Slow Progress is better than no progress
It amazes me how quickly misinformation or disinformation will spread while credible facts often trickle through society at a much slower rate. As trusted resources for reliable and accurate information, one of the biggest challenges for libraries with regard to "fake news" or "alternative facts" is retraining our communities to turn to us when they want the facts. Our library foundation is in its sixth year of an Awareness Campaign that attempts to tackle this and promotes library staff as gateways to accurate information. While the campaign is making progress, it is slow. I have to remind myself that "slow progress is better than no progress." I know there is a way to more directly tackle this issue, I just don't know what that is. Perhaps it is hosting programming that teaches how to identify a credible source (and more importantly how to recognize those that are not credible." Classes could target different age groups, all the way down to elementary students. (These are skills that are being taught in school, so these programs would either reinforce classroom instruction or provide scaffolding for future classroom lessons.)
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Comments (3)
Lisa, I'm fascinated by your campaign. It sounds like exactly what is needed! What vehicles are being used by the campaign to communicate its messages? You say that "while the campaign is making progress, it is slow." How is progress defined and measured?
Lisa,
Excellent point. The rate and degree at which various facts/information is disseminated ties in strongly with our penchant for sensationalism. The vetting process of any source should start with a simple question of "Is this a sensational story/topic?" If so, the likelihood of encountering misinformation jumps exponentially.
With that said, your library campaign is a viable solution to a gigantic problem. Perhaps the reason the campaign is slow to progress is because it is facing an issue that requires a larger army. Keep doing what you are doing, and thank you.
Hi Lisa:
Which parts of your Awareness Campaign have been most successful? Can you share some details with us?