Librarians’ Civic Roles and Responsibilities: Issues in Information Crises and Information Disorders

Abstract

Objective. Public libraries can be powerful advocates for civic engagement. They have a responsibility to rekindle civil society and educate and inform the public. Libraries must expand their role beyond physical and virtual space to promote civic practices in fighting fake news. Libraries can use their influence to help students and librarians identify misinformation and caution others against sharing it. This paper aims to introduce how librarians can activate their civic roles and define information disorders. Methods. Public librarians were interviewed using discourse analysis to identify the profession's information challenges and understand their civic roles. Results. Public librarians identified a variety of ways to perform their civic roles, and several constructs emerged in the definition of information disorders. Conclusions. This pilot study offers a glimpse into how public librarians interact with information and filter misinformation circulating on social media. Civic librarianship is evident, but librarians face professional challenges. Although this study focuses on public librarians, the authors believe that many aspects can be accustomed by all types of librarians.