GenderEd Coalition MOOC: Towards a gender sensitive Media and Information Literacy

The GenderEd Coalition has funding from the European Union to increase awareness of gender-sensitive Media and Information Literacy. They have a MOOC running between 1 April 2025 and 31 May 2025 Towards a gender sensitive Media and Information Literacy. It runs for 5 weeks, taking 10 hours a week of commitment and is in English
"This free online course is tailored for journalists, artists, media and information literacy (MIL) educators, activists, media professionals, gender experts, and researchers aiming to develop expertise in gender-sensitive practices, media analysis, and inclusive communication"
Presumably library and information professionals are also welcome!! There are four modules on topics such as "gender-sensitive communication, inclusive media practices, and combating gender bias."
Go to https://www.genderedcoalition.net/mooc
The main GenderEd website is at https://www.genderedcoalition.net/ and has some resources, and a Community of Practice that you can join.
Photo by Sheila Webber: yet more magnolia blossom, March 2025

Recent articles: media & digital literacy; podcasting

An open access journal I don't think I've covered before, Media and Communication. Each annual volume consists of a number of special issues, and this latest one (volume 13 issue 467 2025) is on Balancing Intimacy and Trust: Opportunities and Risks in Audio Journalism including, for example
- Trust in Pod: Listener Trust of News Content Heard on Different Genre Podcasts by Kristine Johnson and Michael McCall
- Intimacy in Podcast Journalism: Ethical Challenges and Opportunities in Daily News Podcasts and Documentaries by Elvira García de Torres, José M. Legorburu, David Parra-Valcarce, Concha Edo and Lilly Escobar-Artola
Go to https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/issue/view/467 

Even more relevant to this blog is an issue of volume 13 (issue 466, January 2025) on Evaluating and Enhancing Media Literacy and Digital Skills including
- Fostering Media Literacy: A Systematic Evidence Review of Intervention Effectiveness for Diverse Target Groups by Leen d'Haenens et al. (I shall pause here just to sigh and point out that this is yet another sysytematic review that does not even notice - despite there being 23 authors involved - that they failed to search for INFORMATION literacy, although they searched for online, internet and media literacy and variations thereof. I assume that none of the 23 was a librarian, who might have pointed this out. It's a shame, as this is otherwise an OK review of quantitative studies)
- Effects of a News Literacy Video on News Literacy Perceptions and Misinformation Evaluation by Rita Tang, Melissa Tully, Leticia Bode and Emily K. Vraga
- Exploring Media Literacy Formation at the Intersection of Family, School, and Peers by Nika Šušterič, Katja Koren Ošljak and Veronika Tašner
- The Effectiveness of an Educational Intervention on Countering Disinformation Moderated by Intellectual Humility by Eduard-Claudiu Gross and Delia Cristina Balaban
Go to https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/issue/view/466
Photo by Sheila Webber: blossoms almost faded, April 2025

Survey for review of the ACRL Information Literacy Framework

The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education Review and Revision Task Force has a survey open to consult on the Framework and consider revisions. It has been open for a few weeks (apologies!), so probably a good idea to respond promptly. It asks you about how you use different bits of the framework, whether you think anything is missing, whether you find it straightforward to understand etc. The survey is here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PRT5FMX
Photo by Sheila Webber: more magnolia, March 2025

Registration open for #WILU2025

Canada's information literacy conference, WILU, takes place in person in Hamilton, ON, Canada, 9-12 June 2025, and registration is now open. I would recommend this conference:  I really enjoyed attending WILU last year.
More information at https://macblog.mcmaster.ca/wilu2025/

Information Literacy cakes

An information literacy cake-baking competition was organised by the Australian organisation CAVAL in October 2024, to celebrate 50 years of Information Literacy, and coinciding with the CAVAL Research and Information Group's (CRIG) annual event. You can find pictures and information about all the inventive cakes here https://www.caval.edu.au/activity/crig-seminar-2024-cake-competition/
If you are not interested in cakes, there are pdfs of some presentations from the actual event (Information Literacy is Turning 50: Advocacy, Inclusion, Empowerment) here and here
Winning cake: The Lighthouse, created by Sarah Charing, Sophie Kollo, and Jane Jilbert (The University of Melbourne)

Generative Artificial Intelligence Skills in Schools

On 18 June 2025 at 13.30-15.30 BST there is a free in-person workshop Generative Artificial Intelligence Skills in Schools (GenAISiS) in Glasgow, Scotland. "The workshop will report on the results of GenAISiS, a project funded by Responsible AI and delivered by a team of researchers at Robert Gordon University in partnership with CILIPS (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in Scotland) and school library professionals across Scotland." 
More information at https://www.cilips.org.uk/events/genaisis/
Photo by Sheila Webber: narcissi, April 2025

Webinar: Think like a teacher: pedagogical skills for librarians

This webinar, free to CILIP members and £22.38 to non-members, is on 24 April 2025 at 12noon-13.00 BST: Think like a teacher: pedagogical skills for librarians.
"Does your job involve teaching? Is that not part of what you imagined librarianship to be? Do you ever feel under skilled and overwhelmed by this aspect of your role? Then this session is for you. In this webinar, Neena Shukla Morris, Information Resources Librarian for University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust, uses her knowledge and experience of working in a variety of roles within education to provide you with pragmatic, easily-implementable, no-cost tips and tricks to elevate your taught sessions."
Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/think-like-a-teacher-pedagogical-skills-for-librarians-tickets-1295578432969
Photo by Sheila Webber: lost item series: lost dog plushie, March 2025

Call for proposals: Inclusive Digital Literacy for All

The IFLA Information Literacy Section has a call for proposals for a satellite (to the WLIC) meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, to be held in person on 15 August 2025. The theme is: Inclusive Digital Literacy for All: Bridging Communities for a United Future. Deadline for proposals is 24 April 2025.
"This topic highlights inclusive digital literacy strategies that bridge the digital divide and promote equitable access. Aligned with WLIC 2025’s theme, it shows how digital empowerment fosters a more connected, fair, and knowledge-driven world. We welcome submissions from educators, librarians, and researchers advancing inclusive digital literacy and innovative technologies, such as AI, within the library and information field. Your insights can help shape a more equitable, connected, and knowledge-driven global society."
More information at: https://www.ifla.org/news/information-literacy-section-call-for-papers-wlic-2025-satellite-meeting-inclusive-digital-literacy-for-all-bridging-communities-for-a-united-future/.
Photo by Sheila Webber: a host of dancing daffodils, March 2025

April Fool's adjacent

Here are some links to posts with April Fool's day as an inspiration:
- Cox, S. (2016, April 2). April Fool's! https://librarydisplays.org/2016/04/01/april-fools/ (April Fool pranks done by, and to, a school library)
- Flanagan, E. (2023, February 13). Teaching Information Literacy in the Classroom. https://www.erintegration.com/2023/02/13/teaching-information-literacy-in-the-classroom/ (nb it is selling priced items "The posters are included in both color and blackline and can be used in an April Fool’s Day theme or as a digital citizenship bulletin board all year round.")
- geoztinker. (2024, December 14). infuriating ai generated “bird” calendar i found… they’re all horribly wrong…which one is your favorite. https://www.reddit.com/r/birding/comments/1hdsorz/infuriating_ai_generated_bird_calendar_i_found/ You can do a "how many mistakes can I spot" exercise.
- Winick, S. (2026, March 28). April Fools: The Roots of an International Tradition. https://blogs.loc.gov/folklife/2016/03/april-fools/ (Detailed history about April Fool's Day, from the Library of Congress)
Photo by Sheila Webber: All the blossoms fell off this tree into a circle below! (No, April Fool, it's yet another photo of crocuses)

Recent articles

From the priced journal Journal of Documentation, some information behaviour articles in the last 2 complete issues include:
- Chen, X., Lin, A. and Webber, S. (2025). "We do not always enjoy surprises”: investigating artificial serendipity in an online marketplace context. Journal of Documentation, 81(2), 403-422. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-01-2024-0011 Open access at https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/220256/
- Yerbury, H. and Henninger, M. (2025). Knowing and not knowing about algorithms. Journal of Documentation, 81(2), 301-312. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-04-2024-0076 "A practice-based study of university librarians and their role in the development of algorithmic literacy, using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, showed that they had limited socio-technical knowledge of algorithms."
- Bogers, T., Gäde, M., Koolen, M., Petras, V. and Skov, M. (2025). Understanding complex casual leisure information needs: an analysis of search requests for books, games, movies and music. Journal of Documentation, 81(1), 168-194. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-03-2024-0070 "In this paper, we introduce the CRISPS (CRoss-domaIn relevance aSPects Scheme) coding scheme for complex information needs in the four leisure domains of books, games, movies and music. It categorizes the relevance aspects people consider when searching for these resources." Their codebook is here https://zenodo.org/records/11638932
- Benton, L. and Sexton, A. (2025). Long-term needs, long-term access? Major crime recordkeeping and the information needs of individuals bereaved by homicide. Journal of Documentation, 81(1), 86-106. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-04-2024-0075 "The findings indicate that the long-term information needs of homicide bereaved individuals are ill-served by the current police recordkeeping framework ... the research demonstrates a long term need for: (1) information access; (2) support for access; (3) a direct and personalised information access service and (4) trauma-informed and victim/survivor centred practice in police recordkeeping contexts."
- Du, X. and Costello, K.L. (2025). Information snowballing: information practices in the context of sustainable food practices. Journal of Documentation, 81(2), 469-490. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-08-2024-0200 "The findings identify three stages of information snowballing: (a) learning by lifelong exposure and serendipitous information encountering; (b) constructing information landscapes; and (c) snowballing or gradually accumulating information."
Photo by Sheila Webber; Magnolia blossoms, March 2025

AI and Health Information Literacy among Women in South Asia

AI and Health Information Literacy: A Study Exploring the Perceived Usefulness and Readiness among Women in South Asia is one of the projects funded last year by the Institute for Information Literacy at Purdue (IILP), Purdue University, USA. The researchers on the project are: Md. Anwarul Islam (Professor, Department of Information Science and Library Management, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh); Bhakti Gala (Assistant Professor, Department of Library and Information Science, Central University of Gujarat, India); Aminath Riyaz (Assistant Professor, Department of Social Sciences, The Maldives National University, Maldives); Raj Kumar Bhardwaj (Librarian, University of Delhi, India); and Tabassum Aslam (Academic Librarian, Lahore School of Economics, Punjab, Pakistan). There is an article about it:
Islam, M.A., Gala, B., Riyaz, A., Bhardwaj, R.K., & Aslam, T. (2024). Exploring women’s health information literacy with AI: A south asian study. Information Matters, 4(12). https://informationmatters.org/2024/12/exploring-womens-health-information-literacy-with-ai-a-south-asian-study/
There is also brief information, together with information about information about other 2024 award recipients at https://lib.purdue.edu/iilp/research-grants/
Photo by Sheila Webber; Magnolia (at its peak this weekend!), March 2025

Call for papers: Refugee learners risking and resisting (in)visibility in and through lifelong learning

There is a call for papers from the International Review of Education for a special issue on Refugee learners risking and resisting (in)visibility in and through lifelong learning. The deadline for abstracts is 1 August 2025. The highlighted themes are: Navigating precarity; Lifelong learning, vulnerability, and nationalist backlash; Structural racism and sexism in lifelong learning; Hidden in plain sight; Challenging precarity; Lifelong learning as resistance.
Information Literacy isn't mentioned, but information behaviour and information literacy have relevance to a number of those themes.
More information at https://www.uil.unesco.org/en/articles/call-abstracts-special-issue-international-review-education-0
Photo by Sheila Webber: another crocus picture from earlier this month, March 2025

Using Canva

Some people use Canva for information literacy teaching, so you might be interested in:
- 25 April 2025. 12.00-13.00 BST. Creating amazing video content with Canva - a librarian's Power Hour. Led by  Bev Humphrey. "Canva offers many video templates to help you create videos suitable for a range of platforms, including TikTok and Instagram." Cost £35. Info & Register at https://tinyurl.com/3yzc2e39
- 20 June 2025. 12.00-13.00 BST. Perfect presentations created in Canva – a Power Hour Led by  Bev Humphrey. "Are you looking to up your game when creating presentations? If so Canva is definitely the right tool for you!" Cost £35. Info & Register at https://tinyurl.com/35abnuv5
Photo by Sheila Webber: crocuses earlier in March, 2025.

Revised Metaliteracy Goals and Objectives: Empowering Learners for Generative AI

A revision of the Metaliteracy Goals and Learning Objectives was released this month, taking into account developments such as widespread use of generative AI. There are four goals
Goal 1: Reflect on your identity as an active learner within evolving information environments
Goal 2: Critically evaluate and ethically produce information, reflecting on your roles and impact across platforms.
Goal 3: Contribute informed and ethical perspectives in collaborative social settings.
Goal 4: Develop continuous learning strategies through a metaliterate mindset.
There are also four domains (Affective, Behavioral, Cognitive, Metacognitive) which the objectives within each goal are mapped to.
There is an English and a Spanish language version, and a Portuguese version is promised.
Go to https://metaliteracy.org/2025/03/11/finalized-2025-metaliteracy-goals-and-objectives-empowering-learners-for-generative-ai/

Healthcare workers informal use of personal mobile phones

An interesting project which is showcased (& partially supported by) and being discussed by the HIFA (Healthcare Information For All) community at the moment: mHealth-Innovate: Exploring healthcare workers informal use of personal mobile phones - Research findings and implications for policy and practice. The researchers did a systematic review and carried out qualitative studies in Uganda. "Informal use" means that healthcare workers are using their own personal phones to carry out various functions to do with caring for patients.
There is a short video (n.b. the embedded video tells me I need to sign into Vimeo, but if you follow the link to https://zenodo.org/records/15012090 you don't have to sign in) and a summary report.
Obviously this gives a lot of insight into information behaviour etc. and it is international in scope.
Go to https://www.hifa.org/news/mhealth-innovate-exploring-healthcare-workers-informal-use-personal-mobile-phones-research
Image created by Sheila Webber using Midjourney AI

Open online meeting: Media and Information Literacy Community of Practice in Scotland

The Media and Information Literacy Community of Practice in Scotland (MILCOP) is holding an open meeting on 27 March 2024, 2pm-4pm GMT. Presentations will include:
- Fact Checking at The Ferret
- The Role of Universities in The Ethical Digital Nation (St Andrews University)
- Training Public Library Staff on Health Information
Register at https://www.cilips.org.uk/events/info-lit-in-scotland/

Place of googling in writing news stories

Rupar, V., Myllylahti, M., Jones, H-G., Li, W., Mohaghegh, M. & Parisa, P. (2022). Googling it: While news search results can affect newsrooms’ perception of social issues, journalists mainly rely on it for complementary information. Interactions: Studies in Communication & Culture, 13(3), 253-273. https://doi.org/10.1386/iscc_00064_1 (open access).
I thought this was interesting as evidence in the scope of online news coverage sourced via search engines, as well as giving insights into journalistic practice "Our study highlights the significant role of search engines, particularly Google, in shaping the journalistic newsgathering process and, consequently, public understanding of social issues. The computer-assisted analysis of Google’s ‘recession’ news selection revealed distinct patterns in the distribution of news content and geographical bias towards the United States within the selection algorithm. Ethnographic research at one Auckland newsroom revealed that Google Search is a fundamental tool for journalists, albeit used primarily for basic information-gathering and fact-checking rather than in-depth investigative work." (NB, although the "publication date" is 2022, it says the article was actually received in 2024, and this is the latest issue of the journal).
Photo by Sheila Webber: the crocus circle, March 2025

Webinar: Responsible AI Use: Applying the CARE-AI Framework to Real-World Scenarios - and - Evaluating with AI

Some items picked up from the Canadian Contact North's newsletter :
- Free webinar on 10 April 2025 at 13.00-14.00 Toronto time (which is e.g. 18.00-19.00 BST): Responsible AI Use: Applying the CARE-AI Framework to Real-World Scenarios. "Using real world examples, you’ll learn to apply the principles of CARE-AI (Creating Accountable and Responsive Ethics for Artificial Intelligence) to scenarios involving AI use in educational contexts." Information and registration link at https://teachonline.ca/webinar/responsible-ai-use-applying-care-ai-framework-real-world-scenarios
- Hardmann, P. (2025, March 10). AI-Powered Evaluation. https://drphilippahardman.substack.com/p/ai-powered-evaluation Hardmann uses the ADDIE model of learning design (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation), focusing on the E for evaluation, and suggests ways AI could be used (e.g. to identify an evaluation tool, to conduct post-education interviews with learners, to develop a persona to give evaluation prior to doing the teaching). There are a number of interesting ideas, though I also would want to be cautious (e.g. I would find it difficult to construct one persona that captured characteristics of my students (also, if they found out might the students find that a bit spooky?) and also I would advise against feeding qualitative data from student evaluations and interviews into a gen AI unless you were positive you knew what would happen to that data. I agree with Hardmann's final message "AI needs you (and you need instructional design expertise)—in order to get the most from AI, you need to understand what to ask it to do, and how to assess the quality of its output."
Photo by Sheila Webber: beautifully designed branches and leaves, March 2025

AI performance at citing news

Jaźwińska, K. & Chandrasekar, A. (2025, March 6). AI Search Has A Citation Problem. Columbia Journalism Review. https://www.cjr.org/tow_center/we-compared-eight-ai-search-engines-theyre-all-bad-at-citing-news.php Spoiler alert "We Compared Eight AI Search Engines. They’re All Bad at Citing News."
"We randomly selected ten articles from each publisher, then manually selected direct excerpts from those articles for use in our queries. After providing each chatbot with the selected excerpts, we asked it to identify the corresponding article’s headline, original publisher, publication date, and URL" They were excerpts that would have found the right item with a Google search.
Also, this caught my eye: Scott, L. (2025, March 18). The Last Days at Voice of America. Columbia Journalism Review. https://www.cjr.org/first_person/last-days-voice-of-america-voa-trump-kari-lake.php
Photo by Sheila Webber: a few crocuses, March 2025

Webinar: AI and Higher Education teaching

The UK's Information Literacy Group (ILG) have organised a webinar on 1 April 2025 at 15.00-16.30 BST: AI and Higher Education teaching. It is free to CILIP members and £5 to others.
"this event will be an opportunity for Librarians to hear about how others are teaching AI literacy, and how they are engaging with staff and student concerns surrounding AI." The speaker is Michael Flierl (Associate Professor and Student Learning Librarian at Ohio State University, USA) and the session is chaired by Jane Secker (Deputy Chair of ILG and Associate Professor in Educational Development at City St George’s University of London, UK). There will also be short presentations from librarians about their practice with AI in HE.
Register at https://buytickets.at/cilipinformationliteracygroup/1551995

Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in Latin America and the Caribbean

Vol. 12 No. 2 (2024) of the open access Journal of Latin American Communication Research focuses on Media and Information Literacy (the introduction is here): articles (available in Spanish and English) include:
- Challenges for Media and Information Literacy (MIL) policies in Latin America and the Caribbean by Rosa M. González
- Media and Information Literacy in Latin America and the Caribbean. Challenges and opportunities of an unequal region by Silvia Bacher
- The Pillars of Media and Information Literacy in Times of Artificial Intelligence by Janneth Trejo-Quintana, Alexandre Sayad
- MIL and Democracy in Latin America. Lessons from independent journalism: An overview of Mexico and Brazil by Carolina Montiel Navarro, Laura Martínez Águila
- A Continent to be Known - A comparative perspective between two Civil Society Organizations dedicated to Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in Latin America by Manuel-Antonio Monteagudo, Francisco González
- Media and Information Literacy and Alternative Media by Hugo Maguey
- Contemporary challenges of MIL: Towards an education for emancipation by José Manuel Corona-Rodríguez, Guillermo Orozco Gómez
- Media and Information Literacy Research in Latin America by Eva Da Porta, Paula Morabes
Go to https://www.journal.pubalaic.org/index.php/jlacr
Photo by Sheila Webber: bee on rhododendron, March 2025

UNESCO MIL Alliance newsletter

UNESCO's Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Alliance published their newsletter 2 weeks ago. Particularly interesting are the short reports from different regions of the world, highlighting local iniatives past and future.
Go to  https://www.canva.com/design/DAGevXDsUCI/XQf7Z7UfOJkD_Oe-jZuVVg/view?

Media Literacy is Freedom

A short article describes UNESCO's campaign in Ukraine collaborating with Detector Media, Media Literacy is Freedom. It includes videos and "the dissemination of simple media literacy rules and the promotion of critical thinking, delivered by well-known Ukrainian bloggers, actors, and journalists on social media". Story at https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unescos-campaigns-media-and-information-literacy-empower-millions-ukraine-think-critically
Photo by Sheila Webber: daffodil clump, March 2025

Information literacy teaching

For Saturday, a link to a little feature on my friend, & Sheffield iSchool alumna, Dr Syeda Shahid, talking about her work at Towson University, USA, https://www.towson.edu/news/articles/2025/teaching-information-literacy-to-the-next-generation.html
The photo is from 10 years ago taken at the i3 conference in Aberdeen: l to r, Dr Joseph Essel, me, Dr Syeda Shahid, Dr Kondwani Wella

Call for proposals: posters at #WLIC2025

Another IFLA WLIC call! They invite proposals for posters to be presented in person at the conference (taking place in Astana, Kazakhstan, 18-22 August 2025). Deadline is 1 April 2025. From personal experience, the poster exhibition (19-20 August) is very substantial and your poster gets a lot of attention (there are numerous aisles like the one in the photo from 2023's conference). There are always numerous information literacy posters!
The conference theme is Uniting Knowledge, Building the Future and they say
"As IFLA holds the Congress in Central Asia for the first time, we have a unique opportunity to bring all aspects of the profession together to share and learn. The availability of knowledge is essential to building the future of our societies. Libraries share, libraries combine, libraries preserve different formats of knowledge – oral, print, digital.
Please specify how your project or library activities bring together knowledge that contributes locally, regionally or globally to our societal future. Describe what you have done to achieve results through collaboration, partnerships or increasing sustainability?"
More information here https://2025.ifla.org/home/call-for-posters/
Photo credits: Vesna Vuksan (2023). Poster Sessions: 22-23 August 2023. https://flic.kr/p/2oXv7kv - used under a CC BY 2.0 license

Call for papers: Integrating #AI in Information Literacy #WLIC2025

There is a call for papers for the IFLA Information Literacy Section's session at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) taking place in Astana, Kazakhstan, 18-22 August 2025, with the theme Future Ready Libraries: Integrating AI in Information Literacy. Deadline for proposals is March 31 2025.
"Possible sub-themes may include, but are not limited to:
- policies, best practices, and issues with integrating AI information literacy instructionand/or programs in all types of libraries
- strategies to use AI to develop critical thinking and digital literacy skills
- the ethical implications of using AI
- AI literacy and its relationship with information literacy
- AI transforming how communities learn information literacy
- skills and pedagogical approaches needed to incorporate AI into information literacy programs"
"Each presentation will be 10 minutes. There will be a 10-minute Q&A to conclude the one-hour session." At least one of the authors has to present in person at WLIC. Full details at https://www.ifla.org/news/information-literacy-section-call-for-papers-wlic-2025-open-session-future-ready-libraries-integrating-ai-in-information-literacy/
Photo by Sheila Webber: keep off the croci, March 2025

Survey: Learning Analytics in Academic Library Online Instruction

If you are "academic librarians who capture, use data or are interested in learning analytics to support and assess the impact of their academic library online instruction / teaching employed by higher education academic libraries" you're invited take a survey on Use of Learning Analytics in Higher Education Academic Library Online Instruction. It closes on March 15 2025. The research study is undertaken by Simone Laughton, Head of Library & Instructional Technologies at the University of Toronto Mississauga Library, Canada. The survey is estimated to take "approximately 20 – 30 minutes to complete on average" and is at https://forms.office.com/r/uVZxFF1JPj.
Photo by Sheila Webber: crocus in the park 1, March 2025

Review of AI and education

A critical review published by the Ada Lovelace Institute & the Nuffield Foundation in January 2025, focusing on schools, but (I think) with application to other educational levels (and countries) is A landscape review of AI and education in the UK..
"Our aims were to bring greater clarity on the role of AI in schools, to support policy and educational experts to navigate these issues, and to highlight priorities for further research and policy".
Conclusions include " Education-specific AI tools are barely emergent"; "The evidence base is limited on the pedagogical efficacy of using AI in EdTech, whether for general learning and teaching, for SEND or for administration" and "The regulation and governance of AI in EdTech has not kept pace with the evolution of the products, leaving pupils and schools exposed to potentially risky technologies being deployed."
Samson, R & Pothong, K. (2025). Discussion paper: January 2025: A learning curve? A landscape review of AI and education in the UK. Ada Lovelace Institute. https://www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Ada-Lovelace-Institute-A-learning-curve.pdf
Photo by Sheila Webber: different type of landscape: crocus are in bloom, March 2025

#IWD2025 celebrating women colleagues

To celebrate International Women's Day, I highlight papers by women colleagues in the Information School, University of Sheffield (all open access). Firstly, a report on health information literacy research that includes my colleagues Dr Pam Mckinney & Dr Laura Sbaffi:
McKinney, P., Sbaffi, L., Cox, A., Bath, P., Robinson, A. & Wiltshire, M. (2024). Health Information Literacy in Marginalised Communities: End of project report: Co-production workshops with the Sheffield Roma, Yemeni and Somali Communities. https://doi.org/10.15131/shef.data.25315672.v1 

Secondly, research on digital inclusion, with authors including colleagues Dr Sharon Wagg, Dr Bethany Aylward & Dr Sara Vannini:
Wagg, S., Vannini, S., Zammani, E., Klyshbekova, M. & Aylward, B. (2024). Digital inclusion network building: a network weaving analysis. UK Academy for Information Systems. Conference Proceedings 2024 https://aisel.aisnet.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1020&context=ukais2024 "This paper aims to investigate digital inclusion network building as a mechanism for reducing digital poverty. Analysing a rural digital inclusion network in the UK, and drawing on Network Weaving Theory (Holley, 2013), this case study analyses how people’s roles and places play a big part in both the construction and growth of the network, as well as in the advancements of its initiatives. " 

Finally, one on EDI in usability testing, including colleagues Dr Sophie Rutter & Dr Jo McKenna-Aspell:
Rutter, S., Zamani, E., McKenna-Aspell, J. & Wang, Y. (2024). Embedding equality, diversity and inclusion in usability testing: Recommendations and a research agenda. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 188, Article 103278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2024.103278

Alfamed

Alfamed is a network of Hispanic researchers in South America and Europe, focused on media literacy "The main concern of the network is creating collaborative research related to communication and education. Specifically, media literacy of citizenship; education & media literacy" with a cross disciplinary perspective. The website at https://www.redalfamed.org/copia-de-inicio has numerous Spanish-language resources (and also Portuguese, but more Spanish), including, for example, the substantial proceedings of their 2024 conference

Research methods: using GenAI as a tool; Using an online map in interviews; Co-experiencing photos

Glessmer, M. S., & Forsyth, R. (2025). Superficially plausible outputs from a black box: Problematising genAI tools for analysing qualitative SoTL aata. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 13, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.13.4 [SoTL = Scholarhip of Teaching & Learning] Spoiler alert: the authors indeed discovered some problems! Open access - as are the following two articles.

Watson, A., & Kirby, E. (2025). Affective routes in interviews: Participants exploring a digital map as a live elicitation method. Qualitative Research, 25(1), 243-262. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687941241245961. " In this article we discuss participant-led explorations of a digital story-mapping platform as an elicitation technique in qualitative interviews. This platform is Queering the Map, a community-generated counter-mapping project that digitally archives queer moments in place." Engaging insights, for example in the emergence of "generative silence" in the sessions. 

Rowsell, J. (2025). Affecting photos: Photographs as shared, affective ethnographic spaces. Qualitative Research, 25(1), 207-226. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687941241246173 Co-experience connects this article to the previous one (in this article, photos, in the previous one, map exploration).
Photo by Sheila Webber: catching the moment when the tree's shadow aligned with the recycling bin.... February 2025

Registration open: #CALC25

You can now register for the online Critical Approaches to Libraries Conference (CALC2025) 13-15 May 2025 (in the UK time zone, BST). Tickets are a very reasonable £15, and you can also choose to buy a ticket to be donated to someone from an underrepresented and/or marginalised community.
Lots of interesting presentations and workshops e.g. Libraries and care-experienced young people; The things you see us carry: critiques of the Human Library; Friendly, radical and ambivalent: fat librarians and professional identity; A health library in Africa: self-reflections on colonialism and white supremacy; Looking for help: exploring the information behaviour of survivors of sexual assault.
Keynotes are Sacha Coward and Teresa Helena Moreno.
Go to https://sites.google.com/view/calcconference/calc2025

Students using generative AI tools for academic writing

Issue 34 (2025) of the open-access Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education (JLDHE) has been published. I will highlight an article that details how a sample of 30 students used different AI tools in the early stages of assignment-writing:
Johnston, H., Eaton, M., Henry, I., Deeley, E.-M., & Parsons, B. N. (2025). Discovering how students use generative artificial intelligence tools for academic writing purposes. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (34). https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi34.1301
"The aim of this project was to identify ways in which students are using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) technologies for the planning and researching stage of essay style assignments. The study recruited 30 students from various subject areas and levels of study and with different self-reported levels of confidence in using GAI tools. Each student was given three essay questions to choose from and 50 minutes to research their topic, make notes from sources, and put together an essay plan, using GAI tools if they deemed them useful. .. 21 (70%) used GAI technologies within their process." 
The whole of JLDHE issue 34 is at https://journal.aldinhe.ac.uk/index.php/jldhe/issue/view/50
Photo by Sheila Webber: signs of spring last week, hazel catkins, February 2025

Media Viability Manifesto

This report aims at identifying how "financially and editorially independent and diverse media" can be sustained. It is supported by 13 organisations, including UNESCO, Deutsche Welle Akademie, Fondation Hirondelle and IMS (International Media Support). 
"The Media Viability Manifesto (MVM) provides an urgently needed common framework for joint action from the global media development community. Its aim is three pronged: To foster conceptual clarity, to strengthen strategic collaboration between multiple stakeholders, and to align practical implementation in the field of Media Viability. The MVM is the culmination of input from 152 individuals from 55 countries and 86 organizations."
Go to https://mediaviabilitymanifesto.org/ - it is available in English, Spanish, French and Arabic It was launched with a panel session in January 2025, the recording is here https://youtu.be/wNmbv04XebE?si=RrSdLnQgtmayjxhY

Report: Understanding and Addressing Misinformation About Science

A pertinent 2024 publication for current times by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Understanding and Addressing Misinformation About Science. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/27894
"Understanding and Addressing Misinformation About Science characterizes the nature, scope, and impacts of this phenomenon, and provides guidance on interventions, policies, and future research. This report is a comprehensive assessment of the available evidence and reflects a systems view of the problem given the broader historical and contemporary contexts that shape the lived experiences of people and their relationships to information. The report aims to illuminate the impacts of misinformation about science and potential solutions across a diversity of individual peoples, communities, and societies."
The chapters in this 300+ page publication are: Defining Misinformation About Science; Misinformation About Science: Understanding the Current Context; Sources of misinformation about science; Spred of misinformation about science; Impacts of misinformation about science; Intervening to address misinformation about science; The study of misinformation about science; Conclusions, recommendations and research agenda.
Photo by Sheila Webber: On the Heath v2 (I couldn't decide whether I preferred the version from under the tree (see previous post), or this one, February 2025

New articles: Students' infolit; Online teaching; First-year writing courses; Zines

The latest issue of open access journal College and Research Libraries (Vol 86 Issue 2 2025) includes:
- Assessing Students’ Information Literacy: Attitudes and Perceptions of College Students Across Generations by Heather A. Dalal, Arthur Taylor, Sharon Whitfield
- Ongoing Changes in Virtual Reference and Online Instruction in Academic Libraries by Caterina Reed, Paria Aria, Guinsly Mondésir, Harvey Long
- Speaking the Same Language: A Phenomenological Study Investigating Librarian and Writing Instructor Shared Frameworks in First-Year Writing Courses by Amy C. Rice, Dennis D. Cartwright, Lauren Hays, Grace Veach
- The Role of Academic Libraries in the Shifting Landscape of Zines by Evan Bobrow
- Assessing the Impact of Consultations with Librarians on Faculty Research: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study by Rachel A. Koenig, John W. Cyrus (not so much about information literacy, but sheds light on faculty's perceptions of librarians)
Go to https://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/issue/view/1673/showToc
Photo by Sheila Webber: On the Heath, February 2025

Chatting Info Lit: International Schools

Latest podcast episode (27 Jan 2025) from Chatting Info Lit is about International Schools (featuring two Sheffield iSchool alumni!). "In this episode, we talk to two school librarians: Jacob Lusk (International School of London) and Eleni Karakosta (Raha International School, Khalifa City Campus). Jacob and Eleni share their experiences of taking on a school library role, teaching information literacy for children, interacting with students and teachers, and getting involved in larger projects as a new professional. Jacob talks through the logistics of a library move, while Eleni shares her work on a student volunteer programme."
Go to https://open.spotify.com/episode/2TJ5zhoqSCojFE0GxYUmYb

Call for papers: LIANZA 2025

Taking place in Wellington, New Zealand in-person 23-24 September 2025, the call for papers is open for LIANZA 2025, with the theme: Ko au te taiao, ko te taiao ko au - Sustaining and Changing. The call closes on 28 April 2025.
"Taiao is a Māori word that can mean 'the natural world' or the 'environment'. It can also refer to the land, water, climate, and living beings that make up the natural world. "Ko au te taiao, ko te taiao ko au" can take on new meanings. I am the natural world, and the natural world is me, so too, I am the land, water and so forth. In the Māori worldview, the environment is part of the collective and collective thinking. In this conference, te taiao is central to our planning and implementation."
The threads of the conference are:
- He puna kōrero horopū – Information today (Libraries ensure that people have access to the information they need when they need it. How can we ensure our communities and users have access to trusted information resources in times of challenges and change?)
- Toitū te Taiao, Toitū Te Tiriti. (Upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi in an ever-changing environment. How can library, information, culture and heritage services ensure they uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi?)
- He kete matatau, he kete matatini – Libraries and literacies (Libraries are essential to connecting people with literature and information and to facilitate reading for pleasure. What can you share that has made a difference in this area?)
- Te kuneroa – The future (What does the future hold for our sector? How can we support our communities to respond to climate change? How do we approach the continual shift to digital?)
- Kia whai wāhi te hapori kia whanake – Community engagement and transformation (Libraries work to promote community engagement and transformation. What are the innovations, strategies and actions we can take to ensure connectivity, community transformation and inter-generational activity and learning?)
Proposals can be for: Lightning talk (10 mins incl Q&A); Paper (30 mins incl Q&A); Panel (60 mins incl Q&A); Workshop (60 or 90 mins); Kōrero (30 or 60 mins: A less formal opportunity for people to come together to discuss an area of interest. Presented in person with the proposer facilitating the discussion.) or Other (Have a great idea for another presentation type? Tell us your idea)
More information at: https://www.lianza.org.nz/conference-2025/
Photo by Sheila Webber: tree against the dusk sky, February 2025

Bursary to attend LILAC

The Health Libraries Group (HLG) Committee is offering a bursary for a HLG member to attend the LILAC Conference (14-16 April 2025, in person in Cardiff, Wales). Closing date is 7 March 2025.
"The bursary covers the cost for a Full Conference (including networking and conference dinner) ticket (cost £435.00). Please note that the bursary does not include accommodation or travel. To submit your application for the bursary place, please complete the online application form. Applications should demonstrate why you would like to attend this specific conference and what benefits you would gain from attending; it should also show your interest in Health Libraries and Information."
Apply here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HLGbursary_LILAC2024

New media and Information Literacy toolkit from UNESCO

UNESCO just launched a publication aimed organisations supporting young people - Journey through the MILtiverse: media and information literacy toolkit for youth organizations.
It is partly quizzes and partly self-auditing questions, and starts by asking the leaders/staff in the organisation to identify their organisation's mission, definition of MIL etc. It is divided into "missions" concerning different aspacts of MIL.
"this toolkit is for all youth organizations seeking to make MIL a central part of their approach. It includes model policies and strategies, checklists, educational tips, and other resources needed to bring MIL to life within your organization."
It looks to me like something that would be well-suited to making into an online version, but I don't know whether they have that in mind.
Acero Pulgarin, S., Martinovic, M., González-Gil, N. & Santamaría Virviescas, A. (2024). Journey through the MILtiverse: media and information literacy toolkit for youth organizations. UNESCO https://doi.org/10.58338/APOC5995

Book: A Slow Approach to Visual Literacy

This book has three sections "Slow looking" "Slow creating" and "Slow using", and within each section there are lesson plans for novice, intermediate and advanced learners.
Statton Thompson, D. & Beene Statton, S. (2024). A Slow Approach to Visual Literacy in Higher Education: Lesson Plans for Critical Discernment. ALA. ISBN 979-8892555685. Information at https://alastore.ala.org/slowlearn
Photo by Sheila Webber: nice, slow potatoes, February 2025

Upcoming power hours: AI Search; AI tools; AI chatbots

- 21 March 2025, 12:00-13:00 GMT. AI search: the end of traditional search – a Power Hour with Phil Bradley. Book at https://tinyurl.com/2etnc45w "In this Power Hour, we’ll look at over a dozen cutting-edge AI search engines"
- 28 March 2025, 12:00-13:00 GMT. AI Tools for Information Professionals: supercharging your work – a Power Hour with Phil Bradley. Book at https://tinyurl.com/3em4wvxa
- 4 April 2025, 12:00-13:00 GMT. ChatGPT and the next wave of AI chatbots - a Power Hour with Phil Bradley. Book at https://tinyurl.com/7jzfejv3 "This session cuts through the hype, covering the latest tools, best practices, and hands-on strategies."
Online events. Tickets for each event cost £35. Delegates receive a recording of the Power Hour along with other relevant materials after the session.
Photo by Sheila Webber: Schefflera flowering for the first time in about 30 years, February 2025

Voices: European Festival of Journalism and Media Literacy

If you are able to drop everything and go to Zagreb, Croatia, (or if you live near Zagreb) from 27 February to March 1st, then you could attend the free conference, Voices. "We want to celebrate the pivotal roles journalism and the informed public play in societies while fostering critical thinking around disinformation." Lots of speakers and events.
The programme is here https://voicesfestival.eu/event-new/ and the homepage is here https://voicesfestival.eu/

Center for Information Literacy to be founded

Simmons University, USA, has received a $250,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to establish the Center for Information Literacy (CIL). Dr. Laura Saunders will be the CIL’s director and CIL is a collaboration between Simmons’ School of Library and Information Science (SLIS), The Gwen Ifill School of Media, Humanities and Social Sciences and the Simmons University Library.
"The CIL will focus on cultivating competencies related to locating, accessing, evaluating, and using information. " "The CIL’s agenda will include curriculum-building efforts, faculty professional development, and student-driven programming."
More information at https://www.simmons.edu/news/simmons-receives-mellon-grant-information-literacy

Pedagodzilla: the book

The Pedagodzilla podcast explains pedagogy via pop culture, and there is a book-of-the-podcast that is available free online (or priced for the print copy).
It includes chapters like How do spooky Muppets guide Scrooge through transformative learning? and How does Julie Andrews escape the Nazis with active learning?
Childs, M., Ferguson, R., Collins, M. & Ellis, E. (2024). Pedagodzilla: Exploring the Realm of Pedagogy.
Free OER version at https://www.pedagodzilla.com/the-book/

Webinar: The Four Futures of Digital Education

A free webinar from the Centre for Research in Digital Education, Edinburgh University on 20 March 2025 at 14.00-15.00 GMT (note that in the UK, the clocks don't change until 30 March): Killing Us Softly? The Four Futures of Digital Education. The speaker is Dr Ivana Milojevic, and the chair Professor Sian Bayne.
"This seminar explores four competing scenarios for digital education, drawing on futures thinking, critical pedagogy, and socio-technological imaginaries. These are: (1) Wild West Web: Corporate Digital Predation Disguised as Freedom, (2) Don’t Rock the Virtual Boat: Governmental Compliance Over Choice and Creativity, (3) The Spinning Wheel of User Death: Digitalisation for Incompetence and Laziness, and (4) Algorithms of Liberation: Digital Heterotopias and Participatory Futures."
More info and registration at https://www.de.ed.ac.uk/event/killing-us-softly-four-futures-digital-education?Image by Sheila Webber using Midjourney AI with prompt: Algorithms of Liberation: Digital Heterotopias and Participatory Futures

New articles: Intercultural Competencies; Library workshops; Signature pedagogies

The latest issue of portal: libraries and the academy (priced journal) is vol. 25 issue 1, 2025. Articles include:
- Incorporating Signature Pedagogies into Library Instruction Through Reflective Pedagogy by Karleigh Riesen (open access)
- If You Build It, They Will Get a Tote Bag: Reimagining a University Library's Workshops Through a Collaborative Incentive Program by Kelly Marie Blanchat, Tess Colwell, Jennifer Snow (open access)
- Integrating Intercultural Competencies in an Introductory Business Information Literacy Course by Annette Bochenek, Heather Howard, Zoeanna Mayhook (open access)
Go to https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/issue/54150
Photo by Sheila Webber: more snow crystals, January 2025

New book: Finding and using information

Bedford, David. (2025). Finding and Using Information: A guide for nursing, health and social care. Price: £16.99 ($25.49, €20.39). Published by Lantern Publishing. ISBN: 9781914962264.
The chapters are: 1. Seeking information – knowing what you’re looking for; 2 Locating information – tracking down sources; 3 Browsing information – understanding the web; 4 Selecting information – evaluating sources; 5 Navigating information – the anatomy of a research article; 6 Organising information – keeping track; 7 Acknowledging information – citing and referencing; 8 Sifting information – academic databases; 9 Scoping information – planning an advanced literature search; 10 Exploring information – doing an advanced literature search; 11 Sharing information – getting yourself known.
Go to https://lanternpublishing.com/product/finding-and-using-information/

NORDIS: AI Guide for teachers

NORDIS is the the Nordic Observatory for Digital Media and Information Disorder "an independent non-partisan multidisciplinary hub" and part of the European observatory EDMO. They have produced an AI Guide for Teachers which is available in English, Swedish and Finnish. Go to https://faktabaari.fi/edu/oppaat/
The website also includes a recording of the Digital Information Literacy Forum (Generative AI, media literacy and ethics – Navigating authenticity in learning), which they held in January 2025 - this is the page with programme and links

A happy bookish Valentine's day

1. Lonely book Club. An activity in the ACRL Information Literacy Framework sandbox from Sarah Hood (learners identify a book they think might be lonely, and then the task is to match the lonely book up with its ideal book pairing). https://sandbox.acrl.org/resources/lonely-book-club 

2. Blind dates with books seems a popular idea (you wrap the book up, so you can't see what the author or title are, and you may add some information about what type of book it is, and encourage people to go on a blind date with one of the books). See e.g. here or here (it's also a thing for those selling books e.g. here). 

3. Take your favourite book on a date (including making it a Valentine card) https://www.brockport.edu/live/news/6216-book-lovers-unite-at-a-book-lovers-valentines-day
Image created by Sheila Webber on Midjourney AI