Privacy & Digital Citizenship in Information Literacy Instruction: New Roles for Academic Librarians

Type of Presentation

Individual paper/presentation (20 minute presentation)

Target Audience

Higher Education

Location

Room 210

Abstract

Teaching librarians have carefully integrated digital tools into instruction practices to meet the needs of modern research practices and many academic librarians have expanded information literacy to include digital literacy or media literacies. Digital literacy has progressed past a matter of technical skill to include a cultural framework for using and evaluating media tools and diverse digital content. As digital tools further embed into the research process, librarians are able to further expand information literacy and metaliteracy to address new directions in knowledge discovery and scholarship. Information professionals should not only familiarize themselves with the behavior tracking, privacy policies, and data practices for digital technologies but promote digital literacy practices that take privacy and other moral principles of using emerging technologies into instruction and reference services. Furthermore, when teaching in digital environments, considerations of positive digital citizenship and digital empathy must be ingrained in information literacy and metaliteracy initiatives. While digital citizenship is often accentuated in K-12 education, it is not safe to assume that college students already possess the knowledge or skills to act socially responsible in online environments.

This presentation will argue that academic librarians are well suited to incorporate lessons on safeguarding privacy and personal information as well as promote positive digital citizenship practices into current information literacy and metaliteracy practices. By incorporating metaliteracy and digital citizenship into our information literacy instruction practices with careful consideration of misuse and abuse, we find new roles in promoting social responsibility for our constituents and beyond.

Presentation Description

This presentation will examine emerging roles for teaching librarians engaged with information literacy in digital environments. An overview of changing instruction practices will be provided as well as a discussion of ethical risks in context of ALA's Core Values of Librarianship. Strategies and practical implications for integration of privacy and digital citizenship lessons into information literacy instruction will be provided.

Keywords

digital literacy, digital citizenship, privacy, metaliteracy, digital tools

Publication Type and Release Option

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Sep 16th, 10:45 AM Sep 16th, 12:00 PM

Privacy & Digital Citizenship in Information Literacy Instruction: New Roles for Academic Librarians

Room 210

Teaching librarians have carefully integrated digital tools into instruction practices to meet the needs of modern research practices and many academic librarians have expanded information literacy to include digital literacy or media literacies. Digital literacy has progressed past a matter of technical skill to include a cultural framework for using and evaluating media tools and diverse digital content. As digital tools further embed into the research process, librarians are able to further expand information literacy and metaliteracy to address new directions in knowledge discovery and scholarship. Information professionals should not only familiarize themselves with the behavior tracking, privacy policies, and data practices for digital technologies but promote digital literacy practices that take privacy and other moral principles of using emerging technologies into instruction and reference services. Furthermore, when teaching in digital environments, considerations of positive digital citizenship and digital empathy must be ingrained in information literacy and metaliteracy initiatives. While digital citizenship is often accentuated in K-12 education, it is not safe to assume that college students already possess the knowledge or skills to act socially responsible in online environments.

This presentation will argue that academic librarians are well suited to incorporate lessons on safeguarding privacy and personal information as well as promote positive digital citizenship practices into current information literacy and metaliteracy practices. By incorporating metaliteracy and digital citizenship into our information literacy instruction practices with careful consideration of misuse and abuse, we find new roles in promoting social responsibility for our constituents and beyond.