Habits of Mind in an Uncertain Information World

The current political and cultural polarization in the United States and other countries has significant implications for all educational institutions and for libraries and librarians. The interrelated issues of trust, credibility, and authority now present major challenges because of the uncertaint...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Reference and user services quarterly 2018-03, Vol.57 (3), p.183-192
Main Authors: Gibson, Craig, Jacobson, Trudi E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic libraries
Access to Information
Autism
Beliefs
Citizenship Education
Climate
Collaboration
College faculty
Community Relations
Credibility
Developed Nations
Educational Facilities Improvement
Environment
FEATURE
Higher education
History Instruction
Ideology
Information Literacy
Information Sources
Information-seeking behavior
Information-seeking behaviour
Internet
Knowledge Level
Learning
Librarians
Libraries
Library collections
Library Personnel
Literacy
Politics
Public Opinion
Reflection
Role of Education
Scientific Methodology
Services
Social aspects
Social Media
Social networks
Teaching Methods
Truthfulness and falsehood
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Summary:The current political and cultural polarization in the United States and other countries has significant implications for all educational institutions and for libraries and librarians. The interrelated issues of trust, credibility, and authority now present major challenges because of the uncertainty of the social media environment, competing information “bubbles,” and enduring cognitive biases. The accelerating fragmentation of the media and information ecosystems undermines communal understanding of large and complex issues that citizens must face. To address this profound societal challenge, academic librarians should collaborate with faculty members to create communities of inquiry for students—sustained “high impact practices” that address the complexity of the current information environment. This article shows one model for using the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education to create learning goals for a range of in-depth learning experiences that cultivate habits of mind essential to discernment in the current political and cultural climate.
ISSN:1094-9054
2163-5242
1094-9054
DOI:10.5860/rusq.57.3.6603