Fake News & Information Literacy: Designing information literacy to empower students

Authors

  • Claudia McGivney Stony Brook University
  • Kathleen Kasten Stony Brook University
  • Dana Haugh Stony Brook University
  • Jennifer A. DeVito Stony Brook University

Abstract

This paper explores the instability of the notion of “truth” in contemporary discourse and praxis, and its intersections with information literacy as a core priority of academic librarianship.  The incorporation of feminist theory within the conceptual structure of information literacy informs the ways in which academic librarians seek to help students and researchers to become more aware of the context and origins of information, and to be able to examine it critically.

Author Biographies

  • Claudia McGivney, Stony Brook University

    Claudia McGivney is the Head of Academic Engagement at Stony Brook University. She holds a Master of Science degree in Library and Information Science from Long Island University, C.W. Post, a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from Hofstra University, and is currently working on a Ph.D. in Literacy at Hofstra University. Her research interests include anime and graphic novels in higher education, digital literacies, and reflective practice. 

  • Kathleen Kasten, Stony Brook University

    Kathleen Kasten is Head of Humanities & Social Sciences at Stony Brook University Libraries.  She holds a PhD and MA in French from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MLS from Queens College.  Her research interests include reading practices, the history of the material text, and early modern French cultural studies.

  • Dana Haugh, Stony Brook University

    Dana Haugh is the Web Services Librarian at Stony Brook University Libraries. She leads the design and development of the library’s web presences, focusing on responsive and easy-to-use web and mobile interfaces. Her research interests include emerging library technologies, UX design, and British literature.

  • Jennifer A. DeVito, Stony Brook University
    Jennifer A. DeVito is an Assistant Librarian and the Director of Access Services at the Stony Brook University Libraries. She is the liaison to the College of Business and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies. Jennifer holds a Master of Science in Library Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts from the New School for Social Research.  Her research interests include library management, access to information and information design.

References

(n.d.) Why literacy? Available at: https://www.literacyworldwide.org/why-literacy.

Accardi MT. (2013) Feminist pedagogy for library instruction.

ACRL. (2000) ACRL information literacy competency standards for higher education. Available at: http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.

ACRL. (2016) Framework for information literacy for higher education. Available at: http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework.

Bardzell S. (2010) Feminist HCI: Taking stock and outlining an agenda for design. Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ‘10). New York, NY: Association for Computer Machinery, 1301-1310.

Bourdieu P. (1986) The Forms of Capital. In: Richardson JG (ed) Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education New York: Greenwood Press, 241-258.

Broidy E. (2007) Gender and the politics of information: Reflections on bringing the library into the classroom. Library Trends 56: 494-508.

Dwyer B. (2016) Teaching and Learning in the Global Village: Connect, Create, Collaborate, and Communicate. Reading Teacher 70: 131-136.

Gregory L and Higgins S. (2013) Information literacy and social justice: Radical professional praxis: Library Juice Press.

Henry RL. (2015) Moving from theory to practice: Incorporating feminist approaches into search and discovery tool development. The Journal of Academic Librarianship 41: 514-516.

Ingold C and Searing SE. (2007) Introduction: Gender issues in information needs and services. Library Trends 56: 299-302.

Kasowitz-Scheer A and Pasqualoni M. (2002) Information Literacy Instruction in Higher Education: Trends and Issues. Libraries' and Librarians' Publications.

Kumbier A. (2014) Ephemeral material: Queering the archive: Library Juice Press.

Lam WS. (2014) Literacy and capital in immigrant youths’ online networks across countries. Learning, Media and Technology 39: 488-506.

Lilburn J. (2007-2008) Challenging the conditions that make alternatives necessary: Librarians, the news media and the information literate citizen. Progressive Librarian 30: 3-17.

Ludovico C and Wittig C. (2015) A universe of information, one citation at a time: How students engage with scholarly sources. Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning 9: 30-39.

Olson HA. (2007) How we construct subjects: A feminist analysis. Library Trends 56: 509-541.

Prior M. (2005) News vs. entertainment: How increasing media choice widens gaps in political knowledge and turnout. American Journal of Political Science 49: 577-592.

Sadler B and Bourg C. (2015) Feminism and the future of library discovery. Code{4}Lib Journal 28.

Sloniowski L, Williams M and Ryan P. (2013) Grinding the gears: Academic librarians and civic responsibility. Urban Library Journal 19: 1-10.

Taylor A and Dalal HA. (2017) Gender and information literacy: Evaluation of gender differences in a student survey of information sources. College and Research Libraries 78: 90-113.

Vraga EK and Tully M. (2015) Media Literacy Messages and Hostile Media Perceptions: Processing of Nonpartisan Versus Partisan Political Information. Mass Communication and Society.

Weisbard PH. (2008) Professional reading: Gender issues and libraries. Feminist Collections 29: 12-13.

Wineburg S, McGrew S, Breakstone J, et al. (2016) Evaluating Information: The Cornerstone of Civic Online Reasoning. Stanford Digital Repository.

Downloads

Published

2017-05-01

Issue

Section

Articles