Friday, April 30, 2021

Webinar 3: Media and Information Literate Citizens: Think critically, Click Wisely #MILCLICKS

Yesterday (29 April 2021) saw the final webinar in the series from UNESCO launching the new edition of the Media and Information Literacy Curriculum: Media and Information Literate Citizens: Think critically, Click Wisely. The full recording is here: https://youtu.be/wzzgW5wwbFk
The first session was Media and Information Literacy as a backbone for intercultural dialogue and anti-hate speech, chaired by Maarit Jaakkola, (Co-Director and Researcher, Nordicom, Nordic Centre for Media Research, University of Gothenburg, Sweden) with panelists: Olunifesi Suraj (Senior Lecturer, Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Nigeria); Milena Dragićević Šešić (Professor, UNESCO Chair in Cultural Policy and Management, University of Arts in Belgrade, Serbia); Bayan Tal (Communications and Media Specialist, Jordan Media Institute, Jordan); Paul R. Carr (UNESCO Chair in Democracy, Global Citizenship and Transformative Education, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Canada).
The second part (which starts at about 1 hour 7 minutes into the recording) was Media and Information Literacy by design: Can media, AI and libraries help? and it included two strong leaders of the library and information community, Jesus Lau and Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe. The chair was Alton Grizzle (Programme Specialist, UNESCO) and the panelists: Ana Mirković (CEO and Co-Founder, Digital Communications Institute, Serbia); Lisa W. Hinchliffe (Professor and Coordinator for Information Literacy Services and Instruction, University of Illinois, USA); Ibrahim Kushchu (Professor and Founding Director, TheNextMinds.com, Turkey); Ronan Costello (Senior Public Policy Manager, Twitter, Ireland); Jesus Lau (Professor, University of Veracruzana, , Mexico, and Co-Chair of the International Steering Committee for the UNESCO MIL Alliance); Olya Booyar (Head of Radio, Asia-Pacific broadcasting Union, Malaysia); Nathalie Labourdette (Manager, EBU Academy, Switzerland)
The summary of the new curriculum (but still not yet, at time of writing, the full document, is linked from this page: https://en.unesco.org/news/media-and-information-literate-citizens-think-critically-click-wisely

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Online poster display til 30 April, focused on distance library instruction #ACRL

The ACRL Distance and Online Learning Section Instruction Committee is holding their 3rd annual Virtual Poster Session until 30 April 2021. "32 posters about online teaching and learning practices are available to view and presenters are available to answer questions." They are focused on educating for information literacy at a distance, in 5 tracks: "The Accidental Virtual Librarian; Assessment; Instructional Collaborations; Project Planning & Management; Student Engagement" You can leave thoughts and questions in the comment sections of the posters up til the 30th and presenters may respond. Go to http://bit.ly/DOLSPosters21 and you can afterwards complete a survey at http://bit.ly/DOLSPosterSurvey21

Photo by Sheila Webber: Crab apple blossom, April 2021

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

UNESCO MIL Curriculum: disinformation; MIL policies #MILCLICKS

The Second Edition of the Media and Information Literacy (MIL) curriculum has still not been published, although the summary is there, but yesterday was the second of three webinars focusing on MIL and the themes of the new curriculum. I give below some notes about some topics that emerged (I say more about the second part than the first). The recording is here https://youtu.be/E-tNJQ0Xf0o
The first part of yesterday's session was Media and Information Literacy as a prequisite to tackle disinformation and conspiracy theories. Chaired by Rachel Fischer (Information Ethicist, Co-Chair of the International Centre for Information Ethics, South Africa), the panelists were: Dorcas R. Bowler (Director of Libraries, National Library and Information Services, Ministry of Education, Bahamas); Saša Mirković (Media Expert and Lecturer at Faculty of Media and Communications, Serbia); Kristine Stewart (Information Literacy Coordinator, Library & Learning Commons, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates); Anna Kozlowska (Assistant Professor and Liaison Librarian, The University of Illinois at Chicago, USA).
Two of the things that were highlighted were the Serbian national guidelines for MIL for citizens, which has high level support, and the need to target populations outside formal education. In terms of best practices, panelists emphasises: the need for colaboration with all stakeholders; the importance of not just thinking about functional literacy; the importance of the whole population thinking critically; integration of MIL; the focus on lifelong learning (not just learning in formal education); the need to address the power of Artificial Intelligence; the need for equality in MIL (e.g. fighting stereotypes); the need to set an example of MIL, personally; the need to provide educational material in multiple languages; Inclusive and flexible approaches. 

The second session was Policies and Practices: Futures of Media and Information Literacy. It was chaired by Carolyn Wilson (Lecturer, Western University, Canada) with panelists: Divina Frau-Meigs (Professor and UNESCO Chair, Université Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle, France); Dorothy Gordon (Chair of the UNESCO Information For All Programme, and Board Member of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, Ghana); Ramon Tuazon (President of the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication and secretary general of the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre, Philippines); Masato Kajimoto (Associate Professor, at the Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong, China); and Maja Zarić (Head of Unit for International Cooperation, European Integration and Projects in the field of Media, the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Serbia).
Frau-Meigs
mentioned that MIL is in the DG concerned with digital communications. She talked about the call for projects concerned with disinformation etc. in particular the projects she is involved with - think this is one of them http://project-youcheck.com/ & https://savoirdevenir.net/you-check/. She also rounded out the sessions by talking about the need for evaluation and metrics, and the need for good research evidence - Frau-Meigs talked about upcoming European research programmes that can be related to MIL (linked variously to employability, creativity etc.)  She finished by emphasising the need for values as well as metrics, though, and the importance of supporting those who educate about freedom of expression. This also involved linking MIL to the environment and sustainability.
Gordon identified the importance of librarians, and that you cannot target just one group of stakeholders to reach all citizens. All citizens need to be included in MIL and people should have access material in their own language. It is important for key policy people to understand the importance of MIL and be trained, and a whole Government approach is needed. The pandemic has made policymakers more aware of the need for MIL. She also identified the problem in evaluating MIL projects, and a need for metrics. Tuazon identified a number of initiatives in Myanmar which had involved MIL, before the recent coup. I will also highlight the Philippine Association for Media and Information Literacy https://www.facebook.com/PAMIL.PH/. He said that UNESCO had been valuable in triggering MIL initiatives, then they needed to be taken up inistutionally to be sustainable. Tuazon felt it was important that young people were heavilyy involved in iniatives. He finished by identifying the power of the private companies in all this.
Kajimoto
talked about how the current focus in Hong Kong is fake news and fact checking, and indeed this has been introduced more strongly in schools by the Chinese Government with new textbooks suddenly arriving. This brings in the issue of what the outcomes of these initiatives are, and how they will be evaluated: it is tricky for teachers implementing this, as this is a sensitive area. In terms of recommendations, one thing he identified was that you needed to develop MIL Curricula specific your own country, which takes account of the national/regional cultural, information and educational landscape in your country.
Zarić talked about how they brought together stakeholders from many sectors in Serbia and introduced the concept of MIL into law, then worked on MIL handbooks for educators (for preschool - elementary school - secondary school) which have been published on a web portal (in Serbian) and there is also an app and a TV series.

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

PhD thesis on What Shapes Academic Librarians’ Teaching Practices

Published online last month, the PhD thesis of Eveline Houtman, graduating from the University of Toronto, Canada, has tackled a question very relevant to this blog.
Houtman, E. (2021). What Shapes Academic Librarians’ Teaching Practices? A Holistic Study of Individual Librarians, their Contexts, and their Professional Learning Activities. (PhD thesis, University of Toronto Department: Curriculum, Teaching and Learning). https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/handle/1807/104868
Abstract (extract): "This qualitative study explored the range of experiences, professional contexts, and professional learning activities that shape 12 academic librarians’ teaching practices. As both librarian and researcher, I was positioned as an insider-outsider. I took a bricolage approach that combined narrative, case study, and analysis based on an a priori model that situated the individual librarians in their local, professional, higher education, and societal contexts. I recruited 12 teaching librarians from Canada and the United States and conducted two semi-structured interviews with each. I stitched together a composite picture of the participants’ unique, varying experiences, with rich examples of the ways they understood and developed their teaching roles in relationship to their varied contexts, and in relationship to their own values (e.g., a commitment to social justice; an ethic of care), identities, and prior experiences. I identified two stages in their learning: 1) an initial “learning to teach as a librarian” stage, in which they required (but did not always receive) greater support, and 2) lifelong learning. Librarians in both stages were strongly self-directed and employed a variety of strategies. The professional context served as a broad community of practice that supported their development of a teacher identity and provided them with norms and guidelines. The individuals and their contexts varied enough, however, that no single picture of librarians’ teaching could emerge. This holistic approach to studying librarians’ development as teachers suggests new approaches for practice as well as new questions for research. In particular, the initial “learning to teach as a librarian” stage demands more attention."

Photo by Sheila Webber: parrot tulips from the farmers market, April 2021

Monday, April 26, 2021

Webinars: Two sets of lightning talks

ILAGO, the Information Literacy Advocacy Group of Oregon, has organised 2 free lightning talk-style sessions.

18 May 2021, 1-2 pm (I think this is US Pacific time, so that would be, e.g., 9-10pm UK time, but double check this if you register) The talks are: Andrew Wang and Kate Thornhill - Functional and Subject Specialists Collaborating in the Remote Classroom; Kate Thornhill - Talking Stories: An Open Pedagogy Collaboration and Partnership; Garrett Trott - Transparent Library Instruction. Registration form at https://forms.gle/vugChgiJZ3aXBdGM8 

21 May 2021, 11-12 noon (7-8p UK time). The talks are: Anders Tobiason - On “Developing Information Literate Abilities”: Uncovering Whiteness at the Center of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy; Lynda Irons - Transparent Teaching in Action: Developing a First-Year Seminar Lesson Plan; Dawn Lowe-Wincentsen and Alla Powers - An Adaptive/Open Information Literacy Model for the Sciences Registration form at https://forms.gle/2cFbVc8WWuAUJEeG6 Registration is open to any person, so register soon! The sessions will be recorded.

Saturday, April 24, 2021

Media and Information Literate Citizens: Think critically, Click Wisely #MILCLICKS

This is the 2 minute video that went along with the first launch event (that I blogged about yesterday) for the 2nd edition of the UNESCO Model Media and Information Literacy Curriculum for Educators and Learners: Media and Information Literate Citizens: Think critically, Click Wisely. It identifies Media and Information Literacy as "a foundation to live by".

Friday, April 23, 2021

2nd edition of the UNESCO Model Media and Information Literacy Curriculum for Educators and Learners

Today was the launch of Media and Information Literate Citizens: Think critically, Click Wisely (Second Edition of the UNESCO Model Media and Information Literacy Curriculum for Educators and Learners) It was launched by Audrey Azoulay, Director-General, UNESCO; Mr Xing Qu, Deputy Director-General, UNESCO; Ana Brnabić, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia; Vera Jourova, Vice President and Commissioner, European Commission; and H.E. Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Chairperson, African Union Commission. 

They all stressed the problem of disinformation and misinformation, and how this had become a graver problem during the pandemic, and also how disinformation could threaten democracy. There was also a little discussion about implementation of the curriculum from Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO & Gordana Čomić, Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, Republic of Serbia, which touched on points such as: the need for capacity building for educators etc.; the sensitivity of some issues and how this needed to be taken account of when implementing the curriculum; the need to incorporate in formal education, and also informally (like the campaign with health messages on cigarette packets "educate with simple message").

I thought the webinar would come to the end without mentioning libraries, but in fact the very last question that was posed to Stefania Giannini asked about them, and she did say that they were vital (though I'm not sure she was considering the role of libraries in formal education). The video of the launch (81 minutes) is here https://youtu.be/3EuHe2BaYrI

The page https://en.unesco.org/news/media-and-information-literate-citizens-think-critically-click-wisely already has a summary of the curriculum, but the full curriculum document is just "coming soon" and they didn't say when it would be released -I will blog again and discuss the curriculum when that happens (I would guess, next week). This is an important publication, especially with this high level support. I think it is up to the information literacy community to make sure that they take part in discussion and implentation, since otherwise (as noted above) there is a tendency to forget both the role of libarians and the "information" part of media and information literacy.

#WorldBookandCopyrightDay

Today is World Book and Copyright Day, sponsored by UNESCO. 23 April was chosen when this annual event started because "23 April is a symbolic date in world literature. It is the date on which several prominent authors, William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died." There is a communication toolkit (graphics with various quotes - like the one reproduced here at - in a zipped file at https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/toolkit-wbd-2021.zip ) Links to this and other pages e.g. to the opening ceremony at Tblisi and to various challenges are at https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/worldbookday. There are also two online World Book Day events from The British Library tonight (23 April) at 6pm UK time (Kazuo Ishiguro in conversation with Kate Mosse) and at 8pm UK time (World Book Night presents: Books to Make you Smile, hosted by Sandi Toksvig)

Thursday, April 22, 2021

LIli (LifeLong Information Literacy) show and tell videos

There are recordings from the "show and tell" sessions that LILi (LifeLong Information Literacy) has been holding every other Wednesday. They include explanations of how specific tools such as Zoom, Nearpod or Mintimeter are being used in teaching information literacy, and descriptions of specific strategies and activities that people have used. Go to https://lili.libguides.com/lili/show_and_tell. There is a final show and tell session, looking at highlights and discussing a community agreement to support a safe and welcoming space at LILi events: registration is here.
Photo by Sheila Webber: secret door, April 2021

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Building successful teacher collaboration through FOSIL-based enquiry

An online half-day priced training course run by Elizabeth Hutchinson and organised by UK's CILIP is Building successful teacher collaboration through FOSIL-based enquiry, on 1 June 2021 9.30am-12.30pm UK time. "It is designed for school library staff working across all sectors and is a great introduction to FOSIL (Framework Of Skills for Inquiry Learning).... Find out about the IFLA School Library Guidelines, the FOSIL Group and Backward Design. Examine how to work with teachers in supporting students through using an initial teacher contact form, which the trainer will share with delegates. This session will focus on using the initial teacher contact form to guide school library staff into conversations about curriculum topics and demonstrate how this can help teachers understand school librarians' role within inquiry." Costs: CILIP Individual Member - UK £50.00+ VAT (£60.00; CILIP Employer Partner, Supplier Partner - £60.00+ VAT (£72.00); Non-member - £80.00+ VAT (£96.00). Register at https://www.cilip.org.uk/page/CILIPTrainingteachercollabthroughinquiry
Photo by Sheila Webber: cherry blossom and new hawthorn leaves, April 2021

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

UNESCO webinars: Media and Information Literate Citizens: Think Critically, Click Wisely! #MILCLICKS

UNESCO has organised 3 events, which include the launch of UNESCO’s MIL Curriculum for Educators and Learners (second edition). Entitled International High-Level Event - Media and Information Literate Citizens: Think Critically, Click Wisely! , the events consist of a "High level session" on 23 April 2021 at 3pm-4.15pm CEST (which is, e.g., 2pm-3.15pm UK time, 9am-10.15am US Eastern time); and "thematic webinars" on 27 April 2021 and 29 April 2021 both at 3pm-5pm CEST. To book, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_N8O1npVQTYacjSAkZhPn-A?

Monday, April 19, 2021

Keeping up with ... misinformation; open science

There are two new information sheets in the Association of College & Research Libraries' Keeping up with series. The first, just published, is Keeping Up With . . . Misinformation and News Literacy and like others in this series it has a brief summary of key terms, plus links to readings and resources. This is at http://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/keeping_up_with/misinformation. The previous sheet was on Keeping Up With... Open Science which includes a useful diagram showing a taxonomy of open science. The sheet describes what is included in open science, and talks briefly about implications for librarians - http://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/keeping_up_with/open_science
Photo by Sheila Webber: cherry blossom cluster, April 2021

Sunday, April 18, 2021

Webinar: The Flywheel Effect: Bridging the gap for first-year students

A free webinar sponsored by the ACRL ULS Professional Development Committee on 11 May 2021 at 1pm USA Central time (which is, e.g., 7pm UK time) is The Flywheel Effect: Bridging the gap for first-year students in a virtual world presented by Kay Coates and Vivian Bynoe, Georgia Southern University, USA.  "While some students may be prepared [for college], others have lacked the opportunity to develop essential critical thinking skills needed to navigate their coursework and research assignments efficiently. COVID-19 has posed additional challenges for students in high school who will be transitioning to college ... This is an ideal time to ask how our instructional strategy can be thoughtfully crafted to meet these students’ needs. ... The Flywheel strategy is a business concept developed by Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great. An analogy of a flywheel is used to illustrate that successful outcomes can be achieved through deliberate, strategic intent combined with small, repetitive steps by everyone involved. Librarians can implement this strategy to link learners with skill-building resources that impact their lived experiences beyond the classroom via information literacy instruction."  Register at https://ala-events.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4MoM7Hr5TE-iPTL-tV1t9Q

Photo by Sheila Webber: pale tulips, April 2021

Friday, April 16, 2021

Call for papers: New challenges for teachers in the context of digital learning

Comunicar is an open access journal that publishes articles in English or Spanish and covers the areas of communication and digital/media literacy, and they have included articles on information literacy. They are seeking articles for a special issue on New challenges for teachers in the context of digital learning, with a focus on: Teacher training in digital education; Digital competencies of teachers; Distance education: opportunities and risks; Teaching innovation in digital education; Media and information literacy and its integration with ICTs (my emphasis); Media configurations and learning for new generations: social networks and emerging digital resources. The deadline for submissions is 30 May 2021.
The thematic editors include Dr. Rayén Condeza (Pontifical University of Chile), Dr. Michael Hoeschsman (Lakehead University, Canada) and Dr. Divina Frau-Meigs (Sorbonne-Nouvelle University, France). The Call for Papers is at https://bit.ly/3s1aO1K and submission guidelines at  https://bit.ly/2RcCe89
Photo by Sheila Webber: tulips, April 2021

Webinar: Journalist’s perspective on COVID-19 and the infodemic

There is a free webinar at 12 noon UK time on 16 April 2020 (today) organised by the World Health Organization: The inside scoop: a journalist’s perspective on COVID-19 and the infodemic, with journalist Matt Frei talking about "misinformation and disinformation in the Europe region and how they might impede a country’s ability to respond and save lives. Matt Frei has worked as a BBC correspondent covering Europe, Asia, and the USA. Currently a news editor for Channel 4 News, he also hosts a popular talk show on LBC" "We will hear about the current journalistic climate from this experienced and respected inside perspective and focus on what we can do to control this pandemic together as individuals and as the organizations we work for and with" Register at https://who.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wFvl2E50QxKmEUNk7uTftg

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Universal Design for Learning; Teaching in a pandemic

I'm not sure why (must have signed up a long time ago) but I periodically get a newsletter from Contact North/ Contact Nord (a non-profit corporation funded by the Government of Ontario). The latest one included a few things I thought worth passing on:
- This article describes a course Accessible Media production, that uses Univeral Design for Learning principles in its own design, as well as teaching students about its principles. The article includes some links about inclusive learninhg design: https://teachonline.ca/pockets-innovation/mohawk-college-program-improves-digital-accessibility
- They recommend: Martin, B., & Hanington, B. (Eds). (2019). Universal methods of design – 125 ways to research complex problems, develop innovative ideas and design effective solutions. Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishing.
- They link to a report which summarises results from 3 substantial surveys of online teaching experiences in the USA at tertiary level: Johnson, N., Seaman, J & Veletsianos, G. (2021). Teaching During a Pandemic: Spring Transition, Fall Continuation, Winter Evaluation. Bay View Analytics. https://www.bayviewanalytics.com/reports/teachingduringapandemic.pdf
Photo by Sheila Webber: possibly a type of cow parsley, April 2021

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Challenges and Considerations for Misinformation Research

The Center for an Informed Public (University of Washington) is calling for participants for their virtual workshop on 6 May 2021, Challenges and Considerations for Misinformation Research. There will be sessions on research practices; data collection, use and ethics; communicating findings; and commitments to ethics and welfare. Participants are expected to be "academic and academic-adjacent researchers who have engaged in rapid-impact research projects and media engagement around misinformation events and conspiracy theories — particularly related to COVID-19, recent elections and the broader impacts of mis- and disinformation." They hope "to bring together researchers from across disciplines to discuss how misinformation research can have immediate impact, retain academic rigor, utilize diverse methodologies and be ethically and theoretically grounded." To express interest go to https://www.cip.uw.edu/2021/04/05/cip-challenges-considerations-misinformation-research-virtual-workshop/

Photo by Sheila Webber: row of tulips, April 2021

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

New articles: ACRL Framework; Fake news; Flipped classroom; Library anxiety; Peer teaching

The latest issue of the Journal of Academic Librarianship (Volume 47 issue 2) includes the following (priced publication - though one article, marked below, is open access):
- The ACRL Framework successes and challenges since 2016: A survey by Ma Lei Hsieh, Patricia H. Dawson, Sharon Q. Yang (" The findings indicate that other than course assignments, the Framework is librarians' most used document for their instruction.")
- Training peer teachers to teach first year graduate level information literacy sessions by Frances Brady
- Exploring potential roles of academic libraries in undergraduate data science education curriculum development by Gang Shao, Jenny P. Quintana, Wei Zakharov, Senay Purzer, Eunhye Kim
- Much more than a mere technology: A systematic review of Wikidata in libraries by Karim Tharani (Open access)
- Flipped classroom pedagogy in an online learning environment: A self-regulated introduction to information literacy threshold concepts by Elizabeth Humrickhouse
- Library anxiety among Omani and Saudi Arabian international students: A case study at the University of South Carolina, USA by Esra Seddiq Abdoh
- Librarians against fake news: A systematic literature review of library practices (Jan. 2018–Sept. 2020) by Jorge Revez, Luís Corujo
Go to https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/the-journal-of-academic-librarianship/vol/47/issue/2
Photo by Sheila Webber: cherry blossom, March 2021

Monday, April 12, 2021

Webinar: Searching the internet effectively

On 13 April 2021 starting at 12 noon UK time, the Association of Women Librarians in Nigeria (AWLIN) (a section of the Nigerian Library Association) in conjunction with Insights4uToday YouTube educational and technological channel, offer "a free one day online training" (I'm afaid I don't know further details) on Searching the internet effectively. Go to http://youtu.be/rdSOexuNFrY

Global Festival of Active Learning online

Active Learning Network logo

The free online Global Festival of Active Learning runs 19th-24th April 2021. "For two hours each day (9am-10am, 5pm-6pm UK time), there will be exciting chances to share, collaborate, listen, and network with others interested in active teaching and learning." There's an interesting range of sessions on offer, which are listed in the programme on their website - it includes a couple of library-specific items, but generally it would be of interest to people teaching information literacy https://activelearningnetwork.com/active-learning-events/ Instructions on booking at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aln-global-festival-of-active-learning-19-23-apr-2021-tickets-148323259863

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Recordings from Misinfo day

Last month, the University of Washington (USA) Center for an Informed Public held Misinfo day. There are recordings from the day, namely: Understanding the Landscape of Information Disorder (Jacquelyn Mason); Fact-checking Claims and Sources (Mike Caulfield and Scott Leadingham); Spotting Misinformation (Jevin West); Disinformation Goals & Tactics (Kate Starbird and Kolina Koltai); Disinformation Goals & Tactics (Jordan Foley) and also toolkit (list of suggested and example activitie and resources) for the day. Go to https://www.cip.uw.edu/
Photo by Sheila Webber: lost item series, lost monkey (it was someone else that tied it to the post), April 2021

Friday, April 09, 2021

Critical Disinformation Studies

Alice Marwick, Rachel Kuo, Shanice Jones Cameron and Moira Weigel have created a syllabus for Critical Disinformation Studies "as a provocation to disinformation researchers to rethink many of the assumptions of our nascent field". It is published by The Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The syllabus has 13 sections, with a topic/issue or an example for each section, in each case having a paragraph outlining the theme and some readings. The authors note that it is focused on a United States perspective, and also I would say that the disciplinary perspective is that of media literacy and communications (rather than information science and information literacy). Thus, as well as the sections making an interesting focus for discussion in themselves, it would also be interesting to reframe the syllabus to different national/cultural contexts and different disciplinary contexts. The authors themselves say that they "make this offering as a means to encourage ongoing critical and multi-faceted reflections of power and history in the study of disinformation." Go to https://citap.unc.edu/research/critical-disinfo
Photo by Sheila Webber: celandine and violet, March 2021

Thursday, April 08, 2021

Call for proposals: LILi conference 2021 #LILiConf2021

Proposals are sought for the 2021 Lifelong Information Literacy (LILi) conference, which will take place online on 9 July 2021. Deadline for proposals is 15 April 15 2021. The theme is What You Don’t Know & Are Afraid to Ask: Teaching Ourselves & Others. which is "about examining and reflecting on who we are as teachers, learners, or any stakeholder in that relationship through time, space, format (online, in person, hybrid), and location such as: in community, in the home, at the institution, in the streets, and in our learning journeys. As we know, teaching/learning is a relationship that is dynamic and multifaceted. This conference will explore and include discussion about what it means “to educate”, “to learn”, and the process of learning including where we learn, how we learn, what we learn, do not learn, unlearn, re-learn and beyond."
Session formats will include 10-minute lightning talks, 20-minute presentations, a poster session, and virtual roundtable discussions. Example topics include:
- Learning communities; pedagogies; community teaching and learning; community work
- Creating inclusive instructional environments in a remote world; what skills and ideas are needed?
- Land acknowledgments; indigenous-led topics and themes; tribal histories
- Advocacy and abolition; access and the digital divide
- Universal Design in information literacy
- Information literacy for workers and learning on the job
- Decolonizing the LIS curriculum
- Educational equity and trauma informed teaching
- Effective classroom management; facilitating synchronous and asynchronous sessions with equity in mind
- Negotiation skills; how to get buy-in
More information at https://lili.libguides.com/lili There are links to information on the previous Lili conferences at https://lili.libguides.com/c.php?g=660853&p=6557962

Photo by Sheila Webber: fallen blossom, April 2021

Wednesday, April 07, 2021

London Kent Surrey and Sussex regional searching guidance for health librarians 2nd edition

There is an updated edition (April 2021) of the open-access London Kent Surrey and Sussex (NHS) regional searching guidance. It is "intended for librarians tasked with searching the evidence on behalf of NHS staff" but most of it would be valuable in other healthcare settings, and indeed as general advice for good searching. The guidance is laid out very clearly in bullet points. As well as the guidance, which includes sections on different types of evidence search (e.g. evidence search for care of a specific patient; for (NHS) commissioning; for study; for a business case) there are sets of links to other useful resources (e.g. training materials, search tools and other search guidance). It is produced by expert staff in Kent, Surrey and Sussex NHS Library and Knowledge Services Searching and Training Forum. Go to https://sites.google.com/site/healthliteraturesearchers/Home
Photo by Sheila Webber: white daffodils, I think Thalia, March 2021

Tuesday, April 06, 2021

Responses to #COVID19 : Librarians in lockdown in Scotland; the state of American libraries

Two new reports with insights into the response of libraries to the pandemic. Firstly, Peter Reid & Lyndsay Bloice (Robert Gordon University) undertook research supported by the Scottish Library & Information Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, now published as Libraries in Lockdown. Through analysis of social media and web based content and interviews with librarians they examine "Scottish Public Libraries and their response to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-21 and in particular the way in which they have, through their digital offering, helped to support community resilience and cohesion. The research also explores the issues that library services have had to contend with during lockdown." It is a 100 page report that finishes with reflections and recommendations. Go to https://librariesinlockdown.weebly.com/
Secondly the State of America's Libraries 2021 Special Report: COVID-19 has been published by the American Library Association. The ALA produces a "state of the libraries" report every year, and it's always interesting to see their perspective on trends and developments. This time they "find 2020 was a year when library professionals answered the call to serve amid multiple emergencies and a year when library workers again proved to be essential 'first restorers' or 'second responders.' " The final section in the report is about librarians fighting disinformation "Throughout 2020, librarians responded to misinformation about vaccines, the census, and the November election, as well as the demonization of the mainstream media as purveyors of “fake news,” by creating resources to fight disinformation." It also talks about issues such as internet/broadband provision, supporting learning, dealing with banning of books. and dealing with inequalities. Go to http://www.ala.org/news/state-americas-libraries-report-2021
Photo by Sheila Webber: tulips, March 2021

Monday, April 05, 2021

Internet Archive scholar

New to me - Internet Archive Scholar "This fulltext search index includes over 25 million research articles and other scholarly documents preserved in the Internet Archive. The collection spans from digitized copies of eighteenth century journals through the latest Open Access conference proceedings and pre-prints crawled from the World Wide Web". It brings up interesting results for Information literacy searches - I think it will be a source to consider searching along with others when doing subject searches. https://scholar.archive.org/
Photo by Sheila Webber, blackthorn, March 2021

Recordings on librarians' self-care conference

There are recordings of most of the sessions from the recent Blossom (Building Life-long Opportunities for Strength, Self-Care, Outlook, Morale, and Mindfulness) online conference that was a "free virtual symposium for library staff focused on their health and wellness". It has a North American focus, but obviously themes that are more widely applicable. https://blossom.heysummit.com/replays/
Photo by Sheila Webber: Blossom, March 2021

Saturday, April 03, 2021

Webinar: how Media and Information Literacy is linked to Digital Skills from a creative point of view

On 6 April 2021 at 3pm Athens time (which is, e.g., 1pm UK time) there is a media and information literacy webinar organised by EKOME in partnership with UNESCO MIL Alliance Europe Sub Chapter Mediterranean Group. It will explore how Media and Information Literacy is linked to Digital Skills from a creative point of view and be in English. Speakers will be: Alex Le Voci Sayad, UNESCO MIL Alliance International Steering Committee co-chair; Alessandra Falconi, Head of Centro Zaffiria, Italy; and Cristina Pulido, Serra Húnter Professor of Department of Journalism and Communication Studies, Autonomous University of Barcelona. The moderator will be Irene Andriopoulou, Head of Education Department of EKOME and UNESCO MIL Alliance ISC co-Secretary General and take place in English. To register, go to: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_povlLLhaQDu-ydG1mzalyg

Photo by Sheila Webber: more violets, March 2021

Friday, April 02, 2021

Webinars: Online training; Health literacy; Spotting misinformation

CILIP Scotland has free online training sessions in the next couple of months:
- Hosting successful online training – experiences and tips – 23 April 2021 11am-12 UK time "delivered by Katie Edwards, NHS Education for Scotland ... The session will aim to share experiences of delivering remote learning and offer various tips for doing this."
- Health Literacy – Online Learning for all sectors – 7 May 2021 11am-12 UK time "Initially, delegates will be asked to complete a short eLearning module in their own time and in advance of the course. This one-hour session will then consolidate learning and build confidence in its application."
- How to help pupils spot misinformation online and debunk it – a session for school librarians with The Ferret – 18 May 2021 9.30-12.30 UK time "This training for school librarians in Scotland will focus on how to deliver sessions to pupils on spotting visual hoaxes, be that video or image-based, as well as unreliable news sources." Go to https://www.cilips.org.uk/about/cilips-online-learning/
Photo by Sheila Webber: cherry blossom, March 2021

Thursday, April 01, 2021

New articles: Open Science & information literacy; Information behaviour in millennials; Info creation; Trust; Self-directed learning in public libraries

These are open-access, apart from one that is indicated below.
- Antunes, M-L., Lopes, C. & Sanches, T. (2021) Open Science and information literacy: case study at a research center. Journal of the European Association for Health Information and Libraries (JEAHIL), 17(1). http://ojs.eahil.eu/ojs/index.php/JEAHIL/article/view/448/397
- Inthiran, A. (2021). Trust or do not trust: evaluation strategies used by online health information consumers in South East Asia. Information Research, 26(1), paper 886. http://InformationR.net/ir/26-1/paper886.html
- Yoshida, Y (2021). Public libraries as places for self-directed lifelong learning: narratives of empowerment. Information Research, 26(1), paper 888. http://InformationR.net/ir/26-1/paper888.html (uses a life history approach with 4 Japanese participants)
- Lee, L., Ocepek, M.G., & Makri, S. (2021). Creating by me, and for me: investigating the use of information creation in everyday life Information Research, 26(1), paper 891. http://InformationR.net/ir/26-1/paper891.html
- (priced publication) González‐Teruel, A., Campos‐Peláez, M-I. & Fortea‐Cabo, G. (2021). Information behaviour of the millennial generation: a scoping review of medical residents and their use of social media. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 38(1), 5-31. https://doi.org/10.1111/hir.12306 I will also mention that the commemorative issue of this journal in honour of Shane Godbolt (December 2020) is still free to access here https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14711842/2020/37/S1
Photo by Sheila Webber: little daffodils, March 2021