As “Do the research” becomes a rallying cry for conspiracy theorists, classical information literacy is not enough.

As “research it yourself” becomes a rallying cry for promoters of outlandish conspiracy theories with real-world consequences, educators need to think hard about what’s missing from their information literacy efforts.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an infodemic — a rapid rise in viral misinformation. With a few simple skills, you can help stop its spread

In this course, we show you how to fact and source-check in five easy lessons, taking about 30 minutes apiece. The entire online curriculum is two and a half to three hours and is suitable homework for the first week of a college-level module on disinformation or online information literacy, or the first few weeks of a course if assigned with other discipline-focused homework.

How can students get better at sorting truth from fiction from everything in between? At applying their attention to the things that matter? At amplifying better treatments of issues, and avoiding …

As people stay inside, escape rooms move online.

This article examines how information literacy is situated in a history of white supremacy in academia and academic libraries and provides an overview of some of the historical critiques of information literacy, to which the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education is ostensibly responding. Using Critical Race Theory, I provide a close reading of the Framework, highlighting the ways in which issues of race and racism are elided and white academia is centered. This article also examines critiques of information literacy and how critical information literacy has responded to the Framework. I then propose some ways to emphasize antiracist pedagogy in the information literacy classroom.

Neuromyths are false beliefs, often associated with teaching and learning, that stem from misconceptions or misunderstandings about brain function. While belief in neuromyths has been established as prevalent among the general public and K-12 teachers, literature about neuromyth belief Read More >

I do not have a good understanding of what academic librarians are currently teaching students in regards to evaluating information they find on the Internet. Rather than read the literature, I sea…

In a follow-up to Zero Trust Information, exploring the four types of information and how their value changes with time.

Science is an essential social institution and a building block in advancing human societies. At the core of scientific discovery and problem solving is innovation to improve the human condition, within and beyond the institutions of higher education that shape scientific minds. Research in any field, beginning in undergraduate education, is fundamentally about information—finding, understanding, generating, discussing, influencing, contradicting, contextualizing, disproving, and communicating it; the ability to do so generally referred to as  information literacy.  Parallel to this, everyday life increasingly requires navigating an overwhelming amount of complex scientific information, and misinformation.

Information literacy is the ability to think critically and make balanced judgments about any information we find and use. It empowers us as citizens to develop informed views and to engage fully w…

Objective: This paper compares the pedagogical theory driving current norms towards instruction of novices in both fields, specifically focusing on The Carpentries and ACRL Framework instruction. I identify key areas of difference in theoretical and practical approaches towards education of learners entirely new to a topic, focusing on a choice to pursue constructivist or experiential learning versus providing direct instructional guidance. Methods: Two case studies are explored through the lens of the Dreyfus Model of learning for their theoretical underpinings for engaging novice learners: the ACRL Framework and Carpentries’ Instructor Training. Results: Applying the Dreyfus Model of learning and cognitive load theory shows theoretical benefits to direct instructional guidance over constructivist or minimally guided instruction. Conclusions: The ACRL Framework and Carpentries workshops share teaching goals of creating new mental models and core skills to support future learning, but differ in their pedagogical approaches. For novice learners of information literacy, there may be value in considering a more guided approach. Concrete lesson-planning strategies are proposed. The substance of this article is based upon a poster presented at RDAP Summit 2019.

Lisa shares her thoughts on having the Digital Learning team join the library.

Behavioral psychologist Briony Swire-Thompson is on the frontline in the battle against misinformation. Understanding how the brain stores and retrieves information will make efforts to fight propaganda more effective.

Sam prides himself on questioning conventional wisdom and subjecting claims to intellectual scrutiny. For kids today, that means Googling stuff. One might think these searches would turn up a varie…

This text is the written version of the talk given at the Knight Media Forum conference. It was presented on February 23, 2019