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Taking on Fake News: What to Say When Patrons Repeat Things That Just Aren't True

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 18:49:49 GMT

rstern5019
Fri, 22 Jan 2021 18:49:49 GMT

Great discussion. Personally, I did a survey on LinkedIn to ask if librarians should present factual information or credible sources when the patrons bring up conspiracy and fake information. The consensus among most librarians and some non-librarians was that it wouldn't help someone who is steeped in disinformation. Personally, I'm in despair as I unfortunately see the career of librarianship waning due to some patrons who nix anything in the nonfiction collection - science, math, etc. It's very sad to witness this.

kcalvert79
Sat, 23 Jan 2021 19:15:05 GMT

That is extremely challenging, and I understand the frustration. And yes, when providing factual evidence from mainstream media, it’s easy for the customer to say that we’re sharing fake news or think we’re a part of the conspiracy, but it’s still important to continually and repeatedly offer accurate information and explain why it’s accurate. Libraries are one of the few institutions trusted across the board to do this. There are a couple different ways to go about this, and neither of these are perfect, but they’re a start: 1) First, do your best to level with the patron. If you’re there with them, person to person, you’re going to have a bigger impact than if you’re behind the barrier of library employee versus customer. And this just means taking the time to not judge and to let them be heard. 2) Second, remind the customer that you have no reason to lie to them. Remind them that libraries are trusted across the political spectrum and that you are a trained information professional who only wants to help them find the best information and the answers to their quest ions. I often fall back on PEW research about trusted sources of information and media outlet funding to try and get this message across. 3) Finally have information like that available from NAMLE and the Center for Media Literacy ready. Go through the tools with patrons. Show them that these aren’t media outlets, that they’re nonprofit tools meant to educate. Giving customers these tools will give them the opportunity to learn and explore on their own. After all, if they want to prove to you that they are right and you are wrong, they are likely the type of person to be challenged to do research. And I would argue that the need for media literacy and the necessity for the library to play a role here is an opportunity for our profession to continue to be relevant and be meaningful to future generations. Yes, combatting disinformation and misinformation is challenging. Yes, it is extra work. But now more than ever, as information professionals, it is our work.