January 29th, 2021

Shared facts and opinions in the community

This is such an important part of civic engagement. Citizens and potential citizens must recognize that there are facts and opinions; that facts should be linked to sources, that opinions should be informed by facts, values, and experiences; that quick, uninformed opinions without much thought should be recognized as such and questioned so that the person can improve his/her opinions based upon information. Meaningful public discourse about civic and social topics can occur only if the persons involved are sincere, respectful, and thoughtful about the facts and opinions that they convey. Building a common knowledge base is foundational to public discourse. That is where librarians add value

Tags: information literacy, Knowledge

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Comments (3)

Comments (3)

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I think it would be helpful to get outside experts to come to the library to speak and answer questions for people who are unsure about vaccines. Events like that could connect people with valid informations sources that are already trusted community members and help encourage public discussions.

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Hi Gary:

Thanks for joining our conversation. As a librarian, how do you help build that common knowledge base? And then how do you share it with library users in way that helps them grow their own knowledge?

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Libraries build knowledge base by offering a diverse set of information in all formats from many reliable sources. Libraries demonstrate that they are fair-minded and equitable arbiters of information sources, which includes facts and opinions, which enhance the knowledge of patrons on topics of interest to the citizenry of the community. Libraries should hold forums to engage citizens about the important topics of the day, allowing feedback and suggestions from participants. Librarians need to be creative in these endeavors.

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