ILIAD: Information Literacy is a Discipline

There is now a website for the ILIAD (Information Literacy is a Discipline) collaboration. On it you can find some information about its origins, the co-founders (including me), presentations and publications so far and notice of the Information Literacy Handbook: Charting the Discipline which will be published by Facet next year. Bill Johnston and I have been arguing for Information Literacy as a discipline for 25 years now, with key publications our 2006 and 2017 papers.
The website is here https://www.iliad-group.org/

Conference: Telling Library Stories

On 16-18 September 2024 there is an in-person conference at the University of Kentuky, USA: Telling Library Stories. This is part of the Library Research Seminar series.
"We will focus on how to use statistics to tell compelling stories, how research stories reflect library practice, how library stories impact research and development and how libraries can tell stories to advocate for themselves and their communities."
This has a lot of interesting sessions relevant to information literacy, including (all from the USA):
- The panel Information Literacy: A New Discipline (Karen Kaufmann, University of South Florida; Clarence Maybee, Purdue University; John M. Budd, University of Missouri)
- The panel Value, Shmalue: Measuring Meaning through True Tales of Teaching (Natalia Kapacinskas, University of Houston Libraries; Erica Lopez, University of Houston Libraries; Mea Warren, University of Houston Libraries; Veronica Arellano Douglas, University of Houston Libraries)
- An introduction to infophilia, a positive psychology of information (Anita S. Coleman, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign)
- The workshop Hackathon X Olio: Co-creating a collective of library stories for teaching and learning (Rebecca Morris, Chair, University of Pittsburgh)
- So, What Exactly Do You Do? Using Statistics to Tell Your Story as a Subject Librarian (Doug Campbell, University of North Texas)
- Unheard Stories: The Experiences, Needs, and Hopes of Hard of Hearing Librarians (Lee Ann Fullington, Brooklyn College, CUNY; Jill Cirasella , CUNY Graduate Center)
Full information at https://ci.uky.edu/lrs8
Photo by Sheila Webber: Hydrangea, July 2024

Picture books as a bridge to enquiry-based learning

The BRIDGE Project was an international project which was aiming to develop materials and a network to support information literacy in primary school children. It produced "the booklet Picture books as a bridge to enquiry-based learning: suggestions to support critical information and digital literacy in primary education to provide open and flexible suggestions on how to implement information and digital literacy with an emphasis on the promotion of equality values, making use of children’s literature, in particular picture books." The booklet and additional materials are available in Spanish, Catalan, Turkish, Italian, Finnish, Greek and English.
Fnd them here: https://bridgeinfoliteracy.eu/training/

Webinar: Countering climate disinformation: strengthening global citizenship education and media literacy

A webinar on 16 October 2024 13.00-14.00 CEST (which is 12.00-13.00 UK time) from the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities is Countering climate disinformation: strengthening global citizenship education and media literacy
"This webinar will focus on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) as a potent tool to foster climate action. Against the backdrop of mis/disinformation, promoting critical thinking as well as data and information literacy are key to ensuring citizens can access and evaluate the information they receive through the media."
The languages will be Arabic, English, French, Korean and Spanish.
More information and registration link here https://www.uil.unesco.org/en/articles/global-network-learning-cities-webinar-countering-climate-disinformation-strengthening-global?hub=38
Image by Sheila Webber using Midjourney AI with the prompt: Countering climate disinformation, global citizenship education, media literacy, impressionist style --v 6.0 --ar 16:9

Posters: Tiktok; AI; Rare books; Autistic student voices; Media literacy

There are online posters (a poster or slides, plus videos in some cases) as part of the LILi Conference this week. Each poster has its own Padlet for you to ask questions and receive answers from the presenters. The posters are:
- Dr. ChatGPT or: How One Instruction Librarian Learned to Teach with AI - Elise Ferer
- Centering Autistic Student Voices: How Participatory Action Research and Summer Bridge Programs Inform Neuro-inclusive and Neuro-affirming Learning Environments and Support Student Success - Mercedes Rutherford-Patten & Luna Nombrano Larsen
- Combining Written, Visual, and Interactive Materials to Create a System of Intuitive, Self-guided Information Literacy Skill Development - Sadie Davenport
- Expertise on Demand: Developing Need-Based AI Literacy - Brooke Gross
- Informed by Materiality: Nurturing Information Literacy Skills in Rare Book Instruction - Autumn Johnson
- Media in the Digital Age: Creating and Implementing a High School Media Literacy Course - Julia Lennox
- Navigating the AI Landscape: Insights from Information Literacy Professionals - Natalie Marquez & Emmanuel Te
- TikTok as an Information Source - Reagan Harper
Posters can be found at: https://lili.libguides.com/lili2024/posterpresentations

New Book: Spatial Literacy in Public Health

Newly published: Cantwell-Jurkovic, L. & Parece, T. (Eds) (2024). Spatial Literacy in Public Health: Faculty-Librarian Teaching Collaborations. ACRL.
"A collection of ideas and plans for collaborative spatial literacy teaching and learning initiatives focusing on geographic information systems (GIS)-based and GIS-related instruction through the lens of public health topics."
Full information at https://alastore.ala.org/spatial-literacy-public-health-faculty-librarian-teaching-collaborations?_zs=SUvvg1&_zl=DUMj9
Photo by sheila Webber: goslings in Vancouver, May 2024

Information Science Workout

Dr Jenna Hartel has produced a new video series: Information Science Workout which "helps people to learn concepts of Information Science though their bodies". Each episode is about 2 minutes long and they cover: Introduction to the Series; What Kind of Academic Discipline is Information Science?; What is Information?; What is Social Epistemology? ; What is Information Behavior?; Why and How Did I Make This Video Series.
The playlist is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEFS5x0-2Uk&list=PLZp7Vke_WTVpyeSbT8lnl2LeUqlvJVAKK

African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) workshop

A report of a workshop in Kano, Nigeria, organised by AFRICMIL to urge "women and people with disabilities to join the fight against corruption, emphasizing their important roles in combating corruption and promoting accountability in Nigeria."
Mansir, A.I. (2024, June 28). AFRICMIL encourages women, PWDs to support fight against corruption. https://solacebase.com/africmil-encourages-womenpwds-to-support-fight/
Photo by Sheila Webber: enormous climbing white rose, June 2024

New articles: Course titles; Rubrics; Over-confidence; Black Students’ Experiences

New articles from portal: libraries and the academy (priced publication)
- Adams, A.L., Alexander, S., & Radcliff, S. (2024). Student Perspectives on Information Literacy Course Titles. portal: Libraries and the Academy 24(3), 577-611. https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2024.a931772.
- Hobscheid, M., White, A., & Kerbavaz, K. (2024). Strength in Flexibility: Using a Flexible Programmatic Instruction Rubric to Promote Librarian Autonomy and Assess IL Skills. portal: Libraries and the Academy 24(3), 553-575. https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2024.a931771.
- van Ingen Lauer, S., & Ariew, S. (2024). Addressing the Dunning-Kruger Effect through Research Logs. portal: Libraries and the Academy 24(3), 633-652. https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2024.a931774. (that's the effect where students think they are doing better than they are)
- White, D.E., Munip, L., & Paik, E.J. (2024). Black Students’ Experiences and Perceptions of the Library at a Predominately White Institution. portal: Libraries and the Academy 24(3), 613-631. https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2024.a931773.
Photo by Sheila Webber: Bournemouth, June 2024

Is the world’s biggest search engine broken?

An interesting read for Saturday:
Faber, T. 92024, 20 July). ‘Google says I’m a dead physicist’: is the world’s biggest search engine broken?. Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/jul/20/google-is-the-worlds-biggest-search-engine-broken
Image created by Sheila Webber using Midjourney AI with prompt: Is the world’s biggest search engine broken? google --v 6.0 --ar 16:9

Global Media and Information Literacy Week Youth Hackathon 2024

Following on from yesterday's post, once again Global Media and Information Literacy week includes a youth hackathon. Teams of 3-6 members aged between 18 and 30 years old can register, with the registration deadline 18 August 2024 and the deadline for submissions 8 September 2024.
"The participants will focus on one of the following topics to design innovative solution and scheme their proposals:
- "Empowering youth to become active participants in shaping the digital spaces they inhabit, finding ways to promote public interest information rather than passive consumers of information.
- "Exploring innovative solutions to address the challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence.
- "Exploring receptive and effective approaches to Media and Information Literacy Education and Capacity Building through Peer education and Feeding Education.
- "Activating Youth Organizations to be agents of change through collaborating with digital content creators."
The proposed solutions can be Games; Applications/Websites; Radio programmes/Podcasts; Educational toolkits; Creative community-based interventions (non-technology focused) or other forms.
The submission takes the form of a 3 minute video plus a descripton of the solution. More information at https://www.unesco.org/en/weeks/media-information-literacy/youth-hackathon-2024
Photo by Sheila Webber: takeaway coffee on the beach, Bournemouth, June 2024

Global Media and Information Literacy week #MILClicks

This year's Global Media and Information Literacy week will again be celebrated 24-31 October 2024. The are aiming to hold the associated main conference (hosted by UNESCO and the Hashemite Kingdom in Amman) in Jordan on 30-31 October 2024. This year’s theme is The New Digital Frontiers of Information: Media and Information Literacy for Public Interest Information.
You can already register any offline or inperson events that you are organising for Global MIL week at https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/celebrating-global-media-and-information-literacy-week-2024
Photo by Sheila Webber: Bournemouth beach, June 2024

UK Government and AI

There is an artificial intelligence section on the UK Government wesite. In particular, there is an interesting report which was produced by an international panel of experts for the Seoul AI Summit in May 2024, the International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI (published by the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and AI Safety Institute "The interim report restricts its focus to a summary of the evidence on general-purpose AI, which have advanced rapidly in recent years. The report synthesises the evidence base on the capabilities of, and risks from, general-purpose AI and evaluates technical methods for assessing and mitigating them." https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-scientific-report-on-the-safety-of-advanced-ai 

Some other pages on the website are
- stating OfQual's position on use of AI in qualifications (OfQual oversees the agencies that set and mark qualification examinations in England, in particular the qualifications that are awarded in schools). The statement focuses particularly on the use in marking (marking should still be done by humans) and invigilation, as well as some ststements about agencies' responsibility in setting guidelines for use by learners (April 2024).
- saying how they used AI to analyse responses to an (unpecified) government consultation. I think this might make me even more cynical about governemnt consultations. (9 July 2024)
- saying how jolly it is using AI in defence technology https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ai-and-data-science-defence-science-and-technology-capability (June 2024)
It will be interesting to see what is added/removed when the new Government gets round to looking at AI. I noticed that the Seoul Ministerial Statement for advancing AI safety, innovation and inclusivity: AI Seoul Summit 2024 (22 May 2024) is already labelled "This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government"....
Image created by Sheila Webber using Midjourney AI

How information Worlds Shape Our Response to Climate Change

A new report from Project Information Literacy: How information Worlds Shape Our Response to Climate Change. This is based on two surveys: a sample of 4,503 members of the general public, aged 16-85 and a sample of 1,593 students (enrolled in nine higher education institutions in the U.S.A.). As well as the report itself, there is a nice data dashboard. I might write more about this when I've had a proper look at it!

Head, A.J., Geofrey, S., Fister, B. & Hostetler, K. (2024). How information Worlds Shape Our Response to Climate Change. Project Information Literacy. https://projectinfolit.org/pubs/climate-study/
Photo by Sheila Webber: Stanley Park, Vancouver, May 2024

Last chance to register: New Horizons! Future-Ready Learning and Lifelong Information Literacy

Registration for the free online conference from LILi (lifelong Information Literacy) closes on 19 July 2024. The theme is New Horizons! Future-Ready Learning and Lifelong Information Literacy and it takes place 25 July 2024 11:30-14:30 US Pacific time (so that is, e.g. starting at 19.30 UK time) and 26 July 2024, 9:30-13:30 US Pacific time. The schedule is here https://lili.libguides.com/lili2024/schedule and the posters will be published on the website about a week before the conference.
Register here https://forms.gle/yCK5MqfTKyEn2UvY7 Note that "registration does not guarantee a space, as attendance will be limited to 300 simultaneous attendees each day on a first-come/first-served basis."

Youth leader training in the Philippines

Rappler, #FactsFirstPH and Deutsche Welle are sponsoring training of youth leaders from Luzon and Mindanao (the Philippines) in media and information literacy in July/August 2024, in a programme called Movers for Facts. After the training they are expected to follow up by hosting workshops or creating media for their communities.There is a "a focus on countering disinformation. Participants will gain a better understanding of the current media landscape and work together to promote digital resilience against disinformation in their own communities. "

Rappler. (2024, June 28). Rappler, Deutsche Welle to train youth leaders to promote media literacy. https://www.rappler.com/moveph/deutsche-welle-training-youth-leaders-promote-media-literacy/ (you have to register (free) to see the whole story, though initially I saw the whole thing without registering; not sure how/why)
Photo by Sheila Webber: sandy beach, Bournemouth, June 2024

Four book reviews: Identity; Learning Theory; AI; Critlib

Book reviews from the latest  College & Research Libraries issue, with links to information about the reviewed books (the reviews are open access, the books are not).

Cicero, S. (2024). Instructional Identities and Information Literacy: Transforming Ourselves, Volume 1, Amanda Nicholas Hess (ed.), ACRL, 2023. 194p. Softcover. 9780838939680 (Review 1 of a 3-volume title). College & Research Libraries, 85(5), 791. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.85.5.791 Here is a link to the book itself.

Haigh, J. (2024). The Librarian’s Guide to Learning Theory: Practical Applications in Library Settings, Anne Medaille. ALA Editions, 2023. Softcover, 192p. $54.99. 9780838939581. College & Research Libraries, 85(5), 792. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.85.5.792 Here is a link to the book itselfor here for those outside North America

Pun, R. (2024). The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI, Fei-Fei Li, Flatiron Books, 2023. 324p. Hardcover, $24.99. 9781250897930. College & Research Libraries, 85(5), 794. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.85.5.794 Here is a link to the book itself.

Setele, J. (2024). The Critical Librarianship and Pedagogy Symposium: Reflections, Revisions, and New Works, Yvonne Mery and Anthony Sanchez (eds.), ACRL, 2023. 220p. Softcover, $65.00. 9780838939529. College & Research Libraries, 85(5), 795. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.85.5.795. Here is a link to the book itself.Photo by Sheila Webber: hollyhock and bee, June 2024

Misinformation and the media

The LSE's impact blog has interesting posts, and last month they made a compilation: "a selection of posts from the LSE Impact Blog’s archives exploring the impact of misinformation and the extent to which the concept itself is a useful way of understanding how evidence is used and abused in the media." The link to posts covering a number of media, including one that addresses Should a TV drama influence public policy (referring to the TV play that finally got some action on the post office scandal) Taster, M. (2024, June 14). Misinformation and the media – An LSE Impact Blog review. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2024/06/14/misinformation-and-the-media-an-lse-impact-blog-review/
Photo by Sheila Webber: astrantia (spot the bee), May 2024

Webinar: Current and Future Literacies: Libraries Leading Literacy Development

A free online panel on 13 August 2024 at 13.00-14.00 BST (current UK time) is Current and Future Literacies: Libraries Leading Literacy Development. It is organised by IFLA's Academic and Research Libraries Section. The speakers are:
Lily Y. Ko (Head, Research & Learning Support, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Library): Advancing Literacy in the Digital Age: The Role of the Chinese University of Hong Kong Library in Global Transitions
Dr. Sarah Kaddu, Dean (East Africa School of Library and Information Science): AI in LIS Education in Uganda: a response strategy
Dr. Alicia Wise (Executive Director of the CLOCKSS Archive): Advancing Biblio-Equity: Digital Preservation and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in a Post-COVID-19 World
More information here and you must register here https://events.zoom.us/e/view/6z64oyt5RBC_qNWkwvaqdA
Photo by Sheila Webber: Steam clock, Vancouver, May 2024

Webinar and report: Towards universal access to reliable healthcare information

On 30 July 2024 at 14.00-15.00 BST (UK time) there is a panel discussing the results from a global survey on the need reliable healthcare information throughout the world: Towards universal access to reliable healthcare information. It is organised by Healthcare Information for All.
Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZModeuprjMpE9NJNhaC62tmfqqJDDB-Y2CU#/registration
"In late 2023 HIFA conducted a global consultation for WHO [Wor;d Health Organization] to assess stakeholder perspectives on universal access to reliable healthcare information and how to accelerate progress. 2410 individuals from 135 countries participated, representing all six stakeholder groups in the global evidence ecosystem (generating, publishing, synthesising, packaging, finding, and applying evidence). Respondents overwhelmingly called for WHO to explicitly champion the goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information, and for WHO and HIFA to convene stakeholders to develop a global strategy to accelerate progress. "
The press release is here https://www.hifa.org/news/press-release-global-health-advocates-call-world-health-organization-champion-universal-access

The full report is here:https://www.hifa.org/sites/default/files/other_publications_uploads/HIFA-WHO-report-final.pdf and the report infographic is here: https://www.hifa.org/sites/default/files/HIFA_infographic_vhires.png

Tomorrow and Monday: Information Science Trends - It's not too late to register!

A feast of fascinating insights await at the online Information Science Trends conference which takes place 14.00-17.00 BST (UK time) on Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th July 2024, organised by the Association of Information Science & Technology (ASIS&T) European Chapter (of which I am part). It is free to ASIS&T members, US $10 to non-member students and US $25 to others. The programme (and link to registration) is here: https://www.asist.org/2024/07/04/ist24-programme/ 

The conference theme is Living online and offline, in darkness and light. On Day 1 the keynote is Passion + research = letting your light shine through from Amber Cushing and other papers include: Sustainable Management of Social Network Data; Information behaviour of emergency physicians; neurodivergency in academic libraries; virtual field trips.
Image created using Midjourney AI

New articles: AI literacy; Student needs; Student stress; Workloads

The July 2024 issue of open access journal College & Research Libraries (vol. 85 issue 5) includes the following:
- Evaluating AI Literacy in Academic Libraries: A Survey Study with a Focus on U.S. Employees by Leo S. Lo
- Community College Librarian Views of Student Information Literacy Needs by Don Latham, Melissa Gross, Heidi Julien
- Determining Equitable Liaison Librarian Workloads: An Investigation into the Conundrum by Susan Alison Bolton
- Student Stress and the Research Consultation: The Effect of the Research Consultation on Project Stress and Overall Stress and Applications for Student Wellness by LuMarie Guth, Bradford Dennis
- The Faculty Role in College Affordability: Syllabus Creation and Resource Affordability by Sarah Rose Fitzgerald, Christine Turner, Anne Graham
Contents page at https://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/issue/view/1661/showToc
Photo by Sheila Webber: sand on the path next the beach, Bournemouth, June 2024

Online workshops: Lego & learning; Neurodiversity

Some online workshops from Andrew Walsh:
- Basic Introduction to Using Lego in Adult Teaching/Support on 23 September 2024. £85 for those in teh UK £95 for those outside the UK (the cost includes a pack of Lego posted to you, so the overseas fee is higher to cover the extra postage costs). Details and registration at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/basic-introduction-to-using-lego-in-adult-teaching-support-september-24-tickets-920181516687
- Neurodiversity in the workplace on 11 September 2024. Cost is £54.88. Details and registration at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/neurodiversity-in-the-workplace-webinar-tickets-920186902797
Image by Sheila Webber using Midjourney with the prompt a sitting dog, it is beside a notice, the notice reads "Polling Station" --v 6.0 (it is voting day today for the UK's General Election and dogs outside polling stations is a meme at election time: I don't have a dog to photograph, though)

New articles: Authority; Emotion & experiences in COVID; literacy in public libraries; Information needs of entrepreneurs

The latest issue of Reference Services Review (priced journal) is vol. 52 issue 2, 2024. The theme is Reference and instructional services for libraries in the digital age (haven't we been in the digital age for a few decades now?) anyway, articles include:
- Rose-Wiles, L.M. (2024). The framing of authority in the ACRL framework on information literacy: multidisciplinary perspectives on truth, authority, expertise and belief. Reference Services Review, 52(2), 202-217. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-02-2024-0003
- Bury, S. (2024). Affective dimensions of academic librarians’ experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic: experiences and lessons learned for information literacy. Reference Services Review, 52(2), 278-295. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-12-2023-0082
- Salubi, O. and Majavu, U. (2024). Toward the development of a framework for literacy support and promotion by public libraries in financially and infrastructurally low-resourced territories. Reference Services Review, 52(2), 218-230. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-06-2023-0056
- Toane, C. and Shujah, S. (2024). Campus entrepreneurs’ research habits and needs: a five-year study. Reference Services Review, 52(2), 257-277. https://doi.org/10.1108/RSR-01-2024-0001
The whole issue is here: https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/0090-7324/vol/52/iss/2
Photo by Sheila Webber: deckchairs in Bournemouth, June 2024

Election facts and dangers

The UK general elections are on Thursday (4 July).The fact checking Full Fact website has a section devoted to fact checking various aspects of the political election campaigns here https://fullfact.org/election-2024/all/ and today they have summarised a number of them in fact sheets focusing on core issues such as health, net zero and .... potholes.

Also, a topical post highlights the way in which one British politician is aiming to undermine confidence in the media (a la Trump) by claiming that established media are biased and fabricating stories: Why Nigel Farage’s anti-media election interference claims are so dangerous: https://theconversation.com/why-nigel-farages-anti-media-election-interference-claims-are-so-dangerous-233698
Democratic debate in Krakow, October 2023

US Government's new Information Literacy website

The USA's Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has just launched an official Government Information Literacy website with a focus on supporting library and museum professional meet local needs. It "disseminates successful practices, tools, and programs related to financial, health, digital, and other information literacy subject areas. Focusing on resources and programs delivered locally, Informationliteracy.gov supports library and museum practitioners and community-based organizations across the country in their efforts to meet community needs and provide resources and trainings on these subjects." Indeed, the panels on the home page focus on digital, financial and health literacy and the featured resources are mostly ones developed by libraries or museums.
Given the UK Government's narrower focus on media literacy, and the way in which it neglects the contribution of librarians, this website seems to me to be exciting! From a statement on the website, this follows up a requirement in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 for IMLS to support IL development (sadly, we don't have an equivalent to IMLS in the UK either).
Go to https://informationliteracy.gov/