Tag Archives: Information Literacy

Future-proof librarian, part 1: Fact-checking, multiliteracy and up-to-date evaluating skills

Writer: Jarkko Rikkilä, coordinator, Tampere City Library – Regional Development Task, Finland

“It’s times like these you learn to… evaluate again!”

In today’s world every librarian should have the basic skills recognizing and evaluating misinformation. The changing media atmosphere and information advocacy affect to the librarian competence. Multiliteracy is essential as it describes the diversity of communication. Also, we could learn new abilities by producing and editing content in Wikipedia.

One of our key themes in library staff training in the last couple of years has been raising the awareness of the changing professionalism that deals with identifying false information. IFLA’s How to spot fake news -infographic is a relevant checklist that is also shared among Finnish libraries. The evaluation of information is in the core of the librarian spirit. We are professionals in evaluating and helping our customers with reliable information from the collection. However, in the diversified global information environment the library collections are just one side of the coin.

There’s so much going on and the libraries have an impact. For example the covid pandemic caused a phenomenon called infodemics and to address this the WHO launched a special training on infodemic management. On the other hand, new channels and tools cause thoughts for the individual library worker. A concept called Data Detox Kit is addressing these themes. The kit offers everyday steps you can take to control your digital privacy, security, and wellbeing.

Disinformation, change of expertise and management of own data -training program for librarians

Last year we organized and conducted a four-part training program with an external library consultant called Disinformation, change of expertise and management of own data. The program consisted of the following parts:

  1. Getting to know the phenomenon
  2. Tools for preventing disinformation and fact-checking
  3. How do I manage and build my own information environment?
  4. Libraries as mediators of “reliable information”

The first part consisted of the basic terms and concepts of the matter. Second part provided the participants with tools of fact-checking. The third part concentrated on the individual – what can I do to clarify my own information environment? The fourth part argued the role of libraries in providing reliable information through collections. According to the feedback we got the program answered many of the questions our librarians are dealing with. The sessions also provided participants with good discussion and perspectives on the role of the library now and in the future.

Information advocacy and workhops this year

This year here in Tampere we were joined by two other regional development organizations (Lahti & Porvoo) to construct and educational program for libraries related to information, advocacy and libraries. Our series is focusing on themes like freedom of expression, fake news and change of expertise. We are kicking off the program with a special day where we have different specialists speaking out their views: Social media influencer, journalist, and civic activist. Besides this there will be a panel discussion where we point out the views of the library.

After the kick-off day we’re going to have three workshops this year for library workers throughout Finland. The workshops are happening this spring and the next autumn. Workshop themes are how to identify misinformation, how to plan a customer event and how to get started as a library with Wikipedia. In the next Future-proofing the librarian blog post I’m going to introduce ideas from Sweden about Wikimedia co-operation. So – stay tuned!

Next webinar of CPDWL and NPSIG on October 14,2014

We are proud to present the fourth session of the 2014 webinar series
“New Librarians Global Connection: best practices, models and recommendations.”
http://www.ifla.org/node/6141. The theme for this installment of our series is “Information as a Human Right”. 
For the third consecutive year, IFLA Continuing Professional Development and Workplace Learning and IFLA New Professionals Special Interest Group are partnering with the American Library Association to present a series of free quarterly webinars on issues of interest to new librarians, library associations and library schools, library-decision makers, and all library workers. This is a great opportunity for membership participation via new worldwide online programming.
Following our tradition of excellence, this year our keynote speakers for each of our quarterly sessions come from different regions of the world. This year they have included IFLA President Elect, Donna Scheeder and other library leaders.
Below, the date and time of the next webinar. Save the date!
October 14, 2014
12:00 p.m. CDT
1:00 p.m. EDT
7:00 p.m. CET
Link to access the virtual meeting room: TBD
Webinar length is one hour.
Speakers:
Bridgette Hendrix, NPSIG Convenor
Washington, DC
Topic: An Introduction to the Lyon Declaration.
Matthew Vanderwerff, Senior Program Officer, IREX
Matthew supports IREX’s Beyond Access program, an initiation advocating to make libraries universally recognized as community development hubs. He’s previously supported the Global Libraries programs in Romania and Ukraine, and will introduce the concept of information as a human right.
Ellie Valentine, MLIS
Chief of Party, USAID Responsive Governance Project
Yemen
Looking for ways to promote citizen access to information, Ellie has spent her career in untraditional library roles. She currently serves as a the Chief of Part to USAID’s Responsive Governance Project in Yemen, and has previously worked on parliamentary strengthening projects in Ukraine, Armenia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Ellie will discuss how access to information policy impacts access to information.
The topics for the webinars were compiled from global surveys, topics presented by speakers during the CPDWL and NPSIG programs at the WLIC 2013 in Singapore, NPSIG working group, and new librarians’ forums, listservs and online spaces.
The quarterly webinars are presented in January, April, July and October. Stay tuned for more news!
The webinars are archived, therefore you can join them, ask questions and participate in conversations with international colleagues live, or you can listen to them later, anywhere at any time. For more information about the 2012 and 2013 series and to listen to a number of webinars, visit the following link http://npsig.wordpress.com/webinars-2/past-webinars/. 
Questions and requests for information:
Bridgette Hendrix
NPSIG Convenor

Building an information literate research community

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Conference Proceedings – The Road to information Literacy : Librarians as Facilitators of Learning

 

A new paper has been added to the IFLA website (www.ifla.org/publications/ifla-publications-series-157 ).  The paper ‘Building an information literate research community’ is by Jayshree Mamtora who is Research Services Coordinator, Charles Darwin University, Australia and was presented at the Satellite Conference held this summer in Finland.  It is a case-study of how Charles Darwin University successfully built up their research support and how library staff were developed along the way to offer this support.

Research support is very topical currently as research funding becomes harder to get and as Open Access develops across the globe.  Developing the skills librarians need to support researchers’ information literacy development was one theme running through the conference, the Proceedings also include a paper by Clare Walker on this topic.

The Road to Information Literacy: Librarians as Facilitators of Training

By Susan Schnuer

Talking, eating, and engagement were the main activities at the August Satellite meeting in Tampere.127 librarians from 21 countries attended the 2012 IFLA satellite meeting, a wonderful cross-section of ideas, cultures, and languages.  The satellite was co-sponsored by CPDWL and IL IFLA sections and it was successful cooperative effort.  This is the largest number of participants that CPDWL has ever had at a satellite meeting and in fact there was a waiting list.

Over 45 presentations were given during the meeting from librarians engaged in professional development and information literacy from all parts of the library sector: schools, public, academic, special, and LIS schools.  The variety of sessions and the amazing range of speakers made for a very engaging and yet intimate sessions.

The Road to Information Literacy : Librarians as facilitators of learning

by Roisin Gwyer, Ruth Stubbings, Ruth & Graham (Eds.)

Series: IFLA Publications Series 157  Publisher: Berlin/Munich: De Gruyter Saur, 2012

The Road to Information Literacy: Librarians as facilitators of learningInformation literacy has been identified as a necessary skill for life, work and citizenship – as well as for academic study – for all of us living in today’s information society. This international collection brings together practitioner and research papers from all sectors of information work. It includes case studies and good practice guides, including how librarians and information workers can facilitate information literacy from pre-school children to established researchers, digital literacy and information literacy for citizens.

The Road to Information Literacy : Librarians as facilitators of learning Edited by: Roisin Gwyer, Ruth Stubbings, Ruth & Graham Berlin/Munich: De Gruyter Saur, 2012 ISBN 978-3-11-028084-5 (IFLA Publications; Nr 157) Euro 99,95 / for USA, Canada, Mexico US$ 140.00 Special price for IFLA members Euro 79,95 / for USA, Canada, Mexico US$ 105.00

Publisher’s link: The Road to Information Literacy : Librarians as facilitators of learning