There is an urgent need to build the public’s resilience to disinformation. Librarians are trusted community members capable of taking on this fight, yet they may be hesitant to assume a frontline role in confronting politicized misinformation. We conducted ethnographic observations and interviews across three Montana libraries to understand the informational needs and search habits of library patrons and the role that librarians play in promoting effective search practices. While Montana poses a unique set of challenges regarding broadband speed and access, our findings replicated studies in school settings across the country regarding a reliance on antiquated search literacy techniques. Librarians interviewed expressed challenges with confronting patrons about specific information claims that might be politically sensitive but expressed confidence in their ability to build patron trust and teach effective search literacy practices. Based on this research, we built and tested interventions designed to enable librarians to build out their long game and empower patrons across the United States to better confront misinformation now and in the future.
Tripodi, F. B., Stevenson, J. A., Slama, R., & Reich, J. (2023). Libraries Combating Disinformation: From the Front Line to the Long Game. The Library Quarterly, 93(1), 48-71.
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