Academic Librarians and Information Literacy Practice in an Age of Mis/Disinformation

Abstract

This paper presents findings from a study exploring Australian academic librarians' concerns about the impact of misinformation and disinformation on society, university students and access to reliable information. It also investigates strategies librarians consider effective for addressing mis/disinformation through information literacy programs. Sixty-two librarians responded to a survey comprising Likert scale and open-ended questions. Respondents expressed the greatest concern about the influence of mis/disinformation on news media and social media. There was strong agreement that mis/disinformation should be regulated on social media and that librarians play a key role in addressing it through information literacy. However, views on the importance of AI solutions were more divided. Demographic analysis revealed nuanced differences: those currently not working directly with students were more likely to agree that AI has an impact on combatting mis/disinformation compared to colleagues with face-to-face teaching responsibilities. As approaches to combating mis/disinformation through information literacy continue to evolve, and with rapid technological change including AI, there is an urgent need to rethink information literacy instruction, integrating media and AI literacy, to equip students with the skills required to recognise and combat mis/disinformation.