Librarians on the Front Lines: Countering Conspiracy Theories Together

Project Team:

• Stephanie Beene, Associate Professor, University of New Mexico Libraries
• Katie Greer, Associate Professor, Oakland University Libraries

Description:

Librarians across the majority of states and across urban and rural divides are frequently encountering patrons exhibiting conspiracy ideation. This project will define the gaps in information literacy praxis and expand on the current information and metaliteracy frameworks to help combat and prevent conspiracism.

Preventing Information Anarchy in Health Sciences by Promoting Critical Information Literacy Education: A proposed framework

Project Team:

• Syeda Hina Shahid, Postdoc Research Fellow, ISchool, UBC/Assistant Professor, Institute of Information Management, University of the Punjab, Pakistan
• Luanne Sinnamon, Associate Professor in the School of Information, The University of British Columbia, Canada
• Ghulam Fareed, President, Pakistan Medical Library Association

Description:

This project will investigate the phenomenon of critical information literacy in the context of health sciences. It will posit a framework to support more effective evaluation and interpretation of scientific information by researchers and students in Pakistan.

The Truth is in the Stacks: Searching for Information Literacy in Conspiracy Theory Research Institutions

Project Team:

• Dr. Yvonne M. Eadon, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life (CITAP), University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Stacy Wood, Director of Research and Programs for the Center for Critical Internet Inquiry (C2i2), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Description:

This project aims to understand the tenacity of conspiracy theories by investigating where (which institutions) conspiracy theorists conduct their research, and what (if any) information literacy related policies and practices are currently in place at those institutions. Results of this research will provide a basis for designing new information literacy models and interventions specific to the realm of conspiracy theory, rooted in institutions considered trustworthy by researchers of conspiracy theories.

Information Literacy in the Age of Online Mis/Dis/Malinformation

Project Team:

• Matthew N. Hannah, Assistant Professor, Libraries, Purdue University
• Jennifer Hoewe, Associate Professor, Brian Lamb School of Communications, Purdue University
• Dan Goldwasser, Associate Professor, Computer Science, Purdue University
• Hanna Sistek, PhD student, Political Science, Purdue University
• Taeik Kim, PhD student, Psychological Sciences, Purdue University

Description:

Information scholars, librarians, and teachers require more sensitive models and frameworks for tackling the significant social challenges we face today, such as the spread of fake news, the exponential growth of conspiracy theories, and the weaponization of information for personal and political gain. This project brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts from information studies, computer science, communications, political science, and psychology to assess current frameworks, identify public audience needs, and draft or expand a new framework to respond to 21st-century informational dynamics.