Last month, our blog provided an introduction to deepfakes, a technique in which artificial intelligence-based technology is used to alter or produce video content, tricking viewers into believing that something happened when it actually did not.
This month, we follow up with more on this important subject, including resources and programming ideas for all ages.
Norwood, Massachusetts, is the town everyone returns to. With a stable population that always seems to hover around 30,000, the folklore among locals is that “more people have been born and died in Norwood than anywhere else.”
How can Norwood live up to its loyal reputation as the younger generation grows up? For Kate Tigue, head of youth services at Norwood’s Morrill Memorial Library, it’s all about keeping the town, specifically the library, a welcoming place for everyone.
Small and rural libraries face a variety of unique challenges. The problem of misinformation is one of them.
Since the 2016 U.S. presidential election, we have become increasingly familiar with the universe of fake news and its proliferation and persistence in print, visual and social media.
Do a quick internet search for "fake news" and "the 2020 election." The results are alarming. Teaching students to learn to deal effectively with fake news is information literacy. As librarians and educators we have continued to learn and expand our information literacy knowledge. We work to teach our students to be skeptical, lateral searchers and fact-checkers.
As librarians everywhere will attest, fake news is not new; fabricated stories have been presented as truth for centuries. But take a divided electorate and add a social media landscape where misinformation is shared with a click, and interest in the topic has soared.
