Online courses: Zines; OERs; Active learning

Some January online short courses from Library Juice Academy are:
- Introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER): US $200.00; January 2 - January 29 2023; Tutor Colleen Sanders. "This interactive four-week course supports librarians in facilitating OER adoptions, even if your institution has yet to invest resources in OER initiatives. Through applied learning, peer interaction, and instructor feedback, you’ll practice the skills librarians need to be catalysts for OER at our institutions." https://libraryjuiceacademy.com/shop/course/312-introduction-to-open-educational-resources-oer/
- Zines for Critical Reflection and Pedagogy: US$300.00; January 2 - February 12 2023; Tutors : Dawn Stahura, Des Alaniz. "This course is for anyone who is interested in learning more about zines. During the six-weeks we will learn what zines through the lenses of critical pedagogy and social justice." https://libraryjuiceacademy.com/shop/course/285-zines-for-critical-reflection-and-pedagogy/
- Active Learning Strategies: US $200.00; January 2 - January 29 2023; Tutor Mimi Otten. "This course will explore active learning strategies for both in-class and online courses and instruction. Cooperative, collaborative, problem-based, and project-based learning will be explored. Reviewing assessments of active learning strategies will also be discussed" https://libraryjuiceacademy.com/shop/course/041-active-learning-strategies/

Photo by Sheila Webber: leaf in the snow, December 2022

New Jersey, USA, Senate approves information literacy bill

The New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL) announced that on November 21 the New Jersey Senate (USA) approved the S588/A4169 Information Literacy Bill. This directs the State Board of Education to adopt New Jersey Student Learning Standards in information literacy. "Information literacy content would include: The research process and how information is created and produced; Critical thinking and using information resources; Research methods, including the difference between primary and secondary sources; The difference between facts, points of view, and opinion; Accessing peer-reviewed print and digital library resources; The economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information; and The ethical production of information." You can download the bill at https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2022/S588 and there is a press release here.

Photo by Sheila Webber: the wreath at no 29, December 2022

Building Resiliency: Media Literacy as a Strategic Defense Strategy for the Transatlantic

Tessa Jolls, president of the Center for Media Literacy, produced a report last autumn, Building Resiliency: Media Literacy as a Strategic Defense Strategy for the Transatlantic It was the output of a Fulbright-NATO Security Studies Award. The report is in 5 Parts:
Part I: The Underpinning for Media Literacy.
Part II: Undercurrents of Change: The Context Driving Media Literacy Growth.
Part III: Where Media Literacy Fits as a Strategic Defense Strategy in NATO Countries
Part IV: Recommendations, which address systemic needs, so that media literacy may be spread, institutionalized and sustained. Part V: The Ecosystem for Media Literacy in NATO Countries.
Part VI: "Part VI gives an analysis from a small survey conducted in first quarter, 2022, to learn about the journals, conferences, seminars and institutes, and organizations that researchers and practitioners in the media literacy field support and typically engage with. This survey was comprised of 63 people whom Tessa Jolls personally interviewed and requested information in a short survey form; 24 participants responded to the survey, and results were compiled and reported based on these responses."
Access the report at https://www.medialit.org/sites/default/files/announcements/FinBuilding%20Resiliency-Media%20Literacy%20as%20a%20Strategic%20Defense%20Strategy%20for%20the%20Transatlantic%20%28Final-10-5-2022%29%20copy.pdf

Photo by Sheila Webber: wreaths of South London, December 2022

Health information tips

A resource created by the World Health Organization (WHO) is Your life, your health: Tips and information for health and well-being. Its aim is to be accessible by people in different parts of the world and at different life stages and the main section Know your rights includes subsections Your right to information and Your right to be heard, and sections for different life phases. Each subsection has a series of bullet points, links to related sections and sometimes links to videos and publications. : https://www.who.int/tools/your-life-your-health
Photo by Sheila Webber: wreath in South London, December 2022

Merry Christmas!

A very merry Christmas to all readers of the Information Literacy weblog! 

Photo by Sheila Webber: the wreath I made this year, December 2022

Proceedings and recordings of the Canadian Association for Information Science 2022

Recordings from the June 2022 Canadian Association for Information Science online conference are available at https://www.cais2022.ca/ and there is some very interesting stuff there, although most not directly associated with information iteracy. The nearest to this blog's core area are:
- Reimagining information overload by Janet Allen, Alexia Baggetta & Maya Fernandez Contreras
- Fact checking after truth by Maria Haigh
- “They act like we are going to heaven”: Information crafting, misinformation, and settlement of Bangladeshi immigrants in Canada by Nafiz Shuva
Written proceedings are in their journal at https://journals.library.ualberta.ca/ojs.cais-acsi.ca/index.php/cais-asci/issue/view/52 and from their I will additionally pick out
- Search engine paths not taken: Revisiting early insights and exploring future challenges to enrich search methods curriculum by Virginia M Tucker.
By the way, I blogged it a while back, but there is still a call out (til 31st January) for the 2023 CAIS conference https://cais2023.ca/

Photo by Sheila Webber: snowy lane, December 2022

Cranky Uncle: #misinformation game

The Cranky Uncle game "uses cartoons and critical thinking to fight misinformation" It was developed by John Cook, a researcher at Monash University, Australia, based on his research about ways of countering misinformation. As it notes in Cook et al. (2022) "The game combines psychological research into active inoculation, critical-thinking work on misleading rhetorical techniques, communication research into cartoon debunking, and gamification." The game is available free on iPhone and Android, and as a browser game. The game is available in English, Dutch, German, Spanish and Portuguese.
Go to https://crankyuncle.com/game/
References
Cook, J. et. al (2022) The cranky uncle game—combining humor and gamification to build student resilience against climate misinformation. Environmental Education Research [advance online publication]. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2022.2085671 10.1080/13504622.2022.2085671
See also: Cook, J. (2021). Cranky Uncle: a game building resilience against climate misinformation. Plus Lucis, (3). https://crankyuncle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Cook_2021_Cranky_Uncle.pdf

Presentations from Critical Librarianship and Pedagogy Symposium #CLAPS2022

Presentations (slides & recordings) from CLAPS 2022 (Critical Librarianship and Pedagogy Symposium) are available. Go to the following link and scroll to Past Conferences 2022 https://clps.arizona.edu/about-us
Picking out some of the ones more directly related to information literacy, they include:
- Teaching Toward Wholeness: Empowering Relationality in the Information Literacy Curriculum (Garcia Mazari, Sheila; Hobscheid, Maya; Grand Valley State University; University of California, Santa Cruz)
- Constructing & Revising a User-Centered Curricular Toolkit (Borges, Lizzy; Rusk, Faith; San Francisco State University)
- Accessible access, universal design, and the limits of inclusion in open educational resource development: an interactive workshop (Abumeeiz, Salma; Johnson, Matthew Weirick; UCLA Library)
- What evidence? Whose evidence? Bringing a critical pedagogy perspective to the teaching of evidence-based practice in the health sciences (Torian, Stacy; Conklin, Jamie; New York University; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill )
- Roadblocks in partnership: Teaching faculty, librarians, and the implementation of critical information literacy pedagogy (Nolte, Amandajean F.; Pratesi, Angela; Cox, Angie; University of Northern Iowa; Bowling Green State University; University of Northern Iowa)
- The hidden curriculum of heteronormativity in library instruction (Weeks, Thomas; Augusta University)

Photo by Sheila Webber: Western Park, snow, December 2022

Webinar: Rethinking and measuring librarian impacts on student success

Higher Education Library Technology (HELibTech) offers a free webinar on 11 January 2023, at 15.00 to 16.00 London time (GMT) on Rethinking and measuring librarian impacts on student success: Supporting information literacy offers an opportunity for academic librarians to play a key role in students' academic success. "Library Consultant Ken Chad will be in conversation with Jared Oates to discuss his analysis of the issues, potential ways forward and the implications for library technology. Jared Oates is co-founder and COO at Niche Academy, which provides solutions to librarians looking to deliver more effective information literacy programmes. Prior to starting Niche Academy, Jared was the Director of Product Strategy for SirsiDynix. Jared is a writer, software engineer, and an entrepreneur. Over many years working with hundreds of libraries, he’s spent a lot of time thinking about the challenges they face and the unique ways they can positively impact their communities"
Register for the webinar at  https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tQDSRifZRnOHdYCHoIDEyA
A recording of the webinar will be made available to those who register
Photo by Sheila Webber taken at Winterset Hollow in Secind Life, December 2022

An introduction to school librarianship

A free short course from the Open University is An introduction to school librarianship. It has 8 segments including one on Independent study and information literacy with subsections
1 Identifying and retrieving information
2 Supporting independent learning
3 Plagiarism and basic referencing techniques
Go to https://www.open.edu/openlearn/education-development/an-introduction-school-librarianship/content-section-overview?active-tab=description-tab
Photo by Sheila Webber: snowy leaves, December 2022

Call for proposals for online forum

The ACRL Teaching Methods Committee has a call for proposals for a presentation at their 2023 Virtual Forum to be held online in March 2023. "This is an opportunity for librarians and library workers to showcase innovative teaching methods, assessment, and theoretical approaches. The forum is a 45-minute presentation followed by 15-minutes of Q&A ... Past topics include critical race pedagogy, gendered labor and instruction, visual literacy, and assessment." Past events are listed at https://acrl.ala.org/IS/category/istm/events-istm/
Deadline for propoals is 30 December 2022 - fill in this form https://forms.gle/8c31UabRRUM87MkY7
Photo by Sheila Webber: snowy park, December 2022

Recent articles: annual review of IL literature; Financial literacy; Searching in literary studies

The latest issue of Reference Services Review (priced journal) vol. 50 issue 3/4 includes
- Library instruction and information literacy 2021 by Carolyn Caffrey and colleagues. [This is the useful annual annotated bibliography - 482 items in 80 pages!]
- Libraries and financial literacy by Péter Kiszl, Bea Winkler
- Financial literacy resources in US public libraries: website analysis by Ash E. Faulkner
- Search tools and scholarly citation practices in literary studies by Carl A. Lehnen, Glenda M. Insua
Go to https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/0090-7324/vol/50/iss/3/4

Photo by Sheila Webber: snowy leaves, December 2022

Interactive Tools for Presentations and Teaching

There is a UKeiG CPD Zoom Course on 17 February 2023 at 10.00-13.00 UK time (GMT) Interactive Tools for Presentations and Teaching. The course leader is Ned Potter
"The course will up-skill experienced presenters and teachers, but also benefit junior colleagues who are keen to develop their online support service experience. It's relevant to anyone who delivers induction sessions and information skills workshops, or otherwise are keen to embrace interactive tools to improve their online communications with staff, students and work colleagues, or at conferences and events.... By the end of the training participants will have learned about a variety of interactive tools, tried them all out, and be able to make an informed choice as to when to use them in their online presentations, lectures, workshops, or orientation sessions." Tools include Menti, Prezi, Google Slides & Padlet.
The cost is: £80+VAT or £50+VAT for UKeiG/CILIP members. More details here: https://www.cilip.org.uk/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1695793&group=201314

Call for proposals: Engaging Students in Library Instruction- Experimentation and Innovation Lightning Round

The ACRL Instruction Section (IS) Virtual Engagement Committee (VEC) is seeking 3-4 proposals for Engaging Students in Library Instruction- Experimentation and Innovation Lightning Round. Submission deadline is 23 December 2022 " What has worked well for you in classroom or workshop instruction, whether in person or online? Has there been a new teaching strategy that you have experimented with in a library setting? How do you help cultivate connection and engagement in the classroom? Whether your experience involves centering student collaboration, developing a new learning object, discussing critical information literacy, exploring active learning or other ideas, consider sharing your innovation in this Lightning Round. Each of the 3-4 presenters will be allotted 10-12 minutes during the Lightning Round session to share their experiences and practical teaching strategies. We welcome the sharing of practical takeaways and ideas for application (such as teaching tools, learning objects, lesson plans, activities, etc.). The session will conclude with a 10-15 min Q and A with all the presenters." They are using this rubric to assess proposals. I assume it is online, though I don't think they state that. Submit proposals on this form: https://forms.gle/Y6rsjSWVKFqkYNW9A
Photo by Sheila Webber: oak leaves on the grass, November 2022 

ConnectedLib Toolkit

Not specifically information literacy, but the ConnectedLib project has created useful material that can help with engaging with a local community, in particular concerning services to young people. "With funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) [in the USA], the ConnectedLib Toolkit helps librarians incorporate digital media into their work with youth to promote connections across learning contexts."
They have created a toolkit at https://connectedlib.github.io/ (with sections: The Connected Learning Mindset; Community-Centered Services; Youth Development; Mentoring; Capacity; Civic Engagement; Assessment & Evaluation; Designing Connected Learning Services).
There is a free virtual conference on 15-16 March 2023, aimed at library staff in rural and small libraries. If you are interested in participating you have to fill out this form by 15 December 2022. Since this is a USA initiative and the form only gives an option to fill in "State" and not "country" it may be the conference is only for people based in the USA, but it doesn't state that explicitly.

Alexandre Sayad

Alexandre Sayad is a journalist and media literacy expert who has been co-chair of UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Alliance international committee and active in a lot of initiatives. His website has links and embeds of some material, in particular his work in Brazil (Portuguese language) https://en.alexandresayad.com/

Western Balkan Information and Media Literacy Conference - free access tomorrow online

The Western Balkan Information and Media Literacy Conference 2022, theme Information Literacy: combatting disinformation, working for truth in a Digital World, is today and tomorrow (online and in person). It is possible to join tomorrow online for free. Starting at 10am (in Bosnia, 9am UK time) tomorrow's presentations are:
- Sonja Spiranec (Croatia) Information Literacy in post-times: golden age or mid-life crisis.
- Jerald Cavanagh (Ireland) Impact Evaluation of Information Literacy Initiatives in the Western Balkans
- Dilara Begum (Bangladesh) Importance of Information Literacy to Support Open Access Movement
- Mary Sengati-Zimba (United Arab Emirates) Characteristics of a Sustainable Information Literacy Program: Lessons from Zayed University
- Jerald Cavanagh (Ireland), Padraig Kirby (Ireland) Developing Information and Research Skills for Business, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (INRS).
- Yaren Sargin (Turkiye), Ratko Knezevic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Importance of English language for international mobilities of students and professors
- Ismail Serageldin (Egypt) Humans, Machines, and the Future of Books.
The Zoom link is in the programme which I have uploaded here
Photo by Sheila Webber: Early winter branches, December 2022 

New articles: IL & the body; faculty-focused model; bias; teaching IL; IL in COVID

There is a new issue of open access Journal of Information Literacy (vol 16 no. 2). It includes four reports from the LOEX (US information literacy) conference, book reviews and these articles:

- Information literacy and the body in the Kente-weaving landscape by Franklin Gyamfi Agyemang, Nicoline Wessels
- The faculty-focused model of information literacy by Jane Hammons
- Teaching and its discontents by Heidi Julien, Melissa Gross, Don Latham - Breaking down bias by Joel M. Burkholder, Kat Phillips
- Students, academic reading and information literacy in a time of COVID by Jane Secker, Elizabeth Tilley
Go to https://ojs.lboro.ac.uk/JIL/issue/view/238
Photo by Sheila Webber: More apples at the farmers market, November 2022

Learning communities; Sociology companion document

Open access journal College & Research Libraries News Vol 83, No 10, 2022, includes:
- Library outreach to Living Learning Communities: A case study by Sara McCaslin, Katherine Howell, Laura DeLancey
- Looking at information with the sociological eye: Introducing the sociology companion document by Gina Schlesselman-Tarango. The ACRL companion document itself is here https://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/standards/framework_companion_sociology.pdf

Recording: Cultivating Partnerships in Digital Humanities: Strategies, Tips, and Lessons Learned

There is a recording of the webinar held on 14 November 2022 Cultivating Partnerships in Digital Humanities: Strategies, Tips, and Lessons Learned presented by Max Evjen, Sharon Ladenson, Kristen Mapes, and Amanda Tickner; all at Michigan State University. It was sponsored by the ACRL ULS Professional Development Committee. The session included a "discussion exploring partnerships between the library and digital humanities (DH) colleagues at Michigan State University (MSU) ... collaborative work in developing spaces, programs, outreach, and events to connect scholars from across campus engaging in digital scholarship in the humanities and social sciences"  The video (40 minutes) is at https://youtu.be/Wsz6syooEGU
Photo by Sheila Webber: Dickens reading in Second Life, December 2021

Ghana's Media and information literacy market roadshow

The German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) has a detailed report about an initiative in which its Kenyan partner Penplusbytes https://www.penplusbytes.org/ literally went out on the streets to make people aware of misinformation and ways to combat it. Their initiative included playing a radio drama in different languages (Twi, Ga, Ewe, Hausa and English) about misinformation found online, a dance contest and handing out flyers which mostly consisted of infographics. This was part of Global MIL week celebrations. The report is here:
Bodine, A. (2022, 2 December). Ghana's market roadshow: Media and information literacy for semiliterate users. https://akademie.dw.com/en/mil-for-illiterate-ghanaians/a-63955851

Social Annotation Tools

The latest in the ACRL Tips and Trends series is Social Annotation Tools (which "facilitate the collaborative markup and discussion of digital documents or web based content by a group of individuals") and as usual it consists of a few pages which concisely define the topic, discuss applications and drawbacks, and give useful links.  Download it at https://acrl.ala.org/IS/wp-content/uploads/Tips-and-Trends-Fall-2022.pdf
Photo by Sheila Webber: colourful cauliflowers, November 2022

California Conference on Library Instruction : call for for proposals extended

The Call for Proposals for the in-person conference California Conference on Library Instruction, to be held on 2 June 2023 at the University of San Francisco, USA, has been extended to 12 December 2022. The theme is Power and Empowerment: Labor, Agency, and Dynamic Relationships in Academic Libraries. "In our 50th anniversary of the California Conference on Library Instruction, we seek to examine the many power structures that influence the work of library instruction. Our work exists within structures that experience tensions between labor and power. We have the responsibility to recognize our power/authority in our space, yet we acknowledge challenges. We are constrained by budgets, lack of power, existing power structures, understaffing, and expectations to do with what we are given. We have the ability to empower students with information literacy and instruction through careful thought and understanding of their needs. We engage in work that challenges conventional wisdom, but we have constraints. Many other power dynamics impact our work as well. We are interested in how you have empowered yourself, your colleagues, your students, your campus, and your community".
More information at http://www.cclibinstruction.org/cfp-2023

Recent articles: deference behaviour; blended and flipped; Pandemic Information Access Challenges; digital humanities pedagogy; instruction for an engineering design

The latest complete issue of the Journal of Academic Librarianship (a priced publication), Volume 48 issue 6 (2022) includes the following: 

- Manifestations of deference behavior in teaching-focused academic librarians by Lyda Fontes McCartin, Raquel Wright-Mair
- A silver lining for pandemic-weary libraries: How blended and flipped instructional programs have improved upon pre-pandemic norms by Kevin W. Walker
- Factors that influence librarian definitions of information literacy by Logan Rath
- Pandemic Information Access Challenges and Expectations about the Post-Covid Era: A Survey of Pakistan Students' Opinion Regarding Academic Libraries' Services and Staff by Syeda Hina Batool, Amara Malik, Muhammad Safdar, Amna Farzand Ali
- Prepare to be unprepared? LIS curriculum and academic liaison preparation by Kawanna M. Bright, Mónica Colón-Aguirre
- Online health information seeking and digital health literacy among information and learning resources undergraduate students by Esra Abdoh
- What contributes to a qualified digital humanities librarian and ideal digital humanities pedagogy? An exploratory qualitative study by Wuyan Yao, Peng Xiao
- Rapidly going virtual without sacrificing quality: Adapting instruction for an engineering design course by Brianna Buljung, Lisa Nickum, Patricia Andersen, Gyasi Evans
Go to https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/the-journal-of-academic-librarianship/vol/48/issue/6
Photo by Sheila Webber: winter skyline, November 2022

Free webinars: Best Practices of School Librarians

IFLA has organised webinars "for those who are interested in programs, services, collection development, and management of school libraries for building high-performing schools. Different IFLA school library-related guidelines will be introduced by IFLA Professional Division Committee Chair (Division F) in addition to speakers’ presentations of the best practices of school libraries in their home countries."
The first one on IFLA School Library Manifesto (2021) & Best Practices of School Librarians in Croatia (speaker: Dr. Zcjezdana Dukic) was held on 26 November 2022, and the recording is here The others are:
- IFLA School Library Guidelines: Best Practices of Teacher-Librarians in France. 4 February 2023, 4.30-5.30pm Hong Kong Time (10.30 am-11.30 am CET; 9.30-10.30 UK time)
- IFLA Educational Technologies and Student Data Briefing: Best Practices of Teacher-Librarians in Croatia. 8 April 2023, 4.30-5.30pm HKT (10.30 am-11.30 am CET)
- IFLA Media and Information Literacy & Best Practices of Teacher-Librarians in Singapore. 3 June 2023, 4.30-5.30pm HKT
Details at https://www.ifla.org/events/webinar-series-high-performing-schools-with-effective-school-libraries/ and registration at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_V3M22kVHQ_qljPLW0fZ8Jg
Photo by Sheila Webber: Squash and onions, November, 2022

Call for papers: Mediatized Discourses on Europeanization: Information, Disinformation, and Polarization & Digital Media and Younger Audiences

There are calls for papers for the journal Media and Commuication, for a special issue on Mediatized Discourses on Europeanization: Information, Disinformation, and Polarization, edited by Julia Metag, Florian Wintterlin and Kira Klinger; and for a special issue on Digital Media and Younger Audiences: Communication Targeted at Children and Adolescents, edited by Olga Kolotouchkina, Celia Rangel, and Patricia Núñez Gómez. The deadline for abstracts for both is 1-15 December 2022 and deadline for articles is 15-30 April 2023. More details here

Call for proposals: #FanLIS2023

There is a call for proposals for FanLIS2023, currently scheduled online for 18/19 May 2023, with the theme Halliday Journals and holodecks: audiences and information in sci-fi fandoms. "FanLIS 2023 is a CityLIS symposium to explore the intersection between fandom, fan studies, and library and information science.... All are welcome to submit, from fans, librarians, infopros, acafen and independent researchers. Email us if you have ideas but aren’t sure if they fit – we’re open to suggestions!" "Themes can include, but are not limited to, the following:
-The information behaviour and practices of sci-fi fans.
- The information behaviour and practices of fans of certain sci-fi franchises (e.g. Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, Mass Effect, Quantum Leap, Ghost in the Shell, etc.).
- The history of sci-fi fandoms.
- Sci-fi fanzines and other amateur/small press publications.
- Representations of libraries, archives, museums and galleries in sci-fi worlds or franchises.
- Information technologies in sci-fi worlds or franchises.
- Fan-to-fan communications within sci-fi fandoms.
- Languages and language use in sci-fi.
- Fans as writers and readers of sci-fi and popular science.
- Copyright issues in sci-fi fandom.
- Sci-fi wikis, encyclopaedias, and other compendiums, whether online or offlin
- How fans research science and technology during the process of creating fanworks.
Send your 500 word proposals to both Ludi Price at Ludovica.Price@city.ac.uk and Lyn Robinson at lyn@city.ac.uk by midnight GMT on 31 December 2022
More info at https://blogs.city.ac.uk/fanlis/fanlis-symposia/fanlis-2023/call-for-presentations/
Photo by Sheila Webber, taken in Second Life and featuring some of DRD's New Xantis builds

New articles: Information behaviour of farmers; Health Literacy; AI and information; Personal Information Management; Information & visual disability

The latest issue of IFLA Journal (Volume 48, No. 4, 2022) is published open access at https://repository.ifla.org/handle/123456789/2317 There are lots of interesting articles, covering library issues in many different countries, but picking out ones more relevant to this blog:
- An assessment of health information literacy among women in rural Lake Zone, Tanzania by Mohamed Kassim and Faraja Ndumbaro
- Knowledge mapping and visualization of personal information management literature, 1988–2020 by Williams Ezinwa Nwagwu and Chidiebube Blossom Williams
- A model of access to information among Nigerian rice farmers by Ugonna Benedette Fidelugwuowo
- Information needs and delivery channels: Experimental evidence from Cambodian smallholders by Selina Bruns, Oliver Mußhoff and Pascal Ströhlein
- Factors influencing the use of agricultural information by Vietnamese farmers by Hung Gia Hoang, Duc Van Nguyen and Douglas Drysdale
- Framework for the provision of information to the visually impaired in academic libraries in compliance with the Marrakesh Treaty by Samuel Macharia Were, Japhet N. Otike and Emily K. Bosire
Photo by Sheila Webber: lovely autumn beech tree, November 2022

Online: Identifying online scams, phishing, fraudulent websites and messages workshop

There is a free online workshop on 29 November at 15.45 UK time (GMT) on Identifying online scams, phishing, fraudulent websites and messages. This is related to the Maddie is Online series developed by Dr Konstantina Martzoukou at Robert Gordon University, Scotland.
"As part of this free online session, Maria Bell from Mesomorphic will offer an overview of the 4th theme of our new series of Maddie is Online: ethics of online safety and security" They will be reviewing the toolkit they have developed, which can be found here: https://online.visual-paradigm.com/community/bookshelf/default-1444l1ntn9
They'll explore the concepts: "How to recognise messages, websites or e-mails where the sender/owner appears to be different from who they are; Understand why it is important to know how to recover a device or account if it gets compromised / hacked; To create awareness of whom to contact if you find that your account has been hacked, if embarrassing images of you are being shared, or if you experience something else that is really unpleasant."
"We have created an imaginative story ('To donate or not to donate?'). Maddie, the central character of our series, receives an email from her school, reminding her class that it is the last day for donating money to the school nominated charity, ‘Strong Family Corners’, before it gets collected and sent to the charity. In the email, there is a bank account to make the payment with the logo of the charity and the email has been sent by a teacher. Maddie decides to donate to the charity. However, the next day, when she goes to school, she realises that the charity name is not the same and that the email of the teacher was hacked. Someone had used his email details to send this message to all the school and several children had followed the link to make the payment, exactly like Maddie. How could Maddie have protected herself? Should she avoid giving to any charities once and for all?"
Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/identifying-online-scams-phishing-fraudulent-websites-and-messages-tickets-470954125467

Call for proposals: Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Information Science /l’Association canadienne des sciences de l’information

There is a call for proposals for the 51st Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Information Science /l’Association canadienne des sciences de l’information (CAIS/ACSI) which will take place on 6-9 June 2023, online, and free of charge. The deadline for proposals is 31 January 2023 and the theme is Imagining Information. Proposals may be submitted in English or French. Proposals can be for: Papers; Lightning Talks; Panels. There is also a Student Research Forum.
"We meet and structure the world through Imagination. The act of imagining enables inner and outer transformation. It assists in the construction of ourselves, our societies, and even our reality, it helps us to envision and to realize what is possible but it also limits. Collective imagining figures into forming hopes and strategies for the future, but also constructs the past.
"Imagination can be speculative, but imagination coupled with action can also be resistant and a powerful method toward moving toward liberation. Imagination has a strong connection to imagining, whether imagining new theoretical pathways, reflecting on the past, constructing or utilizing imagining as methodology. Imagination, while sometimes devalued, is a creative and resourceful force. For the 51st annual conference of the Canadian Association for Information Science, we invite attendees to consider imagining in its many senses and forms, from imagining potential futures for the field and our society, to the nature and function of imagination in information experiences and phenomena."
"Submissions may cover, but are not limited to, the following: Conceptions of information or documents as imagined or imaginary objects; Imagining and Indigenous ways of knowing/methodologies; LIS’ intersection with theories and theologies of mind; Imagining otherwise: information and social imaginaries, liberation, and Imagination as resistant; Conceptualizations of time: structuring the past through imagination, and a time “before”; Theoretical Speculations of the future; Restrictions and control of knowledge through imagined structures; Re-imagining the future of scholarly communication; Envisioning the future of information societies and professions; Virtual reality, technologies, and information spaces; Imagined communities (Nations, Readers, Lovers); Dreaming as information experience."
Full details at https://www.cais2022.ca/ and submissions (you have to create an account) at https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=caisacsi2023

Photo by Sheila Webber: Imagined future: taken in the 3D virtual worlds Second Life, November 2022

Farewell, Searcher

Another stalwart of the online era is retiring - the magazine Online Searcher, which used to be a go-to reference point for tips on advanced searching. Most of it is priced only, but there are some free tidbits online, including in the final issue:
Badke, W. (2022). Trust the Science? Implications for Online Research. Online Searcher, 46(6).
and a couple of ones from other recent issues
Lasda, E.M. (2022). What’s in a Citation? Motivation and Classification of Citing References. Online Searcher, 46(5).
Badke, W. (2022). Should We Give Up on Information Literacy? Online Searcher, 46(3). (fortunately the answer is no!)
Price, G. (2022) Saving the Web for Posterity. Online Searcher, 46(2)

Recording: Untold Stories ... Continued! Information practices in Bangladesh, and in the US-Mexico borderlands

A webinar held on 28 October 2022, co-organised by ASIS&T European Chapter and the Information School, University of Sheffield, UK. Dr Viviane Hessami presented her research: The Use of Notebooks by Bangladeshi Village Women to Backup Digital Data and Dr Sara Vannini presented on The information practices and politics of migrant-aid work in the US-Mexico borderlands. The webinar was chaired by Dr Andrea Jimenez, Information School, University of Sheffield. The recording is embedded below and the link to it is here. The event also celebrated Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2022.
Dr Hessami is a Lecturer and Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow in the Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University, Australia https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/viviane-hessami Dr Vannini is a Lecturer/Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield Information School http://www.saravannini.com/wordpress/

Call for proposals: Health Literacy and Libraries

This is a call for chapter authors for a forthcoming book Health Literacy and Libraries, to be published by Medical Library Association (MLA) Books, in cooperation with Rowman & Littlefield.
"The new book aims to be a practical and engaging resource for information professionals. The book will provide a compilation of relevant research and evidence-based practices for health literacy work in libraries, including instruction, programming, and outreach for a range of diverse communities."
Invited authors will be contacted and sent chapter guidelines in early 2023. Full chapters are expected to be in English, between 4,000 to 6,000 words, and submitted by April 1, 2023.
Proposals should be submitted on this Google Form by 15 December 2022 https://forms.gle/Lu7pF1Px6YnpwTj8A
Photo by Sheila Webber: late autumn pollarded tree, November 2022

Online course: Supercharge Your Search - Power Hour

Search expert Phil Bradley is again running his online training session Supercharge Your Search - Power Hour – the information professionals guide to the world of internet search! on 24 November 2022 12noon-13.00 UK time. Cost is £35.
"Do you ever get dissatisfied with the search results that you get from Google? Are you sure that the information is out there, but you can’t quite locate it? Do you wish there was an alternative to the seemingly ubiquitous Google? You’ll be pleased to know that there is a solution to your frustrations! There are a great many other search engines available for the savvy searcher to use. This session will look at direct competitors to Google, and will examine how good they are, and why you may decide to use them to run better searches. However you’ll also look at directory based engines, multi and meta search engines, similarity search, which multimedia search engines you can use, and some unique and valuable search engines that give you material that you simply cannot find using Google."
Registration and more information at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/supercharge-your-search-power-hour-tickets-439656282777
Photo by Sheila Webber: flowers at the farmers market, August 2022

Recent articles: Teaching IL virtually; IL as an advernture; IL & humanities; Collaboration

There is a special issue of The Nordic Journal of Information Literacy in Higher Education (NORIL) (volume 13, number 1, 2022) , focused on the 10th Creating Knowledge Conference, a Nordic conference which concentrates on information literacy and learning. The articles are:
- What if becoming information literate were an adventure? by Tove I. Dahl
- Innovative teaching in a new normal: creating new ways to deliver virtual information literacy and research support training by Keziah Gibbs, Hannah Crago
- Preparing students for an evidence-based health service – a collaboration between the University Library and faculty by Kari Kalland, Lilja Marlen Johannessen
- Library-faculty collaboration in the light of a business administration bachelor’s program: ‘The Scientific Wave’ by Elisabeth Näverå, Anna Karin Olsson
- Teaching information literacy in the humanities: Engaging students with primary sources and cultural heritage material by Karin Pettersson
- How librarian involvement enhances students’ information literacy by Jessica Thorn
- Creating Knowledge X: Evaluation report by Helene N. Andreassen
Go to https://noril.uib.no/issue/view/5
Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn branches, November 2022

STAK - lessons plans and resources

"The STAK Project is a Danish national project that has produced a framework and tools to help educators develop the academic digital literacies, skills, and competencies of their students. STAK and OneHE are working together to translate these resources and make them freely available to all under Creative Commons."
The producers are librarians in Danish universities, and the materials are focused around traditional information literacy topics such as searching and referencing. Go to https://onehe.org/stak/

Photo by Sheila Webber: peppers and lettuce at Framers Market, November 2022

Recordings: the Future of Libraries

Recordings from the October 2022 Pacific Library Partnership conference, The Future of Libraries 2022: Expanding Your Toolbox for a Changing World, have been published.
It includes the presentation by Frieda Afary (an Iranian American librarian, translator and writer) on Confronting Disinformation and Book Bans by Cultivating Critical Thinking and Empathy.
Go to  https://www.plpinfo.org/fall-conference-archive/

Recent articles: Epistemic curiosity; Spotting misinformation; LibGuides for indigenous studies; Students' data practices

The latest issue of open access journal College & Research Libraries (Vol 83, No 6, 2022) has been published. It includes:

- Investigating Nontraditional First-Year Students’ Epistemic Curiosity During the Research Process: An Exploratory, Mixed-Methods Study by Michelle Keba Knecht
- Diving Deep into Dissertations: Analyzing Graduate Students’ Methodology and Data Practices to Inform Research Data Services and Subject Liaison Librarian Support by Mandy Swygart-Hobaugh, Raeda Anderson, Denise George, Joel Glogowski
- Preparing College Students for a Digital Age: A Survey of Instructional Approaches to Spotting Misinformation by Nadav Ziv, Emma Bene
- From Pathfinder to Indigenized: An Assessment of LibGuides for Indigenous Studies by ARL Member Institutions by Kristen J. Nyitray, Dana Reijerkerk
Go to https://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/issue/view/1627/showToc
Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn leaves on the bench, October 2022

Teaching in a digital age: Open Pedagogy

An open access textbook which is available for reuse under a Creative Commons License is:
Bates, A.W. (2022). Teaching in a Digital Age.Guidelines for designing teaching and learning (3rd. Ed). Pressbooks. https://pressbooks.pub/teachinginadigitalagev3m/
In particular I will highlight the section which outlines what open pedagogy is, with definitions, diagrams and examples:  https://pressbooks.pub/teachinginadigitalagev3m/chapter/11-4-open-pedagogy/

New: The data literacy cookbook

A new book is: Getz, K. and Brodsky, M. (2022). The data literacy cookbook. ACRL. https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/data-literacy-cookbook "Sixty-five recipes are organized into nine sections based on learning outcomes: 1. Interpreting Polls and Surveys 2. Finding and Evaluating Data 3. Data Manipulation and Transformation 4. Data Visualization 5. Data Management and Sharing 6. Geospatial Data 7. Data in the Disciplines 8. Data Literacy Outreach and Engagement 9. Data Literacy Programs and Curricula. To be honest, I'm not keen on a recipe/cookbook approach to educating for literacies, but it looks as the the chapters address some interesting aspects.

Photo by Sheila Webber: recipe books in Second Life, November 2022

Webinar: Routes and experiences of doing a LIS PhD

On 18 November 2022 at 13.00-16.00 UK time (GMT) there is a webinar Routes and experiences of doing a LIS PhD, organised by CILIP LIRG (Library and Information Research Group). The cost is £20 (inclusive of VAT) for both CILIP and non-CILIP members, with complimentary tickets for all students, the unwaged and underrepresented minorities who can contact ebony.burke@kcl.ac.uk to receive the waiver code.
"This half-day online event is designed to introduce participants to different routes to pursuing a LIS PhD whilst working as LIS practitioners. The event will comprise of several current LIS practitioners from around the globe talking about and sharing their personal experiences of the undertaking and completing a PhD. There will also be a presentation introducing participants to the different ways that you can do a PhD whilst working, and also what supervising a part-time PhD entails."
Speakers are: Alison Brettle, Professor in Health Information and Evidence Based Practice and Director Centre for Social and Health Research, University of Salford; Gustavo Grandal-Montero, Library Collections and Engagement Manager, Tate Britain; Laura Woods, Subject Librarian, University of Huddersfield; George MacGregor, Institutional Repository Manager, Strathclyde University; Kirsty Wallis, Head of Research Liaison, University College London; Denise Lafitte, Associate University Librarian, University of Alberta; Hazel Hall, Professor of Social Informatics, Edinburgh Napier University.
To register, go to to https://www.cilip.org.uk/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1680749&group=

Photo by Sheila Webber: autumn bench, October 2022

Bursary places for #LILAC23

The LILAC (UK information literacy) conference (which takes place 19-21 April 2023 in Cambridge, UK) is offering 5 free places. Deadline for applications is 30 November 2022 17.00 UK time (GMT). The bursaries are for people from/ working in the following under-represented communities and sectors in the UK: Ethnic minority backgrounds; Further Education; Health (e.g., NHS – librarians working in Higher Education who support health subjects are not eligible to apply); Public; Schools. The bursary includes 3 days attendance of all LILAC sessions and social events. Travel and accommodation expenses up to the value of £225 are also available if required.
"To be eligible for a place you must be a librarian, volunteer, or information professional working in or from the above-mentioned sectors/communities in the UK. You will have to show your commitment to information literacy by writing a short personal statement explaining how attending the conference will be of benefit to you, demonstrating your commitment to information literacy and detailing how you will disseminate knowledge gained from the conference."
More details at https://www.lilacconference.com/lilac-2023/bursaries

Webinar: The Changing Role of the Education Librarian

There is a free webinar on 11 November 2022, at 13.30 US EST (which is, e.g., 18.30 UK time): The Changing Role of the Education Librarian. It is organised by the SLA and ACRL. "This presentation will provide an overview of the findings of a pre-COVID-19 survey on the job roles and responsibilities of Education librarians. These findings give insight into the diverse educational backgrounds and varied responsibilities of Education librarians related to instruction and instructional design, reference, embedded librarianship, outreach, collaboration, and collection development.”
Presenters (all based in the USA) are: Katherine Donaldson (Social Sciences/Education Librarian at the University of Oregon Libraries; Laura Bonella (Professor and the Academic Services Department Head at Kansas State University; Lisa Becksford (Head of Learning Design Initiatives at the University Libraries at Virginia Tech; Josette Kubicki (Reference and Instruction Librarian at Augusta University, Reese Library, in Georgia; Sarah Parramore (Director of Teaching, Learning and Research Support at Occidental College and Education Librarian at California State University, Fullerton).
Register at https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMvceqtpzwsHtDYWS_rchrX5m7G3s7BG3DS
Photo by Sheila Webber: Teddy, September 2022

Call for proposals #WILU2023

There is a call for proposals for the WILU Conference (the Canadian information literacy conference). The conference will be held at McGill University in Montreal, Québec, Canada, May 16-19,- 2023, and the deadline for the proposals is 5 December 2022. You can propose papers, workshops or panels, in English or French. The theme is Carte Blanche. "As information professionals, our roles continue to change as the definition of information literacy grows to include a diverse range of skills. We thrive in an environment that promotes and values innovation and experimentation. To respond to the evolving needs of users, we must embrace spontaneity and risk-taking. Librarians are often described as intellectually agile, with the ability to adapt quickly to new technologies or philosophies. How do we adjust traditional teaching practices to reach our users? How do we decide which topics and teaching styles to use? We invite proposals that consider what it means to have “carte blanche” to design and deliver timely, relevant library instruction sessions with the freedom to try new things, experiment with novel ideas, and start fresh." More information at https://wilu-conference.github.io/en/call-for-proposals/

Webinar: Libraries and Learning Analytics: The Future is Now

There is a free ACRL webcast Libraries and Learning Analytics: The Future is Now on 17 November 2022 at 12.30-14.00 US Central time (18.30-20.00 UK time). Presenters are Megan Oakleaf, Ken Varnum, and Becky Croxton. "Learning analytics offers a new tool in the library assessment toolbox, one that closes gaps left by other assessment methods but requires different ways of framing assessment questions, innovative strategies for using or connecting data, and strengthening collaborations with campus partners. This webcast, sponsored by the ACRL Value of Academic Libraries Committee, is designed to help librarians take the next step in learning analytics preparedness by guiding them through a series of activities designed to support them in thinking through decisions, data, and conversations necessary for ethical, effective, and engaging learning analytics work at their institutions. Register at https://ala-events.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0rduiqpj4jH9aV83eois-nuBevucc_Y_KY

Photo by Sheila Webber: more autumn leaves, October 2022

Global Media and Information Literacy Week final day #GlobalMILweek

Today's main events included a virtual conference featuring voices of young people from around the world, with the theme Global Media and Information Literacy Week meets World Cities Day (Youth). You can find the full recording on Facebook at https://fb.watch/gw1pWNopyF/ on the MILCLICKS Facebook page.

Projects for media literacy funded

The United Kingdom's Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has celebrated Global Media and Information Literacy Week by announcing funding for 17 organisations to fund media literacy projects. The focus is on combatting misinformation and it is "part of the government’s Online Media Literacy Strategy to help people be safe online". You can find the details at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/help-for-vulnerable-people-to-spot-disinformation-and-boost-online-safety

Abuja Declaration on Financing Media and Information Literacy #GlobalMILWeek #MILclicks

Yesterday in the Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) week feature conference they released the Abuja Declaration on Financing Media and Information Literacy. At the moment there seems to be just the draft available. This includes exhortations to governements to fund MIL education, especially for young people.
“We urge ... Governments around the world to articulate national media and information literacy policies that will serve as a comprehensive guide in articulating the implementation of media and information literacy initiatives across all levels of governance.”
“We further call upon governments from national to city level, as well as intergovernmental organizations to ... Allocate specific budgets to the developing of Media and Information Literacy programs, with respect to the educational laws or any other regulatory framework that guides the workings of its national/regional/local education systems...”
Find it at https://www.unesco.org/sites/default/files/medias/fichiers/2022/10/abuja_declaration_financing_mil_drafting_committee_21oct2022.pdf

Webinar: Untold Stories: Information practices #ICT4D #GlobalMILweek

A free webinar on 28 October 2022 at 10.00-11.00 BST (UK time: see https://tinyurl.com/28Oct22time for times elsewhere).
Dr Viviane Hessami (Monash University, Australia) will present her research: The Use of Notebooks by Bangladeshi Village Women to Backup Digital Data and
Dr Sara Vannini (University of Sheffield, UK) will present on The information practices and politics of migrant-aid work in the US-Mexico borderlands.
The webinar is chaired by Dr Andrea Jimenez (Information School, University of Sheffield, UK).
The webinar is organised by ASIS&T’s European Chapter & The Information School, University of Sheffield. It also celebrates Global Media and Information Literacy Week (24-31 October 2022).
The Zoom link for the session is given in this flyer: https://tinyurl.com/28Oct22flyer  

About Dr Viviane Hessami:
Dr Hessami is a Lecturer and Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow in the Faculty of Information Technology, Monash University, Australia. She is researching the information access and information preservation needs and preferences of marginalised rural communities with the aim to design a framework for culturally-sensitive and gender-sensitive information dissemination and information preservation. Viviane has multidisciplinary expertise in archival science, political science, Asian studies and community informatics. https://research.monash.edu/en/persons/viviane-hessami
Hessami's presentation will highlight the importance of planning for the sustainability of information and supporting grassroots initiatives to preserve information when working with marginalized communities. The presentation will bring up untold stories of marginalized communities who used simple analogue technologies to backup information provided to them in digital form in an ICT4D project in rural Bangladesh. This will illustrate the importance of information sustainability for marginalized communities who have limited access to information and the need to use methods that are culturally-sensitive when providing information to marginalized communities.
About Dr Sara Vannini:
Dr Vannini is a Lecturer/Assistant Professor at the University of Sheffield Information School, UK. Her research is at the intersection of critical studies of technology and society, information and communication technologies and social change, and information ethics. In particular,she focuses on social appropriation of technologies, information privacy in the context of migration, the role of public access to information in mis/dis-information, online learning, and participatory and visual methodologies of inquiry. http://www.saravannini.com/wordpress/
In her presentation, Vannini will address the issue of information sharing in a situation where there are strong privacy and confidentiality issues.Organizers and volunteers work across organizational boundaries to provide humanitarian aid to undocumented migrants along the US-Mexico border and share information informally. However, resistance to information-sharing between organizations (and to the public), especially through technologically mediated means, is common, because of the need to protect the privacy and confidentiality of migrants. Vannini will discuss the strategies employed and underlying issues.

Global Media and Information Literacy Week: panels on libraries & education #GlobalMILweek

We are on day 2 of Global Media and Information Literacy week, and it is still possible to register for the online feature conference.
On Wednesday 26th October, the sessions include a panel on Global conversations – Media and Information Literacy, libraries and trust (at 10.00 Paris time) and at 11.30 Paris time Global conversation with teachers on Media and Information Literacy and trust with speakers: Ramon R. Tuazon, President, Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC), Philippines; Cheung Chi Kim, Professor & Author, Media Literacy Education, China; Paulette A Kerr, Lecturer, University of the West Indies, Member, Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue University Network, Jamaica; Andrew Whitworth, Director of Teaching and Learning Strategy, Manchester Institute of Education, United Kingdom; Dinara Sagatova, Media and Information Literacy Teacher, Nazarbayev Intellectual School, Kazakhstan.
Go to https://www.unesco.org/en/media-information-literacy-week