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Mis/disinformation has in recent political and health climates become increasingly spread through social media and the internet, drawing increased discussion on the role libraries play in countering and combating the spread of mis/disinformation. This study investigated the impact and management of mis/disinformation at university libraries in Australia through a survey of 88 library staff and interviews with 17 managers. Library staff believe they have a role in teaching skills such as critical thinking and evaluation, advocating in this space and maintaining credible, balanced and inclusive collections. Although combating mis/disinformation is a strategic priority for libraries, it is often not a priority for the institutions themselves, leading to barriers for staff who would like to devote more time and resources to teaching information literacy skills and assessing the credibility and accuracy of collections. While complaints about collection content are low and library managers' view is that libraries should not censor materials, there is an increasing priority in Australia to address historical inaccuracies in content and build and maintain collections that are inclusive and culturally safe. Library staff in Australia would like support from national library bodies through training and resources and playing an advocacy role in national discussions around mis/disinformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information is increasingly being disseminated and accessed through social media. This study evaluated how high school students evaluate content on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Thirty-seven students from two different high schools in Western Australia (WA) completed a survey and series of eight activities that asked them to evaluate information (both visual and written) posted on social media sites. The results showed that students trust TV news more than social media. The results also showed that although students often recognised legitimate news sources versus opinion, they often fail to recognise bias when it relates to political or organisation affiliation. The students also did not verify accuracy or authority outside of the social media posts, trusted 'evidence' even when it was inaccurate, often did not recognise the verified tick and often failed to recognise that images and videos can be edited. This study has shown that media literacy instruction in schools needs to move away from the checklist approach of teaching how to evaluate information and move towards an instructional approach that focuses on the more critical thinking aspects of evaluation such as the source of the information, social and political bias and verifying evidence and information through multiple sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing focus in Australian university libraries on digital literacy with a number of universities developing digital literacy frameworks and digital literacy programmes for students and staff. The Council of Australian University Library (CAUL) has developed a Digital Dexterity Framework that outlines the skills and capabilities that students will need to succeed in the workforce. In 2019 Edith Cowan University (ECU) Library made the strategic decision to develop a digital literacy framework after extensive benchmarking and environmental scanning on current digital literacy initiatives in university libraries around Australia. Extensive consultation on the framework was undertaken during the development of the framework, with consistent feedback indicating that students need digital literacy skills in order to participate in the workplace of the future. The ECU Digital Literacy Framework outlines the strategies and actions that will be implemented in order to equip students at ECU with digital literacy skills. Future initiatives include a collaboration between the Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT) and the Library Services Centre to embed digital literacy skills into the curriculum, utilising a Library staff digital capability survey to develop training programmes for staff and the development of a study essential module that includes digital literacy elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings from an Australian survey that provides an analysis of the reasons why university students prefer to read print or digital course materials. This survey was undertaken as part of the Academic Reading Format International Study (ARFIS), which is investigating print versus digital reading preferences in 31 countries (Mizrachi et al., 2018). A total of 582 students completed the survey with 471 students providing comments. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the comments from the survey. The comments provided in this survey provide rich data on the reasons why students prefer reading in print or electronic formats, an area of importance due to the increasing prevalence of digital only collections in university libraries. Based on comments, students preferred print due to reasons such as accessibility, eyestrain, tactile features, better focus and ability to highlight and take notes. Although students prefer print, they acknowledge the convenience and cheaper costs of e-texts. Students who were e-preferring were influenced by issues such as cost, environment and convenience. In light of library collections prioritising digital content, tertiary institutions and libraries should carefully consider the role that print textbooks and collections, as well as printing services, may play in supporting student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]