Making the Best of Bad Information
October 14, 2021 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm MDT
We’ve all interacted with patrons who are insistent that their research path has led them to a fact when, in fact, it hasn’t. There have always been wild ideas around, but theories with very little evidence behind them are getting more traction in mainstream society and showing up more often in our libraries.
- How do we as library staff intervene in situations where our patrons have bad information, and is it our role to do so?
- How do we uphold values of privacy and intellectual freedom when our patrons have arrived at incorrect or detrimental information?
We’ll look at the causes of the explosion of misinformation and how it coincides with mistrust of authoritative sources as well as discuss communication tips for talking to patrons.
Additional Resources:
- ALA Media Literacy Education in Libraries for Adult Audiences
- How to speak up without starting a showdown
- Wyoming State Library Series on Deepfakes
- Media Manipulation Casebook
- How To Talk to Friends and Family Who Share Misinformation
- The SIFT Archives
- Misinformation games
About the Presenters
Ian Ruge is the Teen Librarian at the Centennial Park Library in Greeley, Colorado. He has worked in libraries since 2008 and received his master’s degree in information and library sciences from Emporia State in 2017. During his tenure with the High Plains Library District, Ian has been a part of launching the district’s first makerspace, producing its first podcast series, and just recently he released his first album of original children’s music, Moving and Shaking.
Mallory Pillard is the Manager at the Centennial Park Branch of the High Plains Library District. In library life, she is passionate about equity, diversity and inclusion, privacy, media and misinformation, and services to people experiencing homelessness. In her personal life, you can find her camping with her boyfriend, gardening and working on her house, and playing video games. She will have her MLIS with a concentration in leadership from Emporia State University at the end of 2021.