ACRL Science Technology Section's virtual idea exchange

The ACRL Science Technology Section's Information Literacy Committee has organised a free virtual idea exchange. It is on 24 April 2023 at 15.00 US Central Time (which is, e.g., 21.00 UK time). "This session will focus on how to use the ACRL Framework Companion Document for STEM https://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/standards/Framework_Companion_STEM.pdf and will provide opportunities for participants to drop into different break out rooms based on each Frame to exchange ideas. No need to have attended previous sessions in order to participate." You must register at https://uncw.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMuf--przstGdOC31GKzUoEM9hEfAgHBYO5#/registration
Photo by Sheila Webber: sunbeam and cherry blossom, April 2023

Alternative search engines

A short article highlights"new search engines like Brave Search, Neeva and You.com" and how they differ from Google et. al.
Lewandowski, D. (2023, 7 March). Search engines that give users control over their results. https://www.infotoday.eu/Articles/Editorial/Featured-Articles/Search-engines-that-give-users-control-over-their-results-157358.aspx
Photo by Sheila Webber: Greenwich Park, April 2023

New articles about health literacy

The priced journal Health Information and Libraries Journal (vol. 40 issue 1, 2023) has a special issue on health literacy:
- Health literacy and consumer health information by Maria J. Grant PhD (Editorial; Open access)
- Patient education information material assessment criteria: A scoping review by Khadijeh Ahmadzadeh MSc, Masoud Bahrami PhD, Firoozeh Zare-Farashbandi PhD, Payman Adibi Md-PhD, Mohammad Ali Boroumand MSc, Alireza Rahimi PhD
- A survey of health information seeking by cancer patients indicates some problems over medical explanations and terminology by Mahmut Akbolat PhD, Mustafa Amarat PhD, Özgün Ünal PhD, Gülcan Şantaş PhD - Information seeking behaviour differences indicate which US population groups lack information about human papilloma virus and associated cancer risks by Bahareh Ansari MBA
- Caregivers of children feel confident about using the Internet for health information by Emma Delemere M.sc, Rebecca Maguire PhD CPsychol
- Study of health information needs among adolescents in Croatia shows distinct gender differences in information seeking behaviour by Ivana Martinović PhD, Sung Un Kim PhD, Snježana Stanarević Katavić PhD
- Few changes shown in cancer information-seeking behaviour among young adults in China between 2012 and 2017 by Shaohai Jiang PhD, Piper Liping Liu PhD
- The prevalence of low health literacy in undergraduate students in Pakistan by Aziz-ur Rehman PhD, Salman Bin Naeem PhD, Anthony Faiola PhD
Go to https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14711842/2023/40/1
Photo by Sheila Webber: Cherry blossom, April 2023

Library Instruction Together @LibInstruct

The conference Library Instruction Together (LIT) 2023 is being held in two parts. There is a virtual conference on 24 May 2023 and an in-person conference on 19 May 2023 in Nashville (Tn.), USA. Both parts are free but registration is required for each.
"The sessions reflect this year's theme, Better Together. This theme reflects the restructuring of LIT to reflect its growth from a small, regional conference named Library Instruction Tennessee to one that was renamed Library Instruction Together this year in recognition of its expanded reach to librarians from all over."
- Registration form for the virtual event, May 24, 2023 https://www.tnla.org/events/register.aspx?id=1738917&itemid=31ca0bd3-5876-40e2-b954-5851e12522d4 and this is the programme https://libraryinstructiontn.files.wordpress.com/2023/04/lit-virtual-conference-program-2023-1.pdf
- Registration form for the in-person event, May 19, 2023 is here and the programme is here ·

Call for proposals: Let’s Work Together to Develop Critical Thinkers in the ChatGPT Era

There is a cfp from the IFLA Information Literacy Section (ILS): this is for a session at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress (WLIC) in Rotterdam, Netherlands, August 21-25, 2023 (so you have to be a delegate at the conference to present). The theme is Let’s Work Together to Develop Critical Thinkers in the ChatGPT Era. The deadline for proposals is 1 May 2023. Presentations will be 10 minutes, with a 10-minute Q&A.
"As we continue to move into a more digital age, it is becoming increasingly important to develop critical thinking skills to navigate the vast amount of information available. Libraries should be working together to 1) develop policies, lesson plans and strategies while embracing ChatGPT and related AI technologies; 2) address issues and concerns about the use of AI in libraries through critical lenses; 3) prepare learners for a sustainable future.
"ChatGPT can be a powerful tool for teaching and developing information literacy skills, but it can also be a source of misinformation. It is important for users of ChatGPT to be aware of its limitations and to critically evaluate the information it provides. We are looking for innovative and practical solutions that can equip individuals with the necessary skills to navigate and evaluate information in an era where machine-generated content is ubiquitous.
"Possible sub-themes may include, but are not limited to:
- policies, best practices, and issues with including AI in academia and library information literacy instruction
- strategies to develop critical thinkers collectively in the ChatGPT era
- research on combatting misinformation and disinformation in media, including machine-generated content
- best practice in using ChatGPT and other AI technologies and the ethical implications of using them.
There is full information about how to submit a 500 wotrd abstract at https://www.ifla.org/news/information-literacy-section-call-for-papers-lets-work-together-to-develop-critical-thinkers-in-the-chatgpt-era/
Photo by Sheila Webber: flowerbed, Greenwich Park, April 2023

Generative #AI and search: two articles

Firstly, an article by Phil Bradley on AI and search engines, with some tips on how you can use one on the other, and how AI will be a "Google evolver":
Bradley, P. (2023) The Future of Search Is Intelligent. Computers in Libraries, 43(3). https://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/apr23/Bradley--The-Future-of-Search-Is-Intelligent.shtml

Secondly, some interesting insights from:
Chiang, T. (2023, 9 February). ChatGPT is a blurry jpeg of the web. The New Yorker, https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/chatgpt-is-a-blurry-jpeg-of-the-web. (n.b. you only get a limited number of stories free, so whether you can access all of this will depend on how many New Yorker articles you accessed previously)
Some quotes (in which I take the Google rather than the ChatGPT approach - you have to guess whether I understood the quotes or not!) "The fact that ChatGPT rephrases material from the Web instead of quoting it word for word makes it seem like a student expressing ideas in her own words, rather than simply regurgitating what she’s read; it creates the illusion that ChatGPT understands the material. In human students, rote memorization isn’t an indicator of genuine learning, so ChatGPT’s inability to produce exact quotes from Web pages is precisely what makes us think that it has learned something."
[having identified that ChatGPT is good at generating filler "content"] "I’d say that anything that’s good for content mills is not good for people searching for information. The rise of this type of repackaging is what makes it harder for us to find what we’re looking for online right now; the more that text generated by large language models gets published on the Web, the more the Web becomes a blurrier version of itself."
Photo by Sheila Webber: fallen cherry blossom, April 2023

Chatting Info Lit podcast @infolitgroup

The Information Literacy Group New Professionals Sub-Committee has launched a Chatting Info Lit  podcast series. "We will be inviting both new and experienced professionals across multiple LIS sectors to hear about their exciting information literacy projects and to find out what information literacy means to them. We will also be exploring the experience of being a new professional and all the challenges that come with it." There are 2 episodes so far:
(1) Ella Wharton (University of Nottingham, UK) chats to Katie Wise (Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, UK), about the importance of health literacy and about Conversations of Care, a communication training project developed at Royal Berkshire Hospital.
(2) Bethan Morgan (Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, UK) chats to Frankie Marsh (University of Cambridge, UK) about the link between information literacy and decolonisation in academic libraries.
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/chatting-info-lit/id1673423506
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/chatting-info-lit-podcast
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18iLL0XJhLMg9YW8IXcPSi
If you want to propose a podcast episode fill in this form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSebmI12uRP3hstq04_MEhor0xpTw8hNBPVBoU7zDVUwC2wjqw/viewform

Photo by Sheila Webber: Greenwich Park, April 2023

Webinar: How will artificial intelligence and chatbots change education?

Free webinar on 14 April 2023 at 11.00 CET (10.00 UK time) How will artificial intelligence and chatbots change education? This "will discuss technological, pedagogical, and ethical implications of using AI & chatbots in education." The Hybot project (Enhancing hybrid teaching in higher education through chatbots) "aims at creating specific learning spaces through interlinking physical and digital learning environments. In these spaces, various teaching and learning scenarios can be implemented, with variety of time, place, number of students, collaborative and individual tasks." Melibo also creates custom chatbots to answer customer queries etc. Join zoom at https://lnkd.in/e_xjrN9K

Poscast: Why is Spectrum not a Learning Organistion? @pedagodzilla

My 2nd contribution to the podcast that combines pedagogy and pop culture, Pedagodzilla, is Why is Spectrum not a Learning Organistion? (Ft. Captain Scarlet) Pedagodzilla (Pedagogy = Godzilla!) is run by Mike Collins (The Open University) and Mark Childs (Durham University). In this case I was drawing on my understanding of the learning organisation and applying it to the problematic working culture that pervades the series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (spoiler alert, due to the complete inability of Scarlet's employer organisation, Spectrum, to learn anything ever, the result of most episodes is Spectrum nil, The Mysterons 10). To listen to the podcast go to https://www.pedagodzilla.com/why-is-spectrum-not-a-learning-organistion-ft-captain-scarlet/
Photo taken by Sheila Webber in the 3D virtual world Second Life, at the Second Life Sci-Fi Convention, April 2023

Webinar: Using Kahoot! to Transform Library Instruction

Another useful free webinar from LiLi (Lifelong InformationLiteracy) is Using Kahoot! to Transform Library Instruction on 19 April 2023 at 10.00-11.00 US Pacific time (which is, e.g. 18.00-19.00 UK time)
"Turn passive library instruction into active learning opportunities by gamifying them, using Kahoot! Build in excitement, engage students, and increase retention by employing low-stakes competition, putting participants in the driver’s seat and bringing high energy to synchronous sessions." Led by Melissa Johnson (Instructional Design Librarian at Southern Methodist University, USA) and Tracey Rinehart (Instruction Coordinator and Business Graduate Programs Librarian at Southern Methodist University, USA). If you are attending, register here. If you just want the recording, register here
Photo by Sheila Webber: another spring/winter tree, March 2023 

New articles: Groupwork; information avoidance; use of streaming video

The latest complete issue of the Journal of Academic Librarianship (a priced publication), Volume 49 issue 2 (2023), includes the following: 
- Information literacy problems in groupwork: Interpretations of the ACRL Framework by G. Arave, Ilana Stonebraker ("What problems does groupwork pose for information literacy, and how can the ACRL Framework help us to address them? This paper addresses gaps in the scholarly literature to examine how groupwork problematizes our understanding of information literacy. We explore ramifications of what it means to be information literate as a group versus as an individual. The ACRL Framework is explored for areas of potential opportunity.")
- Exploring the Influence Mechanism of Chinese Young Researchers' Academic Information Avoidance Behavior by Jianing Zhang, Xiaofei Hu, Dawei Wu, Haijuan Yan
- How ethnic studies faculty use streaming video: Instructional needs, applications, and challenges by Keri Prelitz et al. (this article is open access)
Go to https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/the-journal-of-academic-librarianship/vol/49/issue/2
Photo by Sheila Webber: cherry blossom nranches, March 2023

Podcast: Could phenomenography increase the happiness quotient in Say Yes To The Dress? @pedagodzilla

I was excited to contrubute to two episodes of the podcast that combines pedagogy and pop culture, Pedagodzilla, run by Mike Collins (The Open University) and Mark Childs (Durham University). My first episode is Could phenomenography increase the happiness quotient in Say Yes To The Dress? which combines two areas of my expertise i.e. the research approach phenomenography and the series of many episodes and spinoffs, Say Yes To The Dress (in which brides and their entourages do or do not buy a very expensive wedding dress). The podcast includes explanations about SYTTD and phenomenography, how you can apply the latter to the former, and also how phenomenography can be useful in your educational practice. To listen to the podcast go to https://www.pedagodzilla.com/could-phenomenography-increase-the-happiness-quotient-in-say-yes-to-the-dress/
Photo taken by Sheila Webber in the 3D virtual world Second Life in 2021

Recent articles: Misinformation; Privacy literacy; Credibility

The latest issue of open access IFLA Journal (Volume 49, No. 1, March 2023) includes
- Strategies for checking misinformation: An approach from the Global South by Anup Kumar Das and Manorama Tripathi
- Croatian adolescents’ credibility judgments in making everyday life decisions by Alica Kolarić
- A review of international education literature: Interdisciplinary and discovery challenges by Shanna Saubert and Liz Cooper
Full issue available at: https://repository.ifla.org/handle/123456789/2540

Hartman-Caverly, S., Chisholm, A., & Glenn, A. (2023). Digital Shred: Case Study of a Remote Privacy Literacy Collaboration. College & Research Libraries, 84(2), 238. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.84.2.238 "This qualitative, evaluative case study details the conceptual framing, development, delivery, and assessment of a privacy literacy workshop called Digital Shred. The workshop is a multi-institutional effort offered initially in-person in fall 2019 and adapted to virtual delivery in fall 2020. The conceptual framework underlying the workshop includes reputation management, behavioral surplus, data doubles, data governance, and information security damage assessments. " 
Photo by Sheila Webber: winter spring sky, March 2023

#ACRLFramework sandbox

There is an ACRL Information Literacy Framework Sandbox Upload-a-thon on19 April 2023, at 13.00-14.00 US Central time (which is, e.g. 19.00-20.00 UK time). "If you created info lit teaching materials that you would like to share, join the event" Speakers are Renee Kiner (Public Services Librarian University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, USA);  Rosalinda Linares-Gray (Collections & Research Services Librarian Fort Lewis College, USA); Lauren Wallis (First Year Experience and Student Success Librarian University of Delaware, USA)/ Registration at https://ala-events.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0vcuuvqzwtHdEIVgOsKHerkFyL9E2cw2bZ
As background, this webinar explains the sandbox https://youtu.be/tM9OfxicIj8 and there are instructions about organising an upload a thon (which will give you more of an idea of what to expect than does the above link) arre here https://sandbox.acrl.org/how-can-i-host-framework-information-literacy-sandbox-upload-thon-my-institution
Photo by Sheila Webber: daisies, March 2023

Webinar: Teaching Material, Visual, and Political Literacy: Primary Sources in Library Instruction

The ACRL Instruction Section Teaching Methods Committee has organised Teaching Material, Visual, and Political Literacy: Primary Sources in Library Instruction on 3 April 2023 at 13.00 US Central time (which is, e.g. 19.00 UK time). It is free. "In this session attendees will be able to describe how to use primary sources to teach a variety of information literacies" The speakers are all at the University of Kentucky in the USA: Colleen Barrett (Rare Books Librarian, Special Collections Research Center); Jay-Marie Bravent (Graduate Outreach & Teaching Archivist, Special Collections Research Center); Anu Kasarabada (John G. Heyburn Archivist, Special Collections Research Center): Taylor Leigh (Hispanic Studies & Political Science Librarian, William T. Young Library). Register at https://ala-events.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIufu-uqjIsH9XJzApQwzM1VNsbozhrknJH
Photo by Sheila Webber: more signs of spring, March 2023

Call for proposals extended: #CALC23

The 2nd call for papers for CALC (Critical Approaches to Libraries Conference) 2023 has been extended to 9 April 2023. The conference takes place online, 24-25 May 2023. You can propose any topic related to critical librarianship you can use this page as a prompt - https://sites.google.com/view/calcconference/about/what-is-critical-library-practice and if in doubt email the conference organisers calcconference@gmail.com who will give you some helpful feedback about whether your proposal fits the theme. The call for papers page is here: https://sites.google.com/view/calcconference/call-for-papers
Photo by Sheila Webber: heather outside the Sheffield UCU office - it is in UCU colours! March 2023

Maddie is Online showcase

There is an online showcase event on 27 March 2023 at 6pm (UK time): Maddie is Online': Ethics of Online Safety and Security Final Showcase. You will see the 5 short-listed video cartoon stories created by young people as part of the Maddie is Online projecton, on the ethics of online safety and security. The winner of this schools competition will be announced during the session. The project is funded by the Scottish Government, supported by Digital Xtra Fund.
"During the session we will play all the video stories, followed by the final announcement of the winning team that will be selected by an external panel. Our five stories are: 'Friend Finder', 'Lucy the Influencer', 'Violet', 'Yphone Scam' and 'Yolo Classroom'. They all have some important lessons for online safety by young people and their own scripts, characters and voice-overs. Several teachers/librarians also took part in the stories."
Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/maddie-is-online-ethics-of-online-safety-and-security-final-showcase-tickets-580172289937

Bradley's take on AI chat

Online expert Phil Bradley had stepped back profesionally, but happily he has now re-engaged, in particular in examining Chat AI tools. You can find some short videos on his Youtube channel - the latest is a short test of Bard
Image created by Sheila Webber with Midjourney: evidently it doesn't know what "Bard" is yet; prompt was Bard, Google’s alternative to ChatGPT, anime style, judgement, Phil Bradley  BTW I don't try and tweak the prompts much, I'm interested in what it comes up with when I feed in key words from my posts

Webinar: KeyWordPlay: #Playfulness in Information Literacy

LiLi (Lifelong Information Literacy) has organised a webinar KeyWordPlay: Playfulness in Information Literacy on 5 April 2023 at 10.00-11.00 US Pacific time (which is e.g. 18.00-19.00 UK time). It is led by Jay Edwards. "A library user takes an active role in searching. Their success not only depends on their knowledge of search strategies, but their tendency to persist and change their strategies on the fly. Successful searchers are those who experiment, explore, and even play. But how do we teach flexibility and creativity in a time-limited classroom setting? How do we teach someone to persist when they're on their own, or to navigate new information environments in the future? ... Learn how the language of play can reframe the vocabulary of the ACRL Framework. See how various librarians have integrated games into library instruction to teach a balance of strategy and flexibility in time-limited classroom settings."
Register here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/keywordplay-playfulness-in-information-literacy-tickets-596912490327
Fill in this form if you can't attend but would like the recording https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLcOpXa_sqg2M0GicDcz3kh-623aLw921m1Q2714SF22mhVw/viewform

AI Tools to Create and Curate Content in Higher Education

A useful set of annotated links A Snapshot of AI Tools to Create and Curate Content in Higher Education has been assembed by Contact North | Contact Nord (a Canadian education site): it covers Text mining tools, Automated grammar and punctuation checkers, Sentiment analysis tools, Content curation tools, Plagiarism and originality checkers, Speech-to-text and Text-to-speech. Go to https://teachonline.ca/tools-trends/snapshot-ai-tools-create-and-curate-content-higher-education
Photo by Sheila Webber: daisies, March 2023