Peoria Public Library Seeks To 'Build Information Literacy'

Press release from the Peoria Public Library:

In the early days of COVID-19, the World Health Organization’s Director-General summed up the crux of the crisis in one simple sentence: “We’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic.”

This pandemic is the first in history in which technology and social media are being used on a massive scale to spread misinformation and disinformation. Be it misguided or malicious, the lightning spread of “fake news” happens because of how easy technology has made it to share that so-called news.

What’s missing? A little thought and scrutiny before clicking the share button. As a librarian and information professional, I’ve been observing the decline of information literacy in our country with growing alarm.

Peoria Public Library stands ready to help.

At the library, we curate and share some of the best information available at any given moment. We subscribe to peer-reviewed journals and trustworthy databases covering a range of topics. We also subscribe to NewsBank and ProQuest Newsstand, two digital services allowing you access to thousands of newspapers around the world. You can read the actual article, not a Facebook fake.

It’s also our hope that we can help you grow as an information detective. Rely on us to help you learn how to discern good information from bad.

Read more about Director Randall Yelverton's thoughts on information literacy in this month's Peoria Magazine. Find his full editorial here.

This press release was produced by the Peoria Public Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.