Morning Session 1: Literacy in the Era of Fake News

Session Moderator: Dr. Renate Chancellor
Great Room C
Plagiarism Education Through Micro-Paraphrasing by Terry Darr, Loyola Blakefield

There is little effective pedagogy for teaching students across educational levels proper paraphrasing techniques.  Many cases of accidental plagiarism are caused by a failure to paraphrase ethically with relevant, appropriate use of digital information.  Micro-paraphrasing is a flexible instructional technique which focuses on reading comprehension and language analysis of secondary sources, achieving better results for students. Participants will learn the micro-paraphrasing technique and how to integrate micro-paraphrasing into information literacy instruction.

Confronting the Fake News Epidemic: History, User Information Behavior, Next Steps by Christina Heslink and Maria Thurber, Catholic University of America

This briefing aims to discuss the history of printed news, the impact of Web 2.0 technologies on information, the impact of digital information access on user behaviors, and recommendations for boosting digital information literacy.

Although fake news has existed in one form or another since the advent of the printing press in 1439, objective, fact-based reporting has dominated the news industry since the late 1890s. However, due to changes in the way information is created, accessed, and proliferated in the digital age, information users are now confronted with the challenge of distinguishing between real and fake information. The impact of Web 2.0 technologies like RSS feeds and social media platforms in the resurgence of fake news is undeniable, but in order to truly understand how these technologies have aided in the fake news epidemic, one must look to how information user behaviors have changed in the digital age. Digital information users are overwhelmed by the volume of information available to them, and the behaviors they have developed to mediate the flow of information have made them less critical of information sources. Additionally, information users today are more likely to perceive news as a commodity that helps them to share interests, establish social groups, and build communities. To many users, it no longer matters if the information being shared is real or fake, just that it acts as the cement for these social interactions. The resurgence of fake news and the resulting civic and social implications provide an opportunity for librarians to reinvest in digital information literacy education. It is our responsibility to help users better understand how technology is changing the way they approach information and also the ways in which information can be used in the digital age.

Morning Session 2: Innovative Services and Outreach

Session Moderator: Dr. Jane Zhang
Great Room B

Defining and Redefining Outreach to Special Populations by Jordan Sly, University of Maryland

This presentation will address the specific and tailored approach I have taken at the University of Maryland to define outreach in order to make it both a manageable and scalable goal as well as an impactful and meaningful project. Specifically in this presentation I will outline and explain the methods I used to determine the “right-fit” for outreach efforts through assessment, research, and shot-in-the-dark guessing. While I will be focusing on a specific feature of the UMD campus, I believe the process is applicable to most academic librarians trying to find a good fit within diverse programs on campus. The focus of this presentation looks at what we call “Living and Learning” programs, but I will also address work with other offices such as the student support office and the office for transfer students. I hope to share some methods for success as well as some areas for growth and how to learn from failures in order to find the right fit with other programs. I will be contrasting new and traditional forms of librarianship and discussing how “outreach” is and should continue to become a shared effort across all departments of the library.

Bridging Two Worlds: The Public Library and the Deaf Community by David Payne, Montgomery County Public Libraries

This study investigated the relationship between the public library and the Deaf community in the United States. A review of literature showed that while resources on this subject exist, no evidence could be found of any studies directly involving, or based on input from the Deaf themselves. Literature was also examined for resources identifying elements of deafness and Deaf culture which may relate to use of the public library, as well as ethical practices and procedures which are desirable when conducting research on Deaf participants. A nationwide survey of members of the American Deaf community was undertaken. This survey investigated the extent to which the Deaf utilize the public library and its associated services. It also identified factors which serve as impediments to their use. Survey results indicated that while the majority of respondents rarely visit a public library, interest in books and Deaf literature collections is high. Interestingly the public library is not seen as a good place to meet other Deaf people but is seen as a friendly environment. Difficulties in communicating with library staff, absence of interpreted events, and building design issues are identified as barriers to use. Areas of potential further study were identified.

Information for the Best of Sounds by Lorie Scott, The Catholic University of America

Music information in digital libraries has initially used language and methods of textual information (that is, information of inherently different nature), which does not best serve musical users or the subject itself. This presentation will consider types of material in Music Information Retrieval (MIR) systems and will focus on digital resources created for or needed by performing musicians as they seek to answer the question: how do we (or I) play this music? Musical information examples include: 1) annotations on scores (unique and worthy of secret-code designation, unfortunately hidden from listeners or from all but a tiny subset of other musicians); 2) information from scores themselves (accessibility and reputability); and 3) field recording in folk music studies (for music of oral tradition which has no score to share with the world). A basis assessment of current resources and suggestions for further development will be presented.

Morning Session 3: Cultural Heritage

Session Moderator: Dr. Young Choi
Room 321/323

Launching LC Labs: Creative Use and Connections with Library of Congress Collections by Meghan Ferriter and Jaime Mears, Library of Congress National Digital Initiatives

In September 2017, the National Digital Initiatives division at the Library of Congress launched the online space LC Labs (http://labs.loc.gov) to encourage creative use and connections with the Library of Congress. LC Labs supports experimentation with the Library’s digital collections and builds community while exploring forms of access.

This briefing will discuss trends, developments, and innovative service modes that are being piloted on labs.loc.gov. Examples include tutorials for computational methods of using collections and piloting crowdsourced transcription.

We will describe how we encourage work with digital collections through experiments, challenges, events, residencies, and resources like LC for Robots. This work has been made possible by building partnerships across the Library; it has been extended through collaboration with data artists, journalists, developers, and researchers. Learn more about labs.loc.gov in this session suitable for practitioners, students, and faculty interested in increasing imaginative uses of digital collections in libraries.

Engaging Millennials: Strategic Programming Models in DC Cultural Heritage Institutions by Nicholas Brown, Library of Congress - Office of the Librarian

Many libraries, archives, and museums (LAMs) in the U.S. are strategically deploying human and financial resources to improve engagement with millennials, the age group (18-35) that was recently identified by Pew Research as the largest user group of public libraries across the country (at 53% of the population group). Event programming has emerged as a key tool for drawing millennials to LAMs, in order to pique interest in collections and resources, and nurture long-term engagement. Three case studies of recent programming initiatives in Washington, DC demonstrate strategic programming models that effectively engaged millennials. DC Public Library’s #UncensoredDC campaign for Banned Books Month connected city government, non-profits, and local retailers to excite the community about challenging censorship and patronizing establishments that support books. The Hirshhorn’s “Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors” exhibit achieved local and national attention through aggressive media outreach and an event-specific membership program that rapidly generated a substantial amount of funding in support of the museum’s mission. Library of Congress Bibliodiscotheque, a series of events that culminated in a once-in-a-lifetime concert and late-night party featuring Gloria Gaynor, helped the Library expand its program offerings while remaining true to its core mission of making the national collections open and accessible to the public. These examples of strategic programming initiatives in three very different types of LAMs demonstrate the capacity for events to expand institutions’ public identities and constituencies. In these cases, national institutions have built upon existing innovations in the field to formalize best practices for reimagining programming to expand value for the community.