\u27Fake News\u27 and Information Literacy

Similar to how there is no structured definition of ‘neutrality’ in libraries, (Scott & Sanders, 2021), there is no universally agreed-upon definition for ‘Fake News’ (Dahri & Richard, 2018). The lack of definition clarity, especially in regard to its harmfulness, leads to difficulty implementing the term, importantly for the American Library Association (ALA). The ALA continues to support ‘Fake News’, by valuing intellectual freedom. (ALA, 2017). ‘Fake News’ censorship is an extreme, and is unconstitutional, but it is clear that clarification of the term by the ALA, especially as being part of information literacy, would be helpful for librarians (as the instructors for information literacy), and information seekers. Indeed, the current information environment is “confusing,” and librarians are in a “prime position” to develop the skills necessary to help users navigate and make educated decisions when accessing information (Goodsett and Schmillen, 2022). First, it is explored how ‘Fake News’ implementation into official information literacy methods and guidelines might look like. Then, the value of information literacy assessment is clarified, and particularly compelling assessments are adapted to include ‘Fake News’ as a means to demonstrate how the inclusion of it will help better the information literacy instruction quality and relevancy, and the comfortable of users in finding objective information. At the end, it is revealed an official ALA consideration may be closer than once thought (Cooke, 2018)

Successful Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) Initiatives in Progressive Public Libraries and their Communities

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) initiatives in public libraries are noble and endless endeavors that take many forms of action. Obviously, no one community, nor library, is the same. Consequently, no one community and/or library-centered EDI journey is the same. However, interestingly, progressive Illinois (IL) state libraries have walked the same roads. Interestingly, these realizations have led to a shift in priority and strategic focus resulting in many of these libraries to take action by contracting consultants to conduct full-scale equity assessments. Conclusions from these kinds of equity assessments have helped to contextualize and legitimize EDI-focused strategic planning decisions and outcomes for many IL libraries. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to contextualize these EDI consultations and/or interventions and assess their ability to empower public libraries and their communities to make change beyond and through the use of anti-hate statements, mission statements, or vision statements

Deprofessionalism at the Reference Desk: Validating Room for the New and Evolving Roles of the Information Professional

The colloquially named reference desk at public libraries is the quintessential meeting point between patron and librarian. In fact, the desk “remains a tangible symbol of [the librarian’s] mission and work” (Johnson, 2019, p. 92). However, many researchers have questioned the purpose and value of the desk in the “changing reference landscape” (Cassell and Hiremath, 2018, p. 3). The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to explore this changing reference landscape more in depth, what reference services really are, and to reiterate the distinction between a professional librarian (or information professional) and a paraprofessional. A small amount of research serves to provide a snapshot of this changed landscape. Lastly, the importance of LIS curriculum and service evaluation will be highlighted with specific examples and adaptations for future research

Closing the Gap: Supporting Equity, Diversity, & Inclusivity Plans in the Modern Library

Equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) plans and initiatives are at the forefront of many library’s strategic planning (Mallon, 2019). Efforts, big or small, such as mandatory all-staff EDI training sessions (DGPL, 2021), EDI focused patron programming, or simply promoting the local library as a place of opportunity for all (ALA, 2019), demonstrate the American Library Association (ALA)’s Core Values in practice (ALA, 2006). The ALA has historically promoted themselves as supporters, allies, and anti-racists, playing an important role in many libraries’ strategic plans and philosophies. But, despite libraries being regarded as the ‘most inclusive’ institutions in the United States (Jaeger, 2018), there appears to be internal and external gaps in truly achieving these EDI goals. It is necessary to further explore where these gaps are and propose solutions to ensure clearer action is being taken to support and highlight these strategies

Magic and Medical Science in Ancient Egypt

Amsterdamxi, 198 p.; 23 c

The Physicians of Pharaonic Egypt

Cairoix, 115p.; 30 c