Empowering Informed Communities
Resources for building community trust around information
Public libraries are uniquely positioned to support communities facing current information-related challenges. To do this, library workers need research-based resources and tools on information literacy and misinformation.
Researchers at the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public (CIP), with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, are undertaking a three-year project that aims to increase capacity for public library workers to help their communities navigate today’s complex information environment.
The project aims to address three goals with public libraries in mind:
- First, to provide publicly available resources, based on the most current information literacy research, and relevant for a public library context.
- Second, to provide sustainable, broadly available professional development that supports new resources and emerging practices and keeps library practitioners informed of the latest developments in the misinformation research field.
- Third, to equip libraries to support the refinement, expansion, and assessment of these resources and practices for their fellow colleagues in the library field.
To achieve these goals, CIP is partnering with WebJunction to develop communities of practice that offer library practitioners the opportunity to learn, implement, and share these resources and practices in a facilitated, online learning space, with webinars and other materials. WebJunction will also support the project through outreach efforts through its e-newsletter, courses, and webinars that reach tens of thousands of library staff across the nation and beyond. To learn more, click here, and join the CIP mailing list to stay up to date!
Project webinars
Why do we fall for misinformation?
10 July 2024
Explore opportunities to increase capacity for public library staff and community members to address and navigate problematic information.
How do we rebuild trust in authoritative information sources?
12 November 2024
Explore the decline of trust in societal institutions and strategies for rebuilding it amid rising misinformation.
Empowering Teens: Enhancing Information Literacy through Games and Interactive Programming
6 February 2025
Learn fun ways to help teens boost information literacy, featuring escape room games and social media tools, developed with public libraries.
This project is made possible thanks to support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, project number LG-255047-OLS-23.
