Digital Literacy

Cat McIlroy (she/her)

Librarian, Sexsmith Secondary School

Information literacy has always been a part of librarians' vernacular, but because students are facing an increasingly endless abyss of digital information and misinformation, it is now librarians' responsibility to show them how to navigate.

Cat will discuss how librarians can help high school students become information and digitally literate. The session will include ways to partner with teachers, engage with students in-person and virtually, and the methods to make things relevant and fun.

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.

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