplative Pedagogy Interest Group online discussion on Zoom is on September 15 (i.e. today) at 2pm-3pm US Eastern time (which is, e.g. 7-8pm UK time) with the theme: Imagining the contemplative academic library "This month’s brainstorming discussion will focus on what academic libraries might look through a contemplative lens. What would a contemplative academic library feel like? What guiding ideas would support all who work in or visit the library? Come help us imagine what our future could look like!" To register (free) go to https://apsu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIkdemspzsiGdXXcQxEQnN1c1pzFRjg0zO9
Photo by Sheila Webber: mixed autumn berries, September 2020

Book: Hidden Architectures of Information Literacy Programs

A book published a couple of months ago: Gardner, C., Galoozis, E. and Halpern, R. (2020). Hidden Architectures of Information Literacy Programs: Structures, Practices, and Contexts. ALA. ISBN 978-0-8389-4819-4.
"In 39 chapters, authors from a variety of diverse institutions highlight the day-to-day work of running and coordinating information literacy programs and the soft skills necessary for success in the coordinator role. They discuss the institutional context into which their work fits, their collaborators, students, marketing, and assessment, as well as the many varied duties they balance" The sections (each with chapters giving examples) are
- Teaching Team Models
- Subject Liaison Model
- Combination of Teaching Team and Subject Liaison Models: Describes IL programs where the instruction work is conducted by some kind of combination of a dedicated teaching team and a liaison model
- Solo Librarian Model
- Focused on a For-Credit Course
Details at https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/hidden-architectures-information-literacy-programs-structures-practices-and-contexts
I previously blogged here a priced webinar series of the same name, which I now realise was connected with the book!
Photo by Sheila Webber: overgrown door, September 2020

Designing learning to enhance metacognitive skills: Opportunities to harness the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) with online learning

There is a MINDSETS (Robert Gordon University) free online event on 1 October 2020 at4-5pm UK time: Designing learning to enhance metacognitive skills: Opportunities to harness the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) with online learning. The presenters are Emma O'Neill, Crystal Fulton, & James Matthews (Fellows in Teaching and Academic Development, University College Dublin). "This research project investigated how the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment)could be leveraged to support active student learning in line with the University’s education strategy. ... [the] interventions were ... aimed to change the perception of the VLE from that of a “download-upload” platform to that of a 'space' for an engaging educational experience that maximises meaningful learning. These interventions were underpinned by the literature-informed Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) framework, designed to promote metacognitive skills in the secondary school curriculum. .... These learning interventions were ... trialled in three case studies within Social Sciences, Sport Psychology, and Veterinary Medicine by creating bespoke adaptations of the intervention framework. Preliminary findings show a significant increase in students' pre- and post-intervention metacognitive index scores which aligned well with students' own comments in the qualitative component of the study. Students engaged well with the approach..."
For registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/designing-online-learning-to-enhance-metacognitive-skills-tickets-119794170589
The session will be recorded and made available to registered participants.
Photo by Sheila Webber: white rose in the September sun, 2020

Handbook of Media Education Research

Just published is The Handbook of Media Education Research, edited by by Divina Frau-Meigs, Sirkku Kotilainen, Manisha Pathak-Shelat, Michael Hoechsmann and Stuart R. Poyntz. It is a substantial book, which reviews a wide range of research in this field and addresses key issues e.g. how to develop people's media literacy, media engagement of marginalised groups, and the impact of algorithms. There are three main sections: Global youth culture; Pedagogies & practices; Histories; Institutions and Policy Developments; and Critical Citizenship and Futures. On the publisher's website you get 3 extracts: the contents list; the index; and a short chapter "Micro‐Celebrity Communities, and Media Education Understanding Fan Practices on YouTube and Wattpad" (Dezuanni).
- Frau-Meigs et al. (Eds) (2020). The Handbook of Media Education Research. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN-13: 978-1119166870 (hardback) (also available as an ebook). The only problem with this book is its huge price, even for the ebook version ("starting at just £144.99" it says on the publisher's site), though you can get it a little cheaper elsewhere, so you will have to encourage your library to buy it. Perhaps it is mean to highlight this (expensiveness is common to many academic books, I know), but it was the "just £144.99" that got me.
The publisher's entry is here: https://www.wiley.com/en-gb/The+Handbook+of+Media+Education+Research-p-9781119166924
Photo by Sheila Webber: washing produce from the Farmers Market, 30 August 2020

Manifesto for teaching online - book and online events

I have found the Manifesto for teaching online (produced by a group at Edinburgh University in 2011 and revised in 2016: shown right) both useful and thought-provoking. Its authors have now brought out a book (to be published 15 September) which explores the statements in more depth.
The Manifesto website is here: https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/manifestoteachingonline/ and the manifesto is reproduced above under a Creative Commons licence (https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/manifestoteachingonline/the-text/)
The book: Bayne, S. et al. (2020). The Manifesto for teaching online. MIT Press. ISBN: 9780262539838. The information on the book is here: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/manifesto-teaching-online

There are three free online events connected with the launch
- Wednesday 16th September, 11am-noon UK time. "Whose interests do automation, algorithms and datafication serve? Manifesto authors Dr Jen Ross, Dr Jeremy Knox and Dr Pete Evans will be joined by Professor Neil Selwyn from Monash University.
- Wednesday 7th October, 1-2pm UK time "Challenging the idea that online teaching is ‘second best’, and arguing that the distancing in ‘distance learning’ is more complex than we might think, Manifesto authors Professor Sian Bayne, Dr Phil Sheail and Dr Rory Ewins will be joined by Professor Rebecca Eynon from Oxford University."
- Thursday 15th October, 4-5pm UK time "Arguing that authorship isn’t what it used to be - how we assess students and understand plagiarism needs to shift. Manifesto authors Dr James Lamb, Dr Hamish Macleod and Dr Christine Sinclair will be joined by Dr Amy Collier from Middlebury College."
Go to https://www.de.ed.ac.uk/event/manifesto-teaching-online-launch-events for links to register for the events.

Recent articles from #EBLIP - midwives; students; librarians; disciplinary practices; feminist pedagogy

I don't think I've covered articles in the open access journal Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (EBLIP) recently. Articles in the latest issue (volume 15 no 2) include:
- The Information Needs of Canadian Midwives and Their Evidence Informed Practices: A Canada-Wide Survey by Lindsay Barnes, Luanne Freund, Dean Giustini
- The Effectiveness of Library Instruction for Graduate/Professional Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by Adelia Grabowsky, Liza Weisbrod
- Using Assessment Tools to Develop a Workshop for Library Staff: Establishing a Culture of Assessment by Jung Mi Scoulas
- (evidence summary) Research Supports are Effective in Increasing Confidence with Research Skills in Early Career Academic Librarians by Jessica A. Koos
- (evidence summary) First-Year Students’ Understanding of Research and Their Information Literacy Skills Change Over Time and in Four Different Ways by Alisa Howlett
https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/eblip/index.php/EBLIP/issue/view/1952

Articles in the previous issue (volume 15 no 1) include:
- Advancing the Reference Narrative: Assessing Student Learning in Research Consultations by Doreen R. Bradley, Angie Oehrli, Soo Young Rieh, Elizabeth Hanley, Brian S. Matzke
- Information Literacy Beyond Librarians: A Data/Methods Triangulation Approach to Investigating Disciplinary IL Teaching Practices by Britt Foster

- Mixed Methods Research in Library and Information Science: A Methodological Review by Richard Hayman, Erika E Smith
- Undercover Feminist Pedagogy in Information Literacy: A Literature Review by Emily Kingsland
- Information Literacies of PhD Students in the Health Sciences: A Review of Scholarly Articles (2009 - 2018) by Elisabeth Nylander, Margareta Hjort
- Reimagining Research Guidance: Using a Comprehensive Literature Review to Establish Best Practices for Developing LibGuides by Mandi Goodsett, Marsha Miles, Theresa Nawalaniec
- (evidence summary) Engineering Students and Professionals Report Different Levels of Information Literacy Needs and Challenges by Kimberly MacKenzie
- (evidence summary) Differences in Faculty Approaches to Plagiarism Deterrence are an Opportunity for Increased Collaboration in Information Literacy Instruction by Sarah Schroeder
https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/eblip/index.php/EBLIP/issue/view/1951
Photo by Sheila Webber: City of London from One Tree Hill, August 2020

Copyright webinars in the UK and the USA

A couple of webinar series, one aimed at library and information professionals in the UK, one at those in the USA (bearing in mind that there are differences in the two countries' copyright legislation).

UK. One series I've mentioned before is being run by the Copyright Literacy team of Jane Secker and Chris Morrison which started up in March 2020 as copyright and online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic but it isn't just confined to COVID-stimulated issues, but is useful for current updates on the copyright situation. Some webinars are closed, but most are open, with recordings available afterwards e.g. on 17th July there was a session on the Launch of the University of Kent Copyright Literacy Strategy.
https://copyrightliteracy.org/upcoming-events/webinars-copyright-and-online-learning/

USA. From the American Library Association, CopyTalk "is a series of webinars on specific copyright topics that include orphan works, mass digitization, international copyright developments, pending and recent copyright court cases, the copyright implications of new technologies, and more." The latest is a recording of a session in August 2020: The Road to Mordor: Educating Faculty on Copyright, Fair Use, & Licensing
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/copyright/copytalk

Writing about Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

There is a new free book Writing about Learning and Teaching in Higher Education which can be downloaded in pdf free, or you will be able to buy a print copy online.
Healey, M., Matthews, K., and Cook-Sather, A. (2020). Writing about Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Creating and Contributing to Scholarly Conversations across a Range of Genres. Elon University. Open access PDF https://doi.org/10.36284/celelon.oa3 ISBN: 978-1-951414-04-7
Print edition ISBN: 978-1-951414-05-4 $22.95
Details and the online book: https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/books/writing-about-learning/
Particular strengths are encouraging reflection on your teaching identity and goals, and having separate chapters looking at a very wide variety of ways you might want to write (e.g. theoretical articles, research articles, reviews, social media, practical examples, opinion pieces, as evidence for awards). They say "Our goal with this book is to model and to support the creation of and contributions to scholarly conversations about learning and teaching in higher education across a wide range of genres. By “genre” we mean the kind or form of writing you select. For example, do you want to write an empirical research article, an opinion piece, a reflective essay, or a blog? As we discuss in part 2 of the book, approaches to creating and contributing to such exchanges in the academic community are inextricably linked to the ongoing processes of developing identities, clarifying your values, and learning through writing—processes in which all scholars of learning and teaching (faculty, academic staff, and students) must engage."

New articles: Faculty in Jordan; Undergraduates in China; Parents information seeking

- Kubb, C., and Foran, H.M. (2020). Online Health Information Seeking by Parents for Their Children: Systematic Review and Agenda for
Further Research. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(8), e19985. https://www.jmir.org/2020/8/e19985
A notable flaw in this "systematic" review (evidently not picked up in peer review!) is that they didn't search any information databases (such as LISA), but just medical ones plus Google Scholar, and although they did search PubMed (which includes some information science journals) and Scholar, their search was very limited in terms of alternatives to "information seeking" (e.g. it didn't include "information searching" or "information behavio(u)r"). Moving on from that gripe, it is a useful search of the medical literature on this topic. From the abstract " A total of 33 studies met the inclusion criteria. Findings suggest that parents worldwide are heavy online users of health-related information for their children across highly diverse circumstances. A total of 6 studies found high parental health anxiety, with prevalences ranging from 14% to 52%. Although parents reported wishing for more guidance from their pediatrician on how to find reliable information, they rarely discussed retrieved information from the web. The conceptual model of proxy online health information seeking includes 49 variables."
- Niqresh, M., & Al Dwairi, K. (2020). The degree of possession of the faculty members at Princess Alia University College for the skills on the use of databases and its relation to research performance. International Journal of Library and Information Science, 12(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.5897/IJLIS2019.0893
"This study aimed to know the viewpoint of faculty members at Princess Alia University College [which is in Jordan] on the degree of possession of the skills to use databases and its relationship with their research performance and to investigate the effect of gender, experience, qualification, and academic rank on the point of view of faculty members.The study sample consisted of 40 faculty members, males (17) and females (23) from Princess Alia University College. Means and standard deviations and t-test were used to analyze the results. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences in the views of the faculty members on the degree of possession of skills on the use of databases and its relationship with their research performance. It also showed a statistically significant difference at the level of significance (α ≥ 0.05) in their views attributed to the experience. There are statistically significant differences at the level of significance (α ≥ 0.05) in their views attributed to gender, and results also showed the existence of clear statistically significant differences in the views of the faculty members on the degree of possession of the skills on the use of databases and its relationship with their research performance by reason of qualification and academic rank variables."
- Jiang, X. et al. (2020). Investigation of Information Literacy of Undergraduate. ICIEI 2020: Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Information and Education Innovations. (pp.52–55) https://doi.org/10.1145/3411681.3411690
"We collected the questionnaires of 11051 students from 65 universities [in China], which are selected from 16 provinces and 35 cities." "By the investigation, we find the following cases. (1) The students have less access to information. The utilization of school libraries is not high. (2) The students can't process information well, and are not familiar with literature retrieval and search engine methods. And these have the limited search methods and want to learn the methods of academic research. (3) The students talked excessively, violated other people's privacy or reputation, and 54.73% of the students could not report illegal websites. The reason is the lack of understanding of laws and regulations"
Photo by Sheila Webber: garden pot of geraniums, August 2020

Recording/notes: How archives, libraries and museums can help combat the disinfodemic amid COVID-19 #MILCLICKS

There is a summary of key points from the webinar on How archives, libraries and museums can help combat the disinfodemic amid COVID-19 here https://en.unesco.org/news/memory-institutions-are-uniquely-positioned-combat-covid-19-disinformation and you can also view the recording on the MILCLICKS facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=798919084199413&ref=watch_permalink

Western Balkan Information and Media Literacy Conference combined with th International Summit of the Book 2020

There is a call for proposals for the 9th International Summit of the Book 2020 which has been combined with the Western Balkan Information and Media Literacy Conference 2020 to take place jointly 9-11 December 2020. The theme for the IL part is information literacy: know it, teach it, live it. There is a physical (in Bihać, Bosnia & Herzegovina) and an online event. "Online will be the main expression of these conferences and both the Summit and WBIMLC 2020 will be held virtually for the first time. But we invite also people who would like to travel to Bihać (if safe to do so) to join host guests and speakers in Bihać, on the banks of the beautiful River Una."
Deadline for proposals is 16 October 2020.
More information at https://www.wbimlc.org/
Photo by Sheila Webber: the Heath, August 2020

Webinar: Using Universal Design for Learning to Enhance Information Literacy Programs: Online and in the Library

There is a free webinar that is being held twice (though with different speakers on the same theme) to accommodate people in different time zones. The IFLA Information Literacy and Library Services to People with Special Needs sections have combined to present Using Universal Design for Learning to Enhance Information Literacy Programs: Online and in the Library.
"A Can’t-Miss Webinar for librarians from public libraries and academic libraries, as well as school librarians/teacher-librarians and library school students—anyone who plans online Information Literacy courses. This is particularly critical in the current crisis when information seeking, and many library services have moved to a virtual environment. ... The intended audience includes, but is not limited to, any librarians planning Information Literacy courses, librarians providing online user training, library school students, and school librarians. Sign up to gain insights and actionable practices that can be put in place!"
Time 1. Sept 16, 2020 at 14.00 US Eastern Time (19:00 Universal Time Coordinated/UK time) Welcome remarks to be delivered by Min Chou, Chair, IFLA Information Literacy Section. Speakers: Dr. Gihan (Gigi) Mohammad, Assistant Professor at William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey, USA. Dr. Mohammad teaches instructional design to pre-service educators. Ms. Caroline Smith, the Inclusive Services Consultant at the South Carolina State Library, Columbia, South Carolina, USA. Ms Smith focuses on issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion within libraries and provides support to public library staff. Ms. Renee Grassi, Youth Services Manager at Dakota County Library, Eagan, Minnesota, USA is an author, blogger, speaker, trainer, and advocate for people with disabilities. She is a founding member of SNAILS, an Illinois networking group dedicated to developing more accessible libraries to children and teens with disabilities.

Time 2. Sept 23, 2020 10:00am Hong Kong Time (06:00am UTC/UK time) Welcome remarks to be delivered by Nancy Bolt, Chair, IFLA Library Services to People with Special Needs Section. Speakers: Dr. Clayton A. Copeland, Director of the Laboratory for Leadership in Equity of Access and Diversity at the University of South Carolina’s School of Information Science, Columbia, South Carolina, USA. Dr. Copeland’s research and teaching focus on universal design and equity of access to information for people with disabilities and other underserved populations. Prof. Carli Spina, Associate Professor and Head of Research & Instructional Services at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Prof. Spina is coordinator for services to patrons with disabilities and has extensive experience in projects related to accessibility, inclusion, universal design, and user experience. Dr. Kim M. Thompson, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina College of Information and Communication, Columbia, South Carolina, USA. Dr. Thompson’s research focuses on the relationship between information access and social inclusion.
Links to register https://www.ifla.org/node/93259
Photo by Sheila Webber: hydrangea, August 2020