New articles: infolit in music education; media literacy in the curriculum

Firstly, an article about information literacy education for music students.
Pratesi, A. & Yang, Z.(2023). User education. Notes, 80(1),73-81. https://doi.org/10.1353/not.2023.a905317 or open access at https://scholarship.depauw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=library_facpubs

Secondly, a frustrating article which claims to be a systematic review on the incorporation of "Media and Information Literacy" into the curriculum. However, there is a flaw in their search strategy, since whilst they searched for "Media Literacy" and "Media and Information Literacy" they did not search for "information literacy" meaning that they have missed out on a swathe of articles, and as a consequence do not include librarians as a specific stakeholder group engaged in MIL work (in fact it doesn't mention them once). Sigh.
On the up side, this article is open access and does provide international insight
Rojas-Estrada, EG., Aguaded, I. & García-Ruiz, R. (2023). Media and Information Literacy in the Prescribed Curriculum: A Systematic Review on its Integration. Education and Information Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12154-0
Photo by Sheila Webber: Willow tree memorial, Sheffield, September 2023

Teaching and Collecting Technical Standards: A Handbook for Librarians and Educators

A new book in the Purdue Information Literacy Handbooks series (from Purdue University in the USA) is
Leachman, C., Rowley, E.M., Phillips, M. & Solomon, D. (2023). Teaching and Collecting Technical Standards: A Handbook for Librarians and Educators. Purdue University.
It is open access at https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/pilh/5.
It Includes chapters relating to teaching and information literacy
Photo by Sheila Webber: more roses that became Friday's rosehips

Making your research stand out from the crowd

A half day course (10.00-13.00 UK time) on 16 November 2023 is Making your research stand out from the crowd using video, animation, infographics and podcasts. It's organised by the UKeiG and the cost is UKeiG/CILIP members £50 + VAT; Non-members £80 + VAT. Workshop leader is Andy Tattersall.
"This workshop will explore the benefits of video, animation, infographics and podcasts as a complement to short and long form communication techniques like Twitter and blogging. Video, animation, infographics and podcasts can broadcast your research and professional activities to a diverse international audience, showcasing and engaging in ways that traditional forms of scholarly communication cannot."
More details and booking at https://www.cilip.org.uk/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1772256&group=201314
Image created by Sheila Webber using Midjourney AI using the workshop title as a prompt

Peer-led information services

The latest issue of Reference Services Review (priced journal) is vol. 51 issue 2, 2023.This issue focuses on "peer led research" and includes
- Peer teachers taking the lead in classroom instruction: program creation and challenges faced by M. Sara Lowe, Sean M. Stone, Katharine V. Macy
- Peer reference, post reference desk: what is next? An interview with Allison Faix instruction coordinator and librarian at Coastal Carolina University
- Introducing peer-to-peer reference services in a community college library by Allison Scripa, Mary Ellen Spencer
- Better together: experiential learning in peer-led research services by Megan Graewingholt, Jonathan Cornforth, Sarah Parramore
Go to: https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/0090-7324/vol/51/iss/2
Photo by Sheila Webber: more rosehips, August 2023

Webinar: Navigating A World of Generative AI: Suggestions for Educators

There is a free Contact North|Contact Nord webinar: Navigating A World of Generative AI: Suggestions for Educators on 26 September 2023 11.00-12.00 US Eastern Time (which is, e.g. 16.00-17.00 UK time). Contact North is a Canadian education agency.
"Generative AI presents both opportunities and challenges for education. This webinar for educators aims to equip you with the insights and strategies needed to navigate this evolving landscape. We focus on instructional strategies to harness the benefits of AI while also nurturing the unique abilities of humans to tackle global challenges in the 21st century."
The presenters are Dr. Lydia Cao (Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, USA) and Professor Chris Dede (Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, USA)
Register at https://teachonline.ca/webinar/navigating-world-generative-ai-suggestions-educators
Photo by Sheila Webber: roses (photographed in May) that became yesterday's rosehips

Call for proposals: Inclusive Pedagogies in Practice: Implementing the Inclusive Pedagogy Toolkit

The ACRL Instruction Section Inclusive Pedagogy Committee seeks presenters for a webinar taking place on 8 November 2023 13.00-14.00 US Central time (which is, e.g. 19.00-200.00 UK time). The deadline for proposals (for 10 minute talks) is 29 September 2023. "We're planning to highlight the resources made available through the ACRL Inclusive Pedagogy Toolkit and elevate the work folks are doing around inclusive pedagogy in their libraries. In Spring 2023, we hosted a panel introducing the toolkit [the recording is here https://youtu.be/rZCkdAuCb6M?si=eypYjyjI0W-gtt1l], and now we want to learn about how librarians have implemented these resources. ... he purpose of these talks is to share practices and ideas about inclusive teaching, specifically focusing on library instruction and the Inclusive Pedagogy Toolkit. By sharing these practices, we aim to cultivate a community of educators committed to inclusion and equity."
Submit proposals through this Google form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfv0_hHLR5n8Rp4KN1JeviyMxljyxFouPTjwyGv06-mLrlXyw/viewform
Photo by Sheila Webber: rosehips, August 2023

Kenyan MIL competencies workshop

There is a short report on a UNESCO-supported Training-of-Trainers workshop in Kisumu. Kenya, in August 2023, aiming to "deepen participants' competencies on Media and Information Literacy to address disinformation and hate speech on digital platforms". This was part of the UNESCO EU Social Media for Peace initiative.
Go to https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/kenyan-coalition-members-trained-media-and-information-literacy-digital-peace-building
Photo by Sheila Webber: train (just seen) drawing up this morning, September 2023

Call for chapters - Sustainable Libraries Driving Education for Sustainable Development.

There is a call for chapters for a book Sustainable Libraries Driving Education for Sustainable Development. Proposals are due 1 October 2023. The volume will be published on behalf of IFLA’s Environment, Sustainability and Libraries Section by de Gruyter/Saur Publisher open access, in the IFLA Publications Series.
Potential topics include
- Libraries promotion of media literacy and ensuring access to reliable, quality information
- Digital transformation in libraries to support and enhance emerging information services, especially in the post-pandemic era
- Libraries providing neutral and welcoming spaces, to educate people to improve their lives where possible through equitable access to information that supports social, political, and economic inclusion
- Libraries to widely disseminate and promote information to guide and accelerate decision-making by local and national governments to combat poverty
More info at https://www.ifla.org/news/call-for-book-chapters-sustainable-libraries-as-partners-for-driving-sustainable-development-education-working-title/

Webinar/ Festschrift for Linda C. Smith

There is a free webinar celebrating the life of Linda C. Smith, tied with the Library Trends Festschrift on 28 September 2023 at 12.00-14.00 US Central Time (which is, for example, 18.00-20.00 UK time).There are 3 panels: 1. Teaching Panel: Linda as an Educator; 2. Research Panel: Linda as a Scholar: 3. Service Panel: Linda as a Leader.
More details at https://lindacsmith.web.illinois.edu/festschrift-symposium/

Photo by Sheila Webber: local view, June 2023

Call for proposals: Western Balkan Information and Media Literacy Conference

There is a call for proposals for the Western Balkan Information and Media Literacy Conference 2023, held together with the 12th International Summit of the Book 2023 7-8 December 2023 in Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina and online, with the theme Media and Information Literacy in the age of Artificial Intelligence. The website is at https://www.wbimlc.org/
Abstract Submission deadline is 23 October 2023. Topics are listed here: https://www.wbimlc.org/topics
Submissions in any of the following forms are accepted: Full paper to be published in conference proceedings; Presentation; Roundtable discussion; Poster session; Workshops; Symposia; PechaKucha

Information needs; Health information; Equity in instruction

The latest issue of priced publication Health Information and Libraries Journal 40(3) includes the following:
- College and university libraries and user responses to COVID-19 health information needs by Maria J. Grant,
- Promoting evidence-based practice and nursing excellence: How involvement in a Magnet4Europe® research study led to development of critically appraised topics sessions for health care staff by Beverley Jones and Claire O'Connor
- Information needs and sources of health professionals in Malawi by Limbani Chrispin Gama, Winner Dominic Chawinga, George Theodore Chipeta
- Identifying knowledge practices in an infodemic era: Rediscovering the professional identities of LIS professionals in an infodiverse environment (Open access article) by Joseph M. Yap, Agnes Hajdu Barat, Peter Kiszl
- Integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion principles into instruction: Case studies from the University of Florida's Health Science Center Libraries by Jane Morgan-Daniel, Hannah F. Norton, Mary Edwards, Lauren Adkins
Go to https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14711842/2023/40/3
Photo by Sheila Webber: petunia flowerbed, August 2023

#altc23

It will be worth following the https://twitter.com/hashtag/altc23?src=hashtag_click hashtag for the ALT Annual Conference "the UK’s foremost conference for Learning Technologists", but actually broader than that sounds, in addressing issues to do with technology and learning. The website is here https://altc.alt.ac.uk/2023/ and the detailed programme is here

L’histoire digitale et la recherche en communication

The French-language journal Communication has a special issue (volume 4, issue 1, 2023) reflecting on the history of digital communication, which includes information science and communication science perspectives. The issue is edited by Dominique Trudel, Olivier Le Deuff and Stefanie Averbeck-Lietz. https://journals.openedition.org/communication/
Image created by Sheila Webber using Midjourney AI using the title of this blog post as the prompt

Media and Information Literacy in Jordan

A review of Media and Information Literacy in Jordan has been released.
Al Muheisen, R. (Aug 18,2023). JMI study reveals state of information literacy in Jordan. Jordan Times. https://jordantimes.com/news/local/jmi-study-reveals-state-information-literacy-jordan
Unfortunately I couldn't find the report online, but here is a summary of the Jordan national plan.
Ministry of Culture, Jordan. Executive Summary on the National Plan to Disseminate Media and Information Literacy 2020-2023 https://erasmus-plus.org.jo/Portals/0/Media%20and%20Information%20Literacy%281%29.pdf
In it, Media and Information Literacy is defined as "the skills and competencies that enable individuals to access, analyze, evaluate and produce media wisely and ethically. As an essential life skill, MIL also builds an understanding of the role of media in society and develops critical thinking, a main pillar of 21st century education."
Also, this is the Jordan Media Institute's Media and Information Literacy Center https://www.jmi.edu.jo/en/mil-media-center
Photo by Sheila Webber: my hydrangea, August 2023

Call for proposals:Teaching beyond the curriculum

There is a call for proposals for an online conference with opportunities for publication. Teaching beyond the curriculum will be held 15-17 November 2023 and abstracts are due 5 October 2023. The organisers are Glasgow School of Art, United Kingdom; the University of Louisiana, United States; and Wenzhou-Kean University, China.
"The number of ways we have thought about education over time is vast. From Socrates to John Dewey, and Jean Piaget to Paulo Freire, our understanding of learning has evolved and morphed. The concepts and theories we manage range from learning for learning’s sake to vocational training; from a liberal arts education to on-the-job training; and from student centered learning to research informed teaching. ... 
"In considering the education sector as now operating ‘beyond the curriculum’, this conference examines how our teaching has morphed in recent years. Its premise is that we always have, and increasingly need to do more than ‘simply teach’.
"In teaching students to be ‘information literate’, we provide them with skills for life. In encouraging critical thinking, we help navigate a changed tomorrow. In focusing on transferable skills, we prepare them for complex futures. Through community engagement, we open students to socially conscious models of work. In the new tech-classroom, we do this by combining contemporary tools with established bodies of knowledge."
More info at https://amps-research.com/conference/teaching-2023/
Photo by Sheila Webber: Greenwich Park, August 2023

Creators in the Academic Library: Instruction and Outreach

A new book is: Watkins, A. & Kuglitsch, R.Z. (Eds.) (2023). Creators in the Academic Library: Instruction and Outreach. ACRL. US$72.00 (ALA members $64.80); ISBN 978-0-8389-3970-3
There are 17 chapters, including, for example:
- Creative Research and Digital Visual Literacy: Teaching Students to Search for Images Online
- Highlighting Engineers Diverse Information Sources Through Customized LibGuides For Engineering Design Courses
- Creating Information-Literate Musicians in the Academic Library
Information at https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/creators-academic-library-instruction-and-outreach
Photo by Sheila Webber: kingyo, August 2023

Webinar: Perspectives on Generative Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education

On 14 September 2023 at 08.45-10.00 UK time there is a free webinar Perspectives on Generative Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education: what do we know, what skills are required and how we can support students.It is organised by OneHE Mindsets Information Digital & Media Literacy thematic network. Speakers are Professors Helen Partridge and Phillip Dawson of Deakin University, Australia, and Dr. Allison Wylde of GCU London, UK.
"Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in Higher Education are moving beyond the deficit model towards investigating how we can support our staff and students develop the AI literacy they will need in their education, in the workplace and as citizens. In this panel event we will be discussing what we know about how our staff and students are using GenAI, what are the skills involved and the support needed to better enable our students to interrogate and co-create with these tools, how is AI likely to or already changing our learning design and how do we need our policies around academic integrity and assessment to adapt."
Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/perspectives-on-generative-artificial-intelligence-in-higher-education-tickets-699624474637
Photo by Sheila Webber flowerbed with coleus Greenwich Park August 2023

Research support training @ces43

Claire Sewell has generously made her training materials about research support available on open access. "The training materials on this site are aimed at educating academic librarians in areas such as Open Access, publishing and data management but could be adapted for use with the research community." Go to https://researchsupport.hcommons.org/
Photo by Sheila Webber, June 2023

Webinar: Critical Perspectives on Data Literacy: The Role of the Information Literacy Librarian

On 13 September 2023 at 10.00-11.00 CET (which is, e.g., 9.00-10.00 UK time), organised by IATUL SIG Information Literacy, there is a webinar Critical Perspectives on Data Literacy: The Role of the Information Literacy Librarian. The speakers are Dr Sharon Wagg (University of Sheffield Information School) and David Thomas (Durban Uni of Technology, South Africa) More details at https://www.iatul.org/special-interest-groups/sig-il-activities-and-projects.html together with a link to the webinar (no need to register)

LIS Pedagogy Chat -Library Instruction with “Nontraditional” Students

Today (25 August 2023) at 14.00 US Eastern time (which is 19.00 UK time) there is the first online LIS Pedagogy Chat of the new academic year. Library Instruction with “Nontraditional” Students, led by Amy Spitz (College of Southern Maryland, USA) and Grace Therrell (University of Tennessee, USA)
"Students pursuing higher education have a wide range of skills, knowledge, and lived experiences. In this session, Amy and Grace will facilitate discussion on how we can best work with what are often called “nontraditional” students. “Nontraditional” students include adult students who are outside of the typical 18-24 age range coming straight from high school, but this term also can refer to students who have caregiver responsibilities, first-generation students, or returning students. We’ll unpack (and problematize) this term, talk about our instruction experiences, and explore how we can best meet the learning needs of students who bring a variety of lived experiences, knowledge, and preferences."
Register at https://www.lispedagogychat.org/schedule-registration
"LIS Pedagogy Chat is a community of practice for faculty and practitioners who teach in library and information science." The archive for LIS Pedagogy sessions is here https://www.lispedagogychat.org/archive
Photo by Sheila Webber: hydrangea, July 2023

US faculty teaching preferences

EDUCAUSE has just published 2023 Faculty and Technology Report: A First Look at Teaching Preferences since the Pandemic, based on a survey of 982 higher education academics in the USA. The greatest preference is still for face to face on campus teaching. Go to https://www.educause.edu/ecar/research-publications/2023/faculty-and-technology-report-a-first-look-at-teaching-preferences-since-the-pandemic/introduction-and-key-findings

Valuable consultation survey on Universal Access to Reliable Healthcare Information

There is a survey on Universal Access to Reliable Healthcare Information, run by HIFA (Healthcare Information For All) "a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information" (if you are engaged in this area, do sign up to join, it is a valuable forum). The survey is run in association with the World Health Organization. The survey is for those involved in health information in any way - one of the self identification options is "I help people to find healthcare evidence (e.g. library and information professional)" - so do fill it in and publicise it.
The survey is here https://fsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eeWw52ROqAZI1V4  https://www.hifa.org/news/hifa-global-stakeholders-consultation-launch-event-21st-august
This is the HIFA website where you can find out more https://www.hifa.org/ and The Scholarly Kitchen has interviewed Neil Pakenham-Walsh (HIFA coordinator) to mark the launch of the survey https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2023/08/21/universal-access-to-reliable-healthcare-information-an-interview-with-neil-pakenham-walsh-of-hifa/

#Chatbot Arena

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, USA, are running Chatbot arena. You type your prompt into 2 search boxes, and it runs them against 2 different chatbots. Afterwards it shows the results from the 2 chatbots, asks you to say which results you think are best and tells you which chatbots they were. The chatbots include ChatGPT-3.5, ChatGPT-4, Claude-v1 and numerous open source chatbots. Interesting to see the results from 2 chatbots, and also to see what chatbots are available. The arena is at  https://chat.lmsys.org/?arena and the chatboard leaderboard at https://huggingface.co/spaces/lmsys/chatbot-arena-leaderboard. You sometimes have to reload to get access.
Image created by Sheila Webber with Midjourney AI, using prompt: battle arena, cute, fighting chatbots --ar 16:9

NATO Media Literacy Resilience Webinar Series

There was a series of recorded webinars (about an hour each) organised by the Centre for Media Literacy (USA) and NATO "exploring Resilience through Media Literacy, to help create a dialogue between NATO personnel, and media literacy researchers and practitioners." The videos are:
- Propaganda: Media Literacy's Role in Resilience
- News Literacy: Empowering Global Citizens in a New Information Era
- Mental Health and Social Media: Wellness Strategies from the Schoolroom to the Armed Forces
- Pandemics: Health, Hopes, and Hoaxes
- Education Systems & Media Literacy Building: Foundational skills for democracies now and the future
- NATO Delegations & Media Literacy in Governments: Leading the Way for More Resilient Global Citizens
The channel for them is here https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL25yT8rDU4buJhIMGZz0pMSQUAamM3dCR
Photo by Sheila Webber: plums and cherries at the farmers market, July 2023

LiLi conference recordings and notes

Recordings and useful notes from the sessions at the 2023 10th Annual LILi (Lifelong Information Literacy) Conference held on 27-28 July 2023 are available (thanks to Esther Grassian for the alert).
The recordings are on the conference website https://lili.libguides.com/lili2023/ (one per half-day)
- 27 July https://youtu.be/dxNLc1KmgPg
- 28 July https://youtu.be/G7sV_c3Kacc
Google Shared Notes documents which were open to attendees during the conference for editing;
- 27 July https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ORAmBEszrldeDM0lS3UbWSQlG9uyuyXXXAxhiFXTNmQ/edit?usp=sharing
- 28 July https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VZoVtgbmgx_WMSPuTd1DYL1UXrzIQsw23C8JIWrxKHE/edit?usp=sharing

New articles: IL in legal workplace; Self-efficacy; Supporting health literacy; IL discourse

The latest issue of priced publication Journal of Librarianship and Information Science (vol 55 issue 2 2023) includes the following
- Reaching into the basket of doom: Learning outcomes, discourse and information literacy by Alison Hicks and Annemaree Lloyd (Open access)
- Information literacy in the legal workplace: Current state of lawyers’ skills in Pakistan by Muhammad Asif Naveed and Naveed Abbas Shah
- Information literacy self-efficacy versus performance: Secondary students by Jen R. Spisak
- Starting from ‘scratch’: Building young people’s digital skills through a coding club collaboration with rural public libraries by Wayne Kelly, Brian McGrath, Danielle Hubbard (Open access)
- Librarians’ support in improving health literacy: A systematic literature review by Evgenia Vassilakaki and Valentini Moniarou-Papaconstaninou
Go to https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/lisb/55/2

Photo by Sheila Webber: Bees on lavender, July 2023

Call for proposals: Handbook of Research on Information Literacy in Academic Libraries

There is a call for chapter proposals for a book to be published by IGI: Handbook of Research on Information Literacy in Academic Libraries, edited by Sabelo Chizwina and Mathew Moyo. Proposals are due by 14 September 2023.
More details at https://www.igi-global.com/publish/call-for-papers/call-details/6687
Manuscript formatting and submission guidelines are at http://www.igi-global.com/publish/contributor-resources/before-you-write/
Photo by Sheila Webber: My hydrangea, August 2023

School Librarians and AI - a Power Hour

There is an online training session featuring expert Phil Bradley on 25 August 2023: School Librarians and AI - a Power Hour. Cost is £35.
"This Power Hour will attempt to sort the facts from the fiction. You’ll learn how to use ChatGPT (and its competitors Claude and Bard) effectively and gain an understanding of prompt engineering and ChatGPT plugins. Phil will demonstrate some of the AI search tools that are appearing and discuss how internet search is changing. You’ll also have the opportunity to take a look at some of the other tools in the AI world, which will enhance your creativity, and make your working lives easier. You’ll see tools that will help create written content, presentations, avatars, videos, images and more, and get a clear idea of how best to use them. At the end of the hour delegates will have gained a good overview of how AI can be used in school libraries, how it’s evolving and lists of tools that can be used to supplement and assist you in your workplace activities. It’s a perfect short cut to get you on top of AI quickly and effectively. The session will be recorded, and you will have access to it for three months."
Book at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/school-librarians-and-ai-a-power-hour-tickets-681485400177

Image created in haste by Sheila Webber with Midjourney AI. Prompt was AI, librarians, power, Phil Bradley --ar 16:9 - I tried "schools" instead of "librarians" and that was just creepy, with "librarians" it's difficult to get away from books (but I thought that was better than creepy children), and I added "cute" to get away from sinister, vast book lined spaces that are about to swallow you whole. At least this looks vaguely jolly-wizard-school

Call for proposals: Spring Forward

The USA intiative Forward Libraries is organising an online Spring Forward Conferencein March 2024. Submit ideas by 29 September 2023. They are calling for proposals for "synchronous, interactive sessions like lightning talks, panels, roundtable discussions, or skill-building workshops; asynchronous content like podcasts, recorded videos, articles, and more; social/networking opportunities like virtual happy hours, crafting circles, work-with-me sessions, other fun and collaborative activities"
"We know the past few years have been a time of difficult change, but challenging times can lead to reimagined and reinvented library services, partnerships, and spaces. So we want to know: What’s changed for the better at your library? What new things did you try that took root? What old initiatives needed pruning before they could blossom?"
Example topics include: Advocacy and Fighting Book Bans; AI in Libraries; Assessment; Cataloging; Collection Development; DEIA in Libraries; Engagement and Outreach; Instruction and Research Help; Hiring and Job Searching; LIS Education and Professional Development; OER and Open Pedagogy.
More details at https://www.forwardlibraries.org/initiatives/conference
Photo by Sheila Webber: textile summer pole in the breeze, June 2023, Gothenburg

Hexagonal thinking

This is an interesting technique to stimulate discussion and learners' abilities to reflect and construct an argument. It is explained in the post Hexagonal Thinking: A Colorful Tool for Discussion (11 September 2020) by Betsy Potash.
You give people a list of words (names, concepts etc. that you think are associated with the topic you are teaching) and learners get into groups and place them on hexagons, arranging them so that they feel they are connected meaningfully together. If you are using physical hexagons, you can give people a pile of hexagons with the words written on them, if it's digital you can have the hexagons blank, and you have to put the terms onto the hexagons. Finally, learners highlight a few of the connections and write an explanation explaining each of those connections. Potash's post explains this clearly, with examples, and there is also a podcast at the top of the page.
For an information literacy class you could take it further and ask the learners also to find references that show the connections between the terms. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/hexagonal-thinking/
You can get her Google Slides deck which includes a template you could use at https://nowsparkcreativity.com/free-hexagonal-thinking-digital-toolkit and the image shows a quick example I threw together - the task for the learners is to move the hexagons and place the terms in meaningful relationship onthe hexagons. You have to give your email and agree to subscribe before you get the slides - this does mean you then get automated emails from Potash, but they are at least about educational ideas, and you can of course unsubscribe.

Information Literacy in Malaysia, China, USA

The IFLA Information Literacy Section newsletter, Summer 2023, is published. It contains four articles:
- The Action Plan on Improving Digital Literacy and Skills of the Whole People in China: To Build a Digital Inclusion Society by Qiong Tang and Yufan Wu
- NILA: Malaysia’s National Information Literacy Agenda by Nor Edzan Che Nasir
- Information Literacy at an Independent High School by Sarah Hernandez (USA)
- A Visual Arts Competition to Celebrate and Share Undergraduate Research by Merinda Kaye Hensley (USA)
Go to https://repository.ifla.org/handle/123456789/2662

Nasir provides the definitions agreed for Information Literacy and an information literate individual in Malaysia
"Information literacy is the ability that empowers individuals to identify, evaluate, manage, create and disseminate the needed information in various mediums and formats ethically to support lifelong learning."
"An information literate individual has the ability to:
i. Identify information for current needs
ii. Build an effective and efficient information searching strategy
iii. Evaluate critically the information obtained in order to retrieve quality information
iv. Manage information in various mediums and formats systematically
v. Use information ethically by understanding the issues related to the use of the information
vi. Create new knowledge based on the information obtained to support lifelong learning
vii .Disseminate and share information responsibly with other individuals and the civil society through various mediums and formats
Image created by Sheila Webber with Midjourney AI, July 2023

Call for chapters: Teaching the Whole Student: Compassionate Instruction in the Academic Library

There is a call for chapters for a book to be published by ACRL and edited by Elena Rodriguez: Teaching the Whole Student: Compassionate Instruction in the Academic Library. Deadline for proposals is 15 September 2023.
"Compassionate instruction ... creates space in the classroom for the “whole student” to be seen and supported. It encourages their success and well-being by taking into consideration that there are both known and unknown challenges that affect and impact their ability to succeed, and it helps remove barriers, so students do not face challenges in a silo." The call for proposals is here https://docs.google.com/document/d/1N9vX1iJqbzqnkYomGifTEC826VcPYQLzBwU1snfTtnk/edit

Image created by Sheila Webber on the AI image generator Midjourney, using the book title as a prompt. This was the one that most prominently featured a human being: all the generated images had rows of books stretching to infinity, and most didn't have any humans at all. This may mean that academic librares need to stop putting photos of bookshelves on their websites, if they want to change their image.

Making lifelong learning a reality: a handbook

I don't think I covered this 2022 UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning publication Making lifelong learning a reality: a handbook  https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000381857 (this is the English version, it also links to the French and Spanish versions).
It starts by defining LLL and explaining why it is important (including its relevance to Sustainable Development Goals) and then has chapters on creating LLL policy, implementing a LLL strategy and finally an example of LLL implemented at city level.
Since one of the UNESCO declarations has declared that information literacy is part of "the basic human right of lifelong learning" I think this handbook is relevant to IL. However, frustratingly, the term information literacy" is (from a quick search) only used once, in passing.
Nevertheless, examples are given where IL is relevant e.g. the example of knowledge sharing - "Lifelong learning villages in Mali" (p96). Certainly the statement at the start of the book seems to me intertwined with IL: "Lifelong learning is rooted in the integration of learning and living, covering learning activities for people of all ages, in all life-wide contexts and through a variety of modalities that, together, meet a range of learning needs and demands." (p17).
Photo by Sheila Webber: tree that thinks it's a sculpture, Gothenburg, June 2023

Artificial Intelligence and Librarianship

A new open access book published with a Creative Commons license is:
Frické, F. (2023). Artificial Intelligence and Librarianship. SoftOption Ltd. ISBN 978-0-473-68682-6 https://softoption.us/AIandLibrarianship or https://oercommons.org/courses/artificial-intelligence-and-librarianship 

I just had a quick scan and this book (aimed at people like me who teach librarians) seems very readable, starting with basics of ontologies and what Deep Learning, Machine Learning etc. involve, and ending by covering ways in which librarians can incorporate AI into many aspects of practice - Chapter 11 is Librarians as Educators which includes information literacy. There is a Word version you can download, for those who want to use just one chapter or incorporate it.
Photo by Sheila Webber: park, Gothenburg, June 2023

New articles: Source evaluation; First years; Asia

Faix, A. & Daniels, T. (2023). Teaching SIFT for Source Evaluation in Asynchronous One-Credit Information Literacy Courses. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 23(3), 449-459. http://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2023.a901563. [this journal is a priced publication]
- Roth, A., Goldman, C., Amorao, A.S., & Turnbow, D. (2023). Breaking the Ice: Introducing First-Year Writing Students to “Scholarship as Conversation”. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 23(3), 571-591. http://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2023.a901568
- Ashiq, M., Adil, H.M., & Batool, S.H. (2023). Information Literacy Research in Asia: A Bibliometric Analysis. portal: Libraries and the Academy 23(3), 593-619. http://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2023.a901569
"From the Scopus database, the study’s authors extracted bibliographic data on IL from Asian countries. The findings revealed that 20 of 48 countries in Asia produced no publications on the topic. The last few years, however, have seen remarkable growth in Asian IL literature."
Photo by Sheila Webber: squirrel in the botanic gardens, July 2023

Posters from #LILi2023

Posters from the 2023 LILi (Lifelong Information Literacy) Conference, held in July 2023, are available at https://lili.libguides.com/lili2023/posters, including Lost in Translation: Forgotten Librarians and AI Literacy Development; TILTing the Library's Online Tutorials; and Integrating Information Literacy Into The First Year Experience . All have abstracts, and the "posters" are in various formats, including videos, ThingLink (and image with embedded text and an embedded video), slides.
There are also links to slides from some conference sessions at https://lili.libguides.com/lili2023/schedule Thanks to Esther Grassian for the link.
Photo by Sheila Webber: mixed hydrangeas, July 2023

Library Information and Knowledge practitioner’s experiences of research: survey

The UK's Library and Information Research Group (LIRG) is undertaking a project to "gain a baseline understanding of Library, Information and Knowledge (LIK) practitioners’ experiences, skills and confidence of taking part in research." There is a questionnaire (closing 8 September 2023) and follow-up interviews for those who are interested. LIK practitioners from any country can respond. "The findings of this research will help identify training needs and other interventions that could be used to encourage research and ensure that key values are embedded in library, information and knowledge practice." More information and the survey link at https://www.cilip.org.uk/members/group_content_view.asp?group=201305&id=692056
Photo by Sheila Webber: hydrangea by a pathway, July 2023

Countering vaccine misinformation

A useful summary of a review article is:
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). (2023). How to tackle vaccine misinformation: what works and what doesn’t?  https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/alert/how-to-tackle-vaccine-misinformation-what-works-and-what-doesnt/
This is a summary of
Whitehead, H.S. et al. (2023). A systematic review of communication interventions for countering vaccine misinformation. Vaccine, 41, 1018–1034. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X22015936
Thanks to Pam McKinney for the link.
Photo by Sheila Webber: the cherries the birds didn't get, June 2023

A spot of something

Drucker, J. (2023, 27 July). Why did Elon rebrand Twitter as ‘X’? The mystery. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/07/27/elon-musk-twitter-x-meaning/ - an examination of the meanings and associations of the letter X.

Montague-Hellen, B. (2023, 25 July). Will you need to be a librarian to find the new Twitter in Google? https://www.cilip.org.uk/news/646705/Will-you-need-to-be-a-librarian-to-find-the-new-twitter-in-google.htm- pointing out how the Twitter rebrand makes the product a lot less findable
Image by Sheila Webber with Midjourney AI

New articles: BRAID model to share accurate information; misinformation; ChatGPT as medical chatbot

Stephenson-Hunter, C., Yusuf, Y., Larson, R., Campanella, J. & Gutnick D. (2023). What matters to us: Bridging research and accurate information through dialogue (BRAID) to build community trust and cultivate vaccine confidence. Preventive Medicine Reports, 102253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102253
"The findings highlight the influence of factors, such as health communication, on trust (or lack thereof) and vaccine intention. They also reinforce that creating safe spaces for dialogue and listening and responding to community concerns in real time are effective trust-building strategies. The BRAID model fostered open discussion about the factors that influence vaccine uptake and empowered participants to share accurate information with their community. Our experience suggests that the model can be adapted to address many public health issues."

Yamaguchi, S. and Tanihara, T. (2023). Relationship between misinformation spreading behaviour and true/false judgments and literacy: an empirical analysis of COVID-19 vaccine and political misinformation in Japan. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication [early online publication]. https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-12-2022-0287 

Chow, J. C. L., Sanders, L., & Li, K. (2023). Impact of ChatGPT on medical chatbots as a disruptive technology. Frontiers in artificial intelligence, 6, 1166014. https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2023.1166014 "As researchers studying the design and creation of medical chatbots, we expect that ChatGPT will be able to evolve into a reliable and practical medical chatbot. Here, we would like to explore some obstacles to the achievement of this goal and potential solutions to them, by considering ChatGPT as a disruptive technology."
Photo by Sheila Webber: First cherries, last gooseberies, June 2023

Call for contributions #DLFteach Toolkit: Critical Digital Literacy

The DLF Digital Library Pedagogy group https://wiki.diglib.org/Pedagogy invites contributions to Volume 4 of the #DLFteach Toolkit which has the theme Critical Digital Literacy. The existing toolkits are at https://dlfteach.pubpub.org/dlfteach-toolkits "an open access resource providing peer-reviewed lesson plans and concrete instructional strategies." Proposals are due by 8 September 8 2023.
"Volume 4 of the #DLFteach Toolkit will be a resource for information professionals and faculty partners who wish to engage critical digital literacy concepts in their teaching. It will include adaptable lesson plans and learning objects that help learners develop the skills necessary to consume and create information in a digital landscape, as well as the habits of mind necessary to understand and critique information systems and their underlying power structures. By encouraging both skills-based outcomes and contextual thinking, Volume 4 of the Toolkit will make learners aware of the inequities and structural biases of many digital tools, and help them enact alternative approaches."
More info at https://dlfteach.pubpub.org/dlfteach-toolkit-4-cfp
Volume 1 of the toolkit is Lesson Plans for Digital Library Instruction; Volume 2 is Lesson Plans on Immersive Pedagogy; Volume 3 is Lesson Plans for Literacy and Competency Driven Digital Scholarship Instruction
Photo by Sheila Webber: white hydrangea, July 2023

New book: Critical Librarianship and Pedagogy Symposium

ACRL has published a new book
Mery, Y. & Sanchez, A. (Eds) (2023). The Critical Librarianship and Pedagogy Symposium: Reflections, Revisions, and New Work. ACRL. US $65.00, ALA Members US $58.50. ISBN 978-0-8389-3952-9.
It "collects expanded and updated presentations given at the Critical Librarianship and Pedagogy Symposium (CLAPS)". The sections are: Part I: Critical Pedagogies in the Classroom; Part II: Feminist Library Practices; Part III: The Labor of Librarianship; Part IV: Practices of Care; Part V: Community Archives
More details at: https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/critical-librarianship-and-pedagogy-symposium-reflections-revisions-and-new-work
Photo by Sheila Webber: hydrangea, July 2023

Call for proposals: LOEX fall focus conference

USA's LOEX is holding an online-only Fall Focus conference. The conference will be held on 2-3 days, either 8-10 November 8-10 or 13-15 November (date to be finalised in September). It is "an information literacy and library instruction conference focused on: (1) Welcoming and Engaging Students New to Your Institution and (2) Building and Sustaining a Supportive Professional Community at Your Library"
"We chose these two topic areas as we believe both are relevant to where we are at now: students are entering college or transitioning to new institutions having experienced a level of disruption & transformation that exceeds anything in living memory and thus need additional assistance & revised programming to make sure their first year at their new institution are worthwhile and fruitful. But it's not just about students—everyone has been through a lot and librarians are no exception; so how are we supporting ourselves and our colleagues to make sure we are not just surviving but thriving? We invite you to submit a proposal on either of these focuses."
You can propose a 50 minute presentation or a 7 minute lightning talk. Deadline for proposals is 31 August 2023.
More details at https://loexfallfocus.org/proposals/
Photo by Sheila Webber: rose garden pavilion, June 2023

Using comics for information literacy; Identity development

One new article & one interesting blog post from last year.
Paterson, S. & White Gamtso. (2023). Interrogating representations of transgressive women: Using critical information literacy and comic books in the Shakespeare classroom. Art Libraries Journal, 48(3), 80 - 89 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/art-libraries-journal/article/interrogating-representations-of-transgressive-women-using-critical-information-literacy-and-comic-books-in-the-shakespeare-classroom/302B8477C3ACC663B943AB7C7BA83E1E 

librarianjsmith. (2022, 9 July). Information Literacy as a Form of Identity Development. [blog post] PALA Pennsylvania Library Association's College & Research Division https://crdpala.org/2022/07/09/information-literacy-as-a-form-of-identity-development/
Image by Sheila Webber using Midjourney AI, prompt was: shakespeare, midsummer nights dream, in the style of Lotte Reiniger --ar 9:4

#ImALifelongLearner

There is a new campaign launched by UNESCO, for people to declare themselves lifelong learners. Since in the past UNESCO has declared information literacy as part of the human right of lifelong learning, this is obviously something I support! Also it is good to have a reminder that learning isn't just about young people. This is where you can post your photo plus slogan online https://app.cheerity.com/yIXP5zvYx/main and this is the press release on UNESCO's Lifelong Learning website https://www.uil.unesco.org/en/right-education-covers-all-ages and this is a link to my statement https://app.cheerity.com/yIXP5zvYx/main/p/_bPCB1GMT

Call for Chapters: Teaching Information Literacy in Political Science, Public Affairs, and International Studies

There is a call for chapters for a book to be published by ACRL: Teaching Information Literacy in Political Science, Public Affairs, and International Studies (TILPSPAIS). The chapter proposals are due by 25 August 25 2023. Editors are Rachel Olsen and Kimberly MacVaugh.
"Liaison librarians to political science, public affairs, international studies, and related fields face special challenges in adapting traditional information literacy practices to the dynamic topics and unique resources of their disciplines. Gray literature, government data, policy documents, social media, and more must be addressed alongside conventional scholarly publications. The interdisciplinary nature of politics, policy, and international studies courses offers many opportunities for active and applied learning but also requires additional considerations for locating and evaluating information."
More detail at http://librarywriting.blogspot.com/2023/06/call-for-chapters-teaching-information.html
Photo by Sheila Webber: yellow roses with dark stamens, June 2023

Book: Instructional Identities and Information Literacy

A book has been published in 3 volumes:
Hess, A.N. (Ed) (2023). Instructional Identities and Information Literacy. ACRL. (3-Volume Set: Transforming Ourselves; Transforming Our Programs, Institutions, and Profession; Transforming Student Learning, Information Seeking, and Experiences) Cost: US $160.00; or US $144 to ALA members. 978-0-8389-3968-0
More information at https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/instructional-identities-and-information-literacy-3-volume-set including list of chapters and authors.
This is an article from 2020 by the editor (Hess) on the same topic https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/comminfolit/vol14/iss2/1/
Photo by Sheila Webber: Hydrangeas, July 2023

Online courses: designing a credit course; misinformation

Upcoming online courses from Library Juice Academy in August 2023 include:
- Developing a Credit-Bearing Information Literacy Course. Runs 7 August - 3 September 2023. Leader is Jessica Critten, cost is US$200.00. "This class will focus on designing (or redesigning) a semester-long information literacy course, but it may also provide insight that could be useful in integrating information literacy into existing disciplinary and general education courses." https://libraryjuiceacademy.com/shop/course/125-developing-credit-bearing-information-literacy-course/
- Addressing Misinformation in Libraries: Resources and Strategies. Runs 7 August - 3 September 2023. Leader is Sarah Morris, cost is US$200. "This course introduces librarians to the topic of misinformation and provides them with resources, definitions, approaches, and strategies they can employ in their institutions to address the topic of misinformation with patrons." https://libraryjuiceacademy.com/shop/course/190-addressing-misinformation-in-libraries/

Photo by Sheila Webber: Hydrangea, July 2023

Global Media and Information Literacy Youth Hackathon #MILClicks

The Fifth Global Media and Information Literacy Youth Hackathon is now open for registration. The theme is: Youth powering media and information literacy in digital spaces. This is in conjunction with the Global Media and Information Literacy week main conference (to be held in Jordan, 23-25 October 2023). "The participating teams will design innovative and creative solutions to one of the following three challenges:
- Promoting Media and Information Literacy in Digital Spaces
- Youth Championing Media and Information Literacy in Cities
- Integrating Media and Information Literacy in Youth Organizations to tackle potentially harmful content online, including disinformation and hate speech
The solution categories are: Games; Applications/Websites; Radio programmes/Podcasts; Creative community-based interventions (non-technology focused); other
The hackathon is open to all youth: no previous computer science or coding background is required. All registered participants will be provided with mentoring and online resources on MIL and coding. The winning team will gain the opportunity to present their project during the Global MIL Week 2023 in Jordan: airfare and hotel expenses will be covered for the winners.
More information at https://www.unesco.org/en/media-information-literacy-week/fifth-youth-hackathon

#FOSIL podcast

Elizabeth Hutchinson's podcast Engaging and Empowering school librarians is aiming to have regular talks about FOSIL ((Framework Of Skills for Inquiry Learning) "We hope to help you engage with the content on the FOSIL Group Website, introduce you to people who are using FOSIL in schools and most of all just have a conversation about the role of school librarians within education". The first of these, with Darryl Toerien (originator of FOSIL) was on 3 June 2023 https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-45vgn-1424a47
Photo by Sheila Webber: fountain wall in the rose garden, Gothenburg, June 2023