IOPN Journals (Illinois Open Publishing Network)
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Welcome to #SpoonieTok: Understanding and supporting disability expertise storytelling abilities and collective information practices on TikTok and beyond
Get PDFThis work-in-progress poster explores individual and collective storytelling and information creation practices in chronic illness TikTok communities, with the ultimate goal to support these embodied, creative, and multimodal abilities on and off-app through codesigned storytelling support materials. Findings from ongoing data collection and grounded theory coding, include folks’ sharing of disability expertise: using platform features to visualize invisible disability; audio, visual, and community-specific mimetic options. Interviews with 11 community members illuminate how disabled creators on TikTok engage in algorithmically-mediated online health communities, which have slippery boundaries where information can be found serendipitously through algorithmic ranking, and foster opportunities to develop storytelling skills
Aguiló-Pérez, Emily R. An American Icon in Puerto Rico: Barbie, Girlhood, and Colonialism at Play. Berghahn Books, 2022. 208 pages. Print ISBN: 9781800733862. eBook ISBN: 9781800733879.
Get PDFOn Defense: Academic Librarians in DEI Battleground States
Get PDFAs anti-DEI legislation sweeps the nation, workers in academic libraries are beginning to feel the impact. Three librarians working in states with passed or proposed anti-DEI legislation share their experiences and observations on the cultural, professional, and education shifts taking place on their campuses. Read how these librarians are learning to navigate the uncharted waters of intensifying retrenchment politics in their day-to-day work and the consequences of anti-DEI legislation for librarians at both public and private institutions.
The Idea Lab authors shed light on the chilling-effect anti-DEI legislation has created on college campuses across the United States. One author describes the prospective personal and professional consequences for librarians engaging in DEI activities and outreach programs. Another author considers the way librarians are embedded DEIAJ into their daily practices and performing small acts of resistance to maintain DEI efforts despite looming political and administrative pressures. The final author critiques a collective shift in librarianship behaviors to sidestep DEI efforts through self-censorship, in order to fly under legislative and administrative radars
Confirming the Query Search Method: Balancing AI Advancements in Reference Services
Get PDFAlthough artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly become a tool that offers quick, simplistic answers to reference questions (Chen, 2023), in this paper, we interrogate AI’s ability to consider the human-to-human interpersonal nuances that occur and are vital to answering queries. We ask: what is most essential for reference services - human knowledge sharing or the machine’s artificial intelligence? AI, as a mechanistic language model, cannot discern the subtleties of humanity’s questions; AI itself admits that librarians are more efficient at answering reference queries from a humanistic approach and lens (Yang & Mason, 2023). This paper is the second part of our introduction to our methodology for reference services, the Query Search Method (QSM). We present conceptual substantiation that, when enacted, the QSM can incorporate AI as an addition to the librarian’s toolbox for honoring patrons’ ways of knowing that, through the sententiousness of the human experience, invariably seek knowledge beyond “the machine.
Ground Truths: Engaging Kansas Public Libraries in Resilience Research
Get PDFIn Kansas, the NSF-funded statewide initiative Adaptive and Resilient Infrastructure for Social Equity (ARISE) was formed with the goal to create tools and programs that ensure support for communities in rural and urban areas who are most vulnerable to disaster, both natural and human-made. Data literacy has been identified as a foundational infrastructure need. This poster describes emerging findings from Data Literacy for All: A Kansas Public Library Initiative, a project within the ARISE initiative. This year-long study seeks to engage Kansas public library leaders in community-based research to identify the needs of their libraries for supporting everyday life data literacy in the communities they serve. Everyday life data literacy, defined as “the sociocultural data practices that occur within and across different domains of existing literacy practices,” is fundamental for social and economic resilience and can serve as a protective mechanism against misinformation. Using surveys and interviews with public library leaders, this study set out to uncover the ground truths of public library needs across the state of Kansas. An early and emerging picture suggests that public libraries may be best positioned to support data literacy and other resilience initiatives when they are recognized within their communities as critical infrastructure. This poster will report on continued findings in the Data Literacy for All project; the benefits and challenges of using community-engaged methods to involve library professionals in resilience research endeavors; and implications for preparing pre-service librarians for the profession
Curriculum Infused Cultural Heritage for School Media Specialists
Get PDFCultural heritage research helps to create knowledge of the past. Many foundational components are easily presented to children and can support standards required in the school curriculum. The project seeks to inform cultural heritage research through surveys and interviews with school librarians who have experienced a workshop on incorporating cultural heritage into the curriculum. Short lectures will be offered with hands-on activities to be delivered at conference workshops focused on school media specialists’ professional development. The in-person workshops will allow school media specialists to apply common pedagogy within the context of cultural heritage activities that teach simple, easy to use concepts that can be applied throughout the curriculum. The workshops will demonstrate how library instruction and program activities can support cultural and environmental heritage in the classroom for teachers. Participants will be able to implement cultural heritage education in their school’s curriculum that focuses on critical thinking, discovery, and creating context.
Paper/online surveys that address school librarians\u27 experiences and perceptions relative to the workshop activity will be distributed to workshop attendees at the end of the session. Survey participants can indicate if they wish to be contacted for an interview. The information collected from this project will inform the field of library and information science. The project aims to show that school media specialists can help teachers utilize real world archaeological research and practice in fun ways that support the curriculum. School media specialists can also include library resources that speak to the importance of cultural and environmental heritage
Collaborations between Public Library Educators and Practitioners to Apply a Theory of Change and Promote Civic Engagement for Racial Justice in the American South
Get PDFThe Institute of Museum and Library Services’ National Leadership Grants for Libraries program recently awarded a $332,939 grant titled “Civic Engagement for Racial Justice in Public Libraries” (RJ@PL) to the University of Alabama and the Chicago State University. The grant’s purpose is to build the capabilities of public librarians and selected communities to promote civic engagement for racial justice and achieve the following objectives: 1) Assessment of public library efforts to advance racial justice (externally and internally); 2) Operationalization of strategic participatory planning process using a theory of change to develop roadmaps and action plans that further racial justice in select community domains (economy, education, health, etc.); 3) Implementation of key strategic components of information-based offerings in six/eight library settings. This paper reports ongoing collaboration to further the three design components via applying a theory of change for an intended impact of increased community wellbeing resulting from improved racial climate
Fairness and Biases in AI Algorithms and Interfaces
Get PDFThis workshop will explore various biases embedded in AI algorithms and interfaces across online platforms, including digital archives and libraries, social media, search engines, and AI-powered services like ChatGPT. Participants will critically engage with issues surrounding information credibility, transparency in content selection and appraisal, the accuracy and integrity in representation, and the intricate dynamics of information authority, format, and editorial oversight. The workshop aims to equip participants with practical strategies to identify, assess, and address biases inherent in various media, empowering them to navigate and evaluate online information across platforms with informed judgment.
The workshop will begin with a 10-minute introduction, welcoming participants and outlining the goals of the session. The workshop will kick off with an interactive introductory lecture focused on various potential biases in AI algorithms. The first part, which will last about 10 to 20 minutes, will address recognizing biases in social media. Participants will analyze these biases by identifying fake news in provided articles and reflecting on their own everyday information practices on social media. After this informative segment, participants will engage in hands-on workshops aimed at applying their knowledge to recognize the types of biases they may encounter during their online information-seeking activities. They will participate in hands-on activities lasting 20 to 30 minutes, using different online tools to help identify such biases. Following the interactive hands-on workshops, participants will have the opportunity to share their insights and findings regarding the biases they discovered.
The second section, which will explore biases in digital archives, digital libraries, and search engines through case studies, will last approximately one hour. It will include a 40-minute lecture that covers different types of biases in digital archives, libraries, and search engines, illustrated through case studies. After the lecture, participants will reflect on the biases presented for 10 minutes in a group discussion, sharing their thoughts and insights.
Following participants\u27 reflections on these biases, the last part of the session will focus on potential biases in ChatGPT. It will begin with a 30-minute lecture on how ChatGPT generates responses, emphasizing potential biases that could arise at each layer or step of the process. By examining a step-by-step analysis of how ChatGPT generates its answers, participants will deepen their understanding of the biases and errors inherent in the information generated by ChatGPT and its complex operational dynamics. Following this lecture, participants will engage in discussion for 20 minutes, working in small groups to identify biases and discussing necessary educational changes for themselves and their students. The workshop will conclude with a final reflection, where participants will share insights gained throughout the session and discuss how to apply their learning moving forward. The workshop will be wrapped up in a brief 10-minute summary of key points, encouraging participants to implement the strategies discussed in their own information evaluation practices.
This workshop is designed for beginner-level students and researchers, as well as those interested in incorporating critical digital literacy principles into their teaching. It is open to people with diverse backgrounds and levels of expertise. No prior knowledge is required, allowing participants to embark on their learning journey with a fresh perspective and receptive attitude. The goal of this workshop is to enhance critical thinking skills related to the credibility of information while unpacking the complexities of information curation, representation, and editorial control in today\u27s intricate digital landscape. Participants will gain a more nuanced understanding of how information is selected, represented, and potentially biased across various platforms, including social media, digital archives and libraries, search engines, and AI-powered services like ChatGPT. Through this workshop, participants will learn to effectively navigate the complexities of their information practices and develop the ability to critically assess the credibility of the online information they consume.
Through engaging lectures and hands-on activities, participants will learn to identify and evaluate the inherent biases present in various media channels. They will explore practical strategies for assessing the credibility of information, recognizing potential mis/disinformation, and critically analyzing the content they encounter in their everyday information-seeking activities. By the end of the workshop, participants will be equipped with the necessary tools to navigate the digital information landscape safely and effectively, empowering them to make informed decisions not only for themselves but also in guiding others, such as children, students, or peers, in developing their own critical digital media literacy skills. This comprehensive approach aims to enhance participants’ ability to engage thoughtfully with information, ultimately fostering a more informed and critically aware community
How Data is Documented: An Analysis of Metadata Schemas for Research Data
Get PDFThe importance of metadata has long been understood by those in the fields of librarianship and research data management. Currently, there are many research data service providers that allow deposit of research data or gather metadata for research data housed elsewhere, following various metadata schemas to describe their collections. These schemas were designed to make their datasets organized, discoverable, and reusable. As data curators initially recognize the need for and begin working on metadata schemas for research data, most previous studies in this field were conducted from their perspectives. However, few of these studies discuss a schema from the perspective of data (re)users. This study aims to take a small step towards filling this gap by evaluating four influential metadata schemas in light of researchers\u27 information-seeking behaviors for research data. This study explores the factors that affect researchers’ efforts in seeking, understanding, and evaluating (re)usable data, and examines how these factors are represented across various fields in the current metadata schemas for research data.
The methodology for this study consists of three parts: a meta-analysis of relevant research on researcher’s seeking behaviors for (re)usable data, a crosswalk of the metadata schemas, and a comparison of findings from the previous stages. The findings from this study will offer insights into the development of research data metadata schema in the future, which will enhance the infrastructure for data sharing, ultimately facilitating more effective (re)use of existing data
Are we ready? Generative AI and the LIS curriculum
Get PDFThe US Department of Education’s 2023 report highlights the importance of AI literacy for educators and other stakeholders (Cardona, Rodriguez & Ishmael, 2023). Analyzing this report, Lo (2023) notes that “for librarians, AI literacy could involve understanding how AI tools work, how they can be used to enhance library services, and how to navigate potential ethical issues related to AI” (p. 2). Southworth et al (2023) observe that technical aspects of AI are covered in the traditional STEM curricula but are largely absent outside of it. While there are efforts currently to provide education and training opportunities for librarians in addressing AI in their work, as well as literature that talks about how AI will impact various aspects of work in libraries, few have touched on the need for curriculum development to effectively address such disruptive technologies by identifying the competencies or threshold concepts that will be affected by them. The ubiquitous impact of AI has included applications in medical research as well as law, design, economics, and humanities, to name just a few. Agile practice and improved dissemination of best practices are called for, moving forward. How should LIS curriculum address AI and related issues to prepare future librarians and information professionals? This poster covers an in-progress scoping review of literature and a content analysis of the publicly available course descriptions of ALA accredited LIS programs, as well as their current mission statements and objectives to provide a snapshot of extant integration of this new and challenging technology