Forum Question

In a world of disinformation, social media, and “alternative facts,” how do you identify and vet credible information sources? How do you share those credible sources with students and public library users? What is a librarian’s role in helping the greater community find common ground in shared facts?

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conspiracy theories

One of the things I have considered, but I think it would be extremely difficult to pull off successfully, is a "conspiracy theory" book club.

From what I can tell there is a basic societal confusion with the term "conspiracy theory" itself. For some people, the term refers to a theory about conspiring that could be true, false, or preposterous, while for others the term automatically refers to a preposterous theory.

I was thinking a book club could formulate a list of criteria to run a conspiracy theory through to test its plausibility and…

Tags: Alternative facts

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Birdwatch feature on Twitter

This new feature on twitter (a community-driven approach to addressing misleading information) is already controversial but I thought I'd post it here because it falls under this topic:

https://twitter.com/TwitterSupport/status/1353766523664531459

Tags: Accuracy, Social media

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Addressing More than Credible Sources

To some extent, I worry that this prompt begs the question of whether or not patrons value that their sources are credible. At times, I feel that some segments of the library field are placing too much emphasis on traditional approaches to information literacy as a solution to disinformation. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of rigorous and empirical evidence that information literacy approaches are broadly effective in changing patron behavior. And, significant research indicates that disinformation campaigns are quite effective at exploiting our emotions, psychological biases, and even our identity to ensure that we become personally invested in alternative facts.…

Tags: Alternative facts, Disinformation, Fake news, Public trust, Sources

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Media Bias

Since mainstream news sources have become increasingly partisan, I think the best way to get the "full story" is to check sources against each other. I have found a couple of sites regarding "media bias" that I like and have posted them on our Library's Facebook page to help patrons navigate the news.

They are:

allsides.com (rates different sources according to bias and compiles the top news stories of the day and how those stories are covered by left, right, and center)

ground.news (lists the major news stories of the…

Tags: Sources

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Meeting Patrons Where They Are: Teaching skills through reference desk interactions and programming

It is paramount to teach patrons media literacy skills in order to give them the tools they need to discern credibility in sources. And to do this and to get these skills across, we have to meet people where they are. They aren’t going to come to us ask us for training; we need to incorporate it into what we’re already doing.

As information professionals, we must connect with our customers and fight the battle against misinformation and disinformation. That means having skills ourselves, and it means using our trusted position in society to help people…

Tags: Alternative facts, Disinformation, Local newspapers, Public trust, Social media, Sources, Verification

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Welcome Message

My Fellow Librarian,

American self-government was created by a small group of people who were thinkers as well as doers, engaged in both the world of ideas and public affairs. The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress was created to help foster that traditional American interaction, providing space to better understand and address the challenges facing democracy in the 21st century.

As we all experience the deluge of information that comes at us through the internet, we want to engage you – America’s librarians – in a conversation about how citizens can sort fact from fiction, information from disinformation. After all, it is no longer easy for citizens to identify credible information, engage in legitimate debate, or counter disinformation.

We launched this WikiWisdom Forum to celebrate Danielle Allen, winner of the 2020 Kluge Prize, and her role in civics education. It is designed to learn from America’s librarians how you discern credibility and authenticity in information sources, how you communicate that to students and public library users, and what role librarians should play in helping the greater community find common ground in shared facts.

This peer collaboration platform will be live until February 10, 2021. After extensive on-line discussion, we will choose a small group of thought leaders from everyone who participates. This small group will work with the moderator to prepare a report of actionable ideas that your colleagues can use as they attempt to counter disinformation in their own communities.

On March 11, the thought leaders will present their report, with your ideas, to Danielle Allen and us in a virtual meeting sponsored by the Kluge Center of the Library of Congress.

Don’t delay. Please join our conversation today.

Thank you for your participation,

Dr. John Haskell
Director of the Kluge Center

Julius Jefferson
President of the American Library Association

Moderator Message

Cindy Richards Moderator

Welcome to this WikiWisdom Forum. I’m Cindy Richards and I will be your moderator.
How the WikiWisdom Forum Works:

Step One:
Librarians across the country are invited to share their ideas in response to the questions posed on this platform.

Step Two:
At the end of this online conversation, a small group of thought leaders will be chosen to work with the moderator to create a report showcasing your experience.

Step Three:
On March 11, the thought leaders will present their report, with your ideas, to Danielle Allen and us in a virtual meeting sponsored by the Kluge Center of the Library of Congress.