Digital Literacy

This preconference session will help participants find a way to develop staff’s data literacy by leveraging Library Carpentry training (https://librarycarpentry.org/). Library Carpentry’s goal is to create a community of learners who embrace technologies & software to get work done more effectively. This session will begin with an explanation of Library Carpentry & how the presenters have applied it at the University of Alberta Libraries. Participants will then learn tangible & scalable ways they can use Library Carpentries at their libraries to break down barriers for library staff’s professional development around coding & data analysis. Following these discussions, participants will take part in a hands-on Intro to Data workshop demo (https://tinyurl.com/yasz3n2n), highlighting pedagogical techniques that help demystify key-tech concepts & support learners at all levels.

How do you find a way to engage historians and genealogists with your collection? Give them what they are looking for… primary resources! We all have books in our collections with inscriptions, letters, bookplates and flattened objects inside. But what do we do with them? The Robertson Library, University of Prince Edward Island, has identified a number of in-house books with interesting ownership stories. Researching the connection between the book, as artifact, and its previous owner(s), the UPEI Library has created a VRE (Virtual Research Environment), www.BookLives.ca, for genealogists and historians. Learn about this new primary source (held within your own library stacks) and hear some of the stories of book lovers from the past.
Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the book as an evolving artifact of history.
• Understand why provenance (ownership history) is important.
• Identify how to find, research, and document provenance within your collection.

Craig Silverman is an award-winning author and journalist and one of the world's leading experts on online misinformation, fake news, and content verification. He is the media editor of BuzzFeed News where he leads a global beat covering platforms, online misinformation, and media manipulation.

Craig was named to the Politico 50 for his work exposing fake news and its effect on American politics and is the 2018 recipient of the Carey McWilliams Award from the American Political Science Association, which honors “a major journalistic contribution to our understanding of politics.” His journalism and books have been honored by the Mirror Awards, U.S. National Press Club, National Magazine Awards (Canada), Digital Publishing Awards, and Crime Writers of Canada.

Craig previously was the founding editor of BuzzFeed Canada, and was also the founder of Emergent.info, a rumor tracking project that was developed as part of a research fellowship with the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University. His research resulted in the publication of Lies, Damn Lies, and Viral Content: How News Websites Spread (and Debunk) Online Rumors, Unverified Claims and Misinformation. From 2004 to 2015 he wrote Regret the Error, a blog about media accuracy and corrections, which became part of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies and was the basis for an award-winning book of the same name. 

In 2010, Craig was part of the team that launched OpenFile, an online news startup the delivered community-driven reporting in six Canadian cities. He is the former managing editor of PBS MediaShift and has been a columnist for The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and Columbia Journalism Review. Craig also edited The Verification Handbook and The Verification Handbook for Investigative Reporting for the European Journalism Centre, and is the author of the award-winning book Mafiaboy.

Tech help can be a tricky area of public library service. In our efforts to ensure the library  remains relevant to the public we embrace helping our users with technology. We point to this as success and evidence of the library’s relevance and empowering mission. But that goal of individual empowerment often comes at the cost of obscuring systemic complexity. What does that obfuscation cost us as a community? In this session we will explore this issue and discuss Strathcona County Library’s approach to creating room for the discussion of politics and ethics within our tech programs. 

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Can I use Photoshop to make a business card? Should I be scared that Facebook is mining my data? What’s Minecraft? How do I make a website to sell my hats? Which apps are safe and educational for my preschooler? Can you help me email photos to my grandchildren? How do I spot fake news?

Demand for digital literacy learning opportunities at the public library is both increasing and diversifying. Many still need to learn the basics; privacy and security concerns are ever-present; and people of all ages want to explore advanced, cutting edge and creative technology.

Your library needs to not only decide what to offer, but how it will fit in with community needs, strategic goals, and staffing. Join an interactive discussion with panelists from four B.C. libraries who have recently created new, evidence-based digital literacy frameworks, programs and resources. Learn what we learned, what worked and what didn’t, and how you can adapt our work for your library.

Presented by: Diana Marshall, FVRL, Samantha Mills, VPL, Cindy Ho, RPL, Sarah Felkar WVML