In late 2016, we began to notice the prevalence of false and misleading information on social media. After seeing multiple people misled by a fake ABC News article about paid protesters at political rallies, we realized there was a serious challenge that librarians could help address. At the same time, we saw an opportunity to raise public awareness of librarians as guides to information and media literacy.

Program participants learn from real-world fake news examples and receive tips and tools to assess the credibility of news sources. Everyone participates in a group exercise to assess media outlets for journalistic quality and political bias. Presentation materials are available on the library website so educators and trainers may replicate the program. Library blogs help promote the class and amplify the impact of promoting media literacy.

Participants learn techniques for evaluating the credibility of news stories and distinguishing between emotional responses to and logical analyses of information. All participants surveyed have agreed or strongly agreed that they learned something useful, intend to apply what they learned and are more aware of resources and services provided by the library. One customer commented that, “we need to have more of this for the times we live in.”