Library instruction can be a varied pursuit and it has evolved considerably over the years. Originally known as bibliographic instruction, it was typically a “library orientation” focused on teaching patrons about using books and other physical materials. With the explosion of the internet and electronic library resources, the overarching goal stayed the same but the specifics shifted considerably. Information literacy became the preferred term, and instruction expanded to cover finding, evaluating, and using information in a wide variety of formats to meet various user needs.
The “evaluating” piece became crucial as users today encounter information in so many different places–the library but also Google searches and social media feeds–that verifying information for credibility has become a huge part of what librarians aim to teach.
A specific application of library instruction for evaluating information has emerged recently on the subject of “fake news.” When malicious, intentionally false websites spread widely in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, there was a strong call for education to help users avoid being manipulated.
A variety of groups answered the call, ranging from professors and other experts in fields like communication, journalism, and even social media. But one group who became closely involved were librarians, who are well positioned for this topic of instruction due to our longstanding mission of facilitating access to trustworthy information.
So teaching librarians elsewhere have been teaching content about identifying and avoiding fake news, usually alongside broader information literacy lessons on media literacy.
Library-created instructional content has run the gamut from simple infographics on spotting fake news to entire courses on the subject. Academic as well as public libraries have both taken on a major role.
This piece from American Libraries magazine summarizes a wide variety of library activities, as does this article from the journal Communications in Information Literacy.
In my own work I’ve taught numerous workshops and class sessions on fake news for faculty, mainly in English composition but also a few other contexts. You can read my blog post about my approach and evolution over the last couple of years, or take a look at my YouTube video on fake news.
Fake news isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but with librarians and others working hard to equip more citizens with the tools to call it out for what it is, its future impact can be greatly lessened. Are you a librarian who has done a lesson on fake news? If so, let us know about it!