Forum Question

In a world of disinformation, social media, and “alternative facts,” how do you identify and vet credible information sources? How do you share those credible sources with students and public library users? What is a librarian’s role in helping the greater community find common ground in shared facts?

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ALA Banned Book Week

Back in the late 1980's ALA selected scientific literature as the subject for their Annual Banned Books Week. At the time, I was a science reference librarian at the University of Georgia. With my Director's wholehearted support, we requested the 'crate' of banned science books and planning materials. Our display at the entrance of the Science Library provoked discussion and brought various facts to the campus. I would suggest that the Library of Congress, in conjunction with ALA, create another 'banned books' campaign and combine it with additional materials to address disinformation. It has been a very long time since…

Tags: Censorship

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Addressing Misinformation is a Constant

I am keeping notes weekly about encounters I have with those willing to jeopardize good faith efforts toward debating solutions. My site is www.knowledgeresources.info and it is my contribution to the effort to have people really think about their actions. We all need to center our thoughts and opinions on reality. Do we really know the targets we are aiming to when we argue? Do we have a purpose to our discussion, i.e. change?

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Importance of Media Literacy -- Washington Post Article

Yesterday the Washington Post published an article on its website that has some relevant points for our forum. Here's the reference:

Villegas, P., & Knowles, H. (2021, February 5). After Capitol riot, desperate families turn to groups that ‘deprogram’ extremists. Washington Post.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/02/05/desperate-families-are-seeking-groups-that-deprogram-extremists/ And here are a few key points:

Quotation: "Brian Hughes breaks radicalization down into three stages: the people “circling the drain” and just considering extremist ideas; the “hard core” like those who stormed the U.S. Capitol; and the people between.
The best time to step…

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News vs. opinion

Interesting story on NPR this morning about the software company that is suing Fox News and three of its evening entertainers for allegedly spreading malicious misinformation about the company. Fox's defence is that the evening entertainers were engaging in "clear opinion."

As has been discussed elsewhere, one place that could be an easy starting point is to educate children to adults the difference between journalistic reporting and opinion. Need not be any censorship involved in categorizing the information as false news or not, but simply teaching people to recognize when something is news and when something is…

Tags: Cable News, Disinformation, Fake news, information literacy, Media

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Google Money

If part of your response to the "How do you..." questions in this forum is that your library requires more funding to combat misinformation, you might find this initiative very interesting... https://www.engadget.com/google-covid-19-vaccine-misinformation-funding-google-news-initiative-185810729.html What is librarian's role in securing and utilizing funds to find common ground in shared facts?

Tags: Fake news, misinformation, News, organization, truth, Verification

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Welcome Message

My Fellow Librarian,

American self-government was created by a small group of people who were thinkers as well as doers, engaged in both the world of ideas and public affairs. The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress was created to help foster that traditional American interaction, providing space to better understand and address the challenges facing democracy in the 21st century.

As we all experience the deluge of information that comes at us through the internet, we want to engage you – America’s librarians – in a conversation about how citizens can sort fact from fiction, information from disinformation. After all, it is no longer easy for citizens to identify credible information, engage in legitimate debate, or counter disinformation.

We launched this WikiWisdom Forum to celebrate Danielle Allen, winner of the 2020 Kluge Prize, and her role in civics education. It is designed to learn from America’s librarians how you discern credibility and authenticity in information sources, how you communicate that to students and public library users, and what role librarians should play in helping the greater community find common ground in shared facts.

This peer collaboration platform will be live until February 10, 2021. After extensive on-line discussion, we will choose a small group of thought leaders from everyone who participates. This small group will work with the moderator to prepare a report of actionable ideas that your colleagues can use as they attempt to counter disinformation in their own communities.

On March 11, the thought leaders will present their report, with your ideas, to Danielle Allen and us in a virtual meeting sponsored by the Kluge Center of the Library of Congress.

Don’t delay. Please join our conversation today.

Thank you for your participation,

Dr. John Haskell
Director of the Kluge Center

Julius Jefferson
President of the American Library Association

Moderator Message

Cindy Richards Moderator

Welcome to this WikiWisdom Forum. I’m Cindy Richards and I will be your moderator.
How the WikiWisdom Forum Works:

Step One:
Librarians across the country are invited to share their ideas in response to the questions posed on this platform.

Step Two:
At the end of this online conversation, a small group of thought leaders will be chosen to work with the moderator to create a report showcasing your experience.

Step Three:
On March 11, the thought leaders will present their report, with your ideas, to Danielle Allen and us in a virtual meeting sponsored by the Kluge Center of the Library of Congress.