‘Empowering Patrons Through News Literacy’ Workshop

As Americans are flooded with a constant stream of fabricated news stories, hoaxes, rumors, and native advertising, it is becoming more difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. Libraries can help by offering programs and services that empower their patrons to identify misinformation and become active contributors to the news cycle.

Join the American Library Association Public Programs Office and the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University for a one-day workshop to learn how your library can help your adult patrons be smarter news consumers.

“Empowering Patrons through News Literacy” will be held from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 25 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. The preconference workshop is offered as part of the 2019 ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits.

Workshop registration starts at $250 for ALA members. See pricing and registration instructions under the conference Ticketed Events webpage under “PPO (Public Programs Office).”

Participants may register for the workshop as part of their conference registration or as a single session. For assistance with registering for the workshop, contact the ALA Public Programs Office at 312-280-5045 or publicprograms@ala.org.

In “Empowering Patrons through News Literacy,” Michael Spikes, director of the Digital Resource Center for the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University, will provide attendees with the tools and skills needed to help patrons identify trustworthy information and move from passive consumers of the news to active contributors.

Participants can also work with fellow attendees to incorporate what they learn into ideas for programming and services for their communities.

ALA and the Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University previously partnered on Media Literacy @ Your Library, a pilot program that trained library workers to help adults become better news consumers. To stay up-to-date on future Media Literacy @ Your Library offerings, sign up for ALA’s Programming Librarian enewsletter.

YALSA News & Events

Morris and Nonfiction Award Program and Presentation

Come to this free event on Monday, January 28 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and help YALSA celebrate the 2019 honorees and winners for the Morris Award and YA Nonfiction Award! Enjoy coffee, tea and Danish and listen to the winners and finalists speak about their honored titles. After the speeches, mingle with the authors and pick up free copies of their books. The Morris Award finalists and Nonfiction Award finalists are announced the first week of December.

YALSA Trends Impacting Young Adult Services Paper Presentation

Join us on Saturday, January 26 at 4:30 p.m. for a paper presentation by Dr. Amanda Waugh titled “Feels Like Home: The Digital Information Practices of Teen Fans.” This addresses an understudied population, teens, in an understudied area, online fan communities, and an understudied problem, information seeking in a single community but across platforms (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Discord, and YouTube).

New YALSA Publication: Teen Summer Learning Programs: From Start to Finish

YALSA’s newest publication, Teen Summer Learning Programs: From Start to Finish is now available in the ALA Store! Whether you are just starting the transition from summer reading to summer learning, or have already completed the transition, this guide will help you think through the nuts and bolts of designing, implementing, and improving your summer learning program to ensure success. From planning and budgeting to community engagement and program examples, you will get lots of ideas for your teen summer learning program. Get your copy today in the ALA Store in print, as an ebook, or as a print/ebook bundle. ALA members receive 10% off.