Public Libraries Fighting Disinformation: An Analysis of Knowledge, Resources, and Actions of Portuguese Librarians

Public librarians play a significant role, as they are responsible for mediating access to information, which desirably includes training the population in information literacy. In the current context, the problems with fake news and disinformation make their action even more urgent, requiring a solid position in tackling this phenomenon, primarily through clarification and training to the population. In the case of academic libraries, few studies show the commitment of professionals in deepening actions and projects to fight disinformation (Antunes et al., 2021), even though, in Portugal, there are no studies on public libraries’ activities.

The literature highlights following advantages of developing these projects in public libraries:

  • the importance of increasing the evaluation skills of information sources;
  • the development of critical thinking to combat disinformation;
  • strengthening citizenship and autonomy of individuals and their creative potential;
  • the training of proactive critical thinkers based on validated information literacy strategies;

and urges decision-makers to put intentions and actions on their policy agenda (European Commission, 2016). However, it requires public library information professionals to be aware of the problem (Sayers, 2006), empowered with these skills and competencies (Matteson and Gersch, 2020), and committed to a culture of sharing resources and knowledge around the issue (Harding, 2008). But how can we know if and how they develop these actions? This exploratory study aims to better understand the level of knowledge, practices, and resources available in Portuguese public libraries to tackle disinformation. To this end, a questionnaire composed of 12 questions was designed and distributed via social networks of public libraries and by email. Seventy answers were obtained, and distributed throughout the national territory, representing about one-quarter of total of 303 municipal public libraries in Portugal. The results show the librarians’ consistent knowledge of the topic but still incipient actions about fighting disinformation. The practices that directly address the fight against disinformation and fake news through training in information literacy are scarce and lack guidance for their application. The fight against disinformation is global and urgent (European Commission, 2022), making it very relevant to train the librarians themselves to use their multiplier effect in training strategies with the population, contributing to the implementation of a more attentive, integrated, and critical citizen culture.

References

  • Antunes, M. L., Lopes, C., & Sanches, T. (2021). Como combater as fake news através da literacia da informação? Desafios e estratégias formativas no ensino superior. BiD, 46. https://doi.org/10.1344/BID2020.46.15
  • European Commission. (2016). Research for cult committee: Promoting media and information literacy in libraries. Retrieved from https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/IPOL_IDA(2017)573454
  • European Commission. (2022). The strengthened code of practice on disinformation 2022. Retrieved from https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/2022-strengthened-code-practice-disinformation
  • Harding, J. (2008). Information literacy and the public library: We’ve talked the talk, but are we walking the walk? Australian Library Journal, 57(3), 274–294. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049670.2008.10722480
  • Matteson, M. L., & Gersch, B. (2020). Information literacy instruction in public libraries. Journal of Information Literacy, 14(2), 71–95. https://doi.org/10.11645/14.2.2680
  • Sayers, R. (2006). Principles of awareness-raising for information literacy: A case study. UNESCO.

Tatiana Sanches1, Carlos Lopes2, Maria Luz Antunes3
1UIDEF, Instituto de Educação, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal; 2APPsyCI, Ispa-Instituto Universitário, Lisboa, Portugal; 3Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa (ESTeSL), Portugal

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