Author Archive: George M. Eberhart

Media Literacy in an Age of Fake News

November 1, 2019

Librarians can ensure patrons make informed decisions in local, state, and national elections by helping them think critically. Libraries of all types can promote media literacy by providing handouts, LibGuides, training, and programs about separating fact from online fiction. The following resources can assist. The National Association for Media Literacy Education, a nonprofit organization based … Continue reading Media Literacy in an Age of Fake News


George Strawley and Alicia Lillich

Citizen Science

June 24, 2019

Lillich added that these projects are neither clinical trials nor social science surveys, but represent the real involvement of the public in scientific research. George Strawley, community engagement coordinator with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Midcontinental Region, said that citizen science projects “definitely lend themselves to K-12 students,” but colleges and communities can … Continue reading Citizen Science




Jarrett Dapier, Nora Flanagan, Emily Knox, and Eric Ward at the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibitions June 22, 2019.

Confronting White Nationalism

June 22, 2019

Confronting White Nationalism in Schools was published by the Western States Center in Portland, Oregon, and is available for free download. The toolkit inspired Jarrett Dapier, young adult librarian at Skokie (Ill.) Public Library, to look at how libraries should respond to similar events. He said he was motivated by the rise of incidents involving “alt-right, white … Continue reading Confronting White Nationalism


Authors Gennifer Choldenko and Varian Johnson

The Urgency of History

June 22, 2019

All six panelists admitted that they had not read history when they were kids. But they were inspired to write historical fiction or nonfiction when they encountered something special—comic books, family oral histories, or primary sources in college. Varian Johnson, author of the Coretta Scott King honor book The Parker Inheritance (2018), said that the common … Continue reading The Urgency of History





From left: Yasmeen Shorish, Nathan Hall, and Rebecca Kennison present the new ACRL research agenda.

ACRL’s New Research Agenda

April 13, 2019

On April 13 at the 2019 ACRL Conference in Cleveland, three members of ReSEC described their process for creating the research agenda and what they hope to accomplish with the new document. ReSEC Chair Yasmeen Shorish, associate professor at James Madison University Libraries in Harrisonburg, Virginia, said the committee’s charge was to “help identify actionable … Continue reading ACRL’s New Research Agenda


Fobazi M. Ettarh at the 2019 Association of College and Research Libraries Conference in Cleveland April 13.

Why Being Bad Is Good

April 13, 2019

Most librarians, she said, believe in this dominant narrative, but the process of “examining those elements and decolonizing them can be uncomfortable for many people, causing defensive reactions and revealing blind spots in one’s perspective.” Ettarh took the traditional characteristics of the library narrative and recast them slightly to give them a realistic perspective: Libraries … Continue reading Why Being Bad Is Good


Mies Martin (left) and Beth Martin present their findings at the Association of College and Research Libraries Conference in Cleveland on April 12.

The Impostor Phenomenon

April 13, 2019

At an April 12 session at the Association of College and Research Libraries Conference in Cleveland, Beth Martin, head of professional programs at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, and Mies Martin, electronic resources and serials librarian at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, described their own recent IP research. Beth Martin said IP is … Continue reading The Impostor Phenomenon