Moderator Pick
February 3rd, 2021

Three Threads for Systemic Change

These questions are good, and it’s been a thoughtful mix of ideas and discussion.

Please also consider the opportunities for us to effect systemic changes. I suggest three threads.

1. Develop and Strengthen Partnerships. Align a coordinated national library-based effort with other industry leaders already on a parallel track. Two examples of potential partners: Poynter Institute - https://www.poynter.org/about/ and FactCheck.org - https://www.factcheck.org/about/our-mission/ Bottom line: let’s not reinvent or duplicate what’s being done in this space, but find ways to work collaboratively.

2. Make Facts Appealing. Leverage visual, graphical approaches to sharing facts and information so that individuals will STOP and look, read/consume, and begin to process facts. We have at our fingertips unprecedented access to technologies to make these tasks more achievable than ever before (aggregate, formulate, and distribute facts). Let’s move beyond text and infographics.

3. Speak the Truth about Facts at ALL Costs. If this is worth doing, let’s do it right, and not shrink from conflict. But also recognize that there will be a toll to pay. Libraries pride themselves on being neutral, however when one takes a stand FOR FACTS, that can (and will) be seen as defensive or aggressive, partisan or political, OR even biased. Be unflinching in the face of disinformation; advocate for Facts.

In summary… Libraries already have a national footprint and identity. This is our Platform. How we utilize our position in society can be reactive or strategic. I suggest that if our industry were to focus on even ONE of the above threads, we would see opportunities emerge for addressing core challenges around this far-reaching topic.

p.s. Consider that the Medium is the Massage (not a typo). “There's a wonderful sign hanging in a Toronto junkyard which reads, 'Help Beautify Junkyards. Throw Something Lovely Away Today.' This is a very effective way of getting people to notice a lot of things. And so the title is intended to draw attention to the fact that a medium is not something neutral—it does something to people. It takes hold of them. It rubs them off, it massages them and bumps them around, chiropractically, as it were, and the general roughing up that any new society gets from a medium, especially a new medium, is what is intended in that title.” - M. McLuhan.

Can Libraries get strategic and smart about our Massage/Message?

Facts Have Significance.

Tags: Media, Reporting, Verification

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Comments (14)

Comments (14)

I thought some more about this thread and the comments. I think as an organization and profession, librarians have to take a stand for facts and information. Though other organizations are already out there doing some of this work, librarians hold a much different place in society than a website that has no individual connection to community members. We have to confront this national issue and be prepared for what might happen. With the right planning, this can be done strategically and not in a reactive way. We need our friends and advocates ready for the response and to support us.

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Jim, thanks for raising point #1. The need for strategic partnerships has been on my mind too. There are so many organizations and initiatives addressing misinformation and disinformation. Another one I'd add to your list is MisinfoCon (www.misinfocon.org). I've been to a few meetings of these groups and have been disappointed that I'm one of the few librarians (sometimes the only one). Everybody seems to agree that education is essential, and librarians are important, but we're not as engaged and visible with those other groups as we should be.

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Dave, thank you for sharing the link. From this site I discovered one I hadn't seen before https://www.propwatch.org/ which states that the organization's mission is to answer the question, "How can propaganda be recognized and how can it be countered?" I don't yet know if this site contains credible content, but it sure looks fascinating. I'll be utilizing my critical reasoning skills to evaluate this content... :)

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I am in support of the three threads and applaud your contribution. It is high time we move forward from identifying the needs for systemic change but to exploring solutions, partnering for the best approaches, and sharing ideas and information.

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I am optimistic that we can all do this working together!

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Jim, I think you're right that if we are to stand up for accuracy, we have to recognize that neutrality is problematic. The points you and Randall exchange about blowback, and Jessie's question about where professional ethics come in are important. If you haven't already read Barbara Fister's The Lizard People in the Library (talk about a title that bumps us around!) from Project Information Literacy's Provocation Series, I recommend it.

https://projectinfolit.org/pubs/provocation-series/essays/lizard-people-in-the-library.html

She addresses libraries' role in helping people understand that there are ethical systems in place in the fields that create information (like science and journalism). And she suggests resources for positioning a stand for accuracy as a stand for democracy, not for a political ideology, something we're seeing at work in the last few weeks as journalism has struggled to cover the insurrection without giving unintended credence to untruths. To me, this makes a good deal of sense if we are to help establish a community that can find common ground.

There is much more worth reading in her piece, but this thread reminded me of those points.

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Deb, thank you. I just read the essay you recommended, and I thought, "Ooof, how do we unpack this mix of factors and challenges we all face?" One paragraph particularly resonated: "Those who spend their time in the library of the unreal have an abundance of something that is scarce in college classrooms: information agency. One of the powers they feel elites have tried to withhold from them is the ability to define what constitutes knowledge. They don’t simply distrust what the experts say, they distrust the social systems that create expertise. They take pleasure in claiming expertise for themselves, on their own terms."

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This is a wonderful call to truth and I believe that all three threads that Jim discusses should be considered. I do want to speak to the third point. Librarians, libraries, and library boards need to go into this with their eyes wide open. After some experience with a small, rural public library answering to a city and county with a century of one-party rule, you are opening your institution to blowback including threats of resource cutbacks if not outright being dismissed if the truth about facts does not fit with the conformity the community demands. I am not saying that this is not a fight we should engage in. We should. But for some libraries, there will be a price to be paid and all who care about their library should understand that.

Related to this is that in my home state, there are bills before the Legislature forbidding the teaching of the 1619 Project in schools. Another bill before the legislature wants to stop tenure in punishment for not accepting certain points of view in academe. Libraries and librarians have even less protection than teachers and professors. If the library board at a public library doesn't have your back, you have a problem.

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Randall, you raise excellent points. Blowback absolutely is a reality, and there are potential consequences for any library, school or related organization that stands up for Facts.

I know from experience: the organization I work for was sued after we challenged parental claims made about librarians, libraries and schools, along with accusations that online resources licensed by these organizations are full of pornographic content.

It was a stand for facts that cost our organization $35K in legal fees, unrecoverable time, and enormous staff stress. But it also established a foundation for truth, and offered the opportunity to educate, to encourage community dialogue, and to remind folks why such struggles matter.

Jessie, your question rightfully should spark its own conversation. Where are those lines between values and ethics, and do they shift based on situations? This isn't the first time we've been faced with such a gut-gnawing, complicated question.

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I read in a library textbook that libraries are a reflection of our community and stakeholders' values. How can we balance our community's and stakeholder's values with our Code of Ethics when they conflict?

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Sorry you and your organization went through that, Jim, but I applaud you for not striking the flag. I went through it at a library I worked but it didn't end so well, but that is a much longer story. I also know a librarian in the western part of my state who had her job threatened because she tried to encourage community dialogue that didn't fit the community conformity.

As to your question, Jessie, it is one of the hardest choices we have to make as a librarian, and, in small towns, a community leader. We know what is right, but will it be the hill you are willing to die on? It is easy to say yes until you are unemployed. I would like to think we can nudge communities along to a tipping point, but, man, it can be very scary. As Jim said, tremendous staff stress.

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Randall - I live in a mostly rural, very politically conservative state, and issues like you are describing are very real. I think it is going to take time and research to craft a message that allows people to understand our role without throwing us into political crosshairs unnecessarily, and maybe that is somewhat different for different libraries.

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Jim, these are all great threads. As a public librarian turned school librarian, I am especially interested in the 2nd thread. My colleagues and I have been creating videos (in our hybrid learning situation) on nonfiction stories that students have gotten very excited about. They always want to research more and have great conversations about the topics. It's a perfect opportunity for us to guide them with critical thinking, research skills, and evaluating information and resources. The graphics that we have been using are especially appealing and we've had fun trying out new video techniques. You've got me thinking that we should continue this next year and expand our topics and mediums of delivery.

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Love it. Bringing fun with Facts!

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