On May 2nd, the DePaul University Library co-hosted the 23rd Annual Information Literacy Summit with the College of DuPage Library and with generous support from the Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS) Continuing Education Event grant. Over 120 librarians and educators from Chicagoland and the Midwest gathered together on campus at the College of DuPage to share research and practice related to information literacy, mis/disinformation, digital and algorithmic literacies, and student-centered approaches to teaching media and information literacy skills.
Keynote speaker Rachel Fundator began the day with the talk “Experiential Information Literacy: Infusing Student Partnerships into Higher Education.” Fundator spotlighted two innovative programs she helped develop at Purdue University’s Institute for Information Literacy: Student Partners for Information Research and Literacy (SPIRaL) is an undergraduate research opportunity where students work with librarian mentors to design, conduct, and publish original qualitative research on information literacy topics, and Partners in Algorithmic Literacy (PAL) is a guided learning community where students and faculty work together to design solutions for AI use in the classroom. Maggie Collins, a student participant in both SPIRaL and PAL, joined Fundator on stage to share how involvement in these hands-on partnerships shifted her understanding of information literacy from the abstract to empowered. Whether students take part in year-long research programs or spend one class session with a librarian, Fundator encouraged attendees to imagine and explore opportunities for experiential education where students can act as choiceful and curious partners exploring real-world information literacy topics that are likely to shape their lives now and into the future.
Next on the agenda, breakout sessions and roundtable discussions offered Summit attendees the chance to hear from colleagues on topics such as supporting students’ ability to read and engage with scientific literature through learning communities and journal clubs; examining information literacy through the lens of critical theories, Indigenous Knowledge and epistemic justice; and teaching critical thinking and analytic skills in “real time” as the Infodemic rages on. DePaul’s own Kaiya Schroeder presented the session “They Couldn’t Resistor: Why Libraries Fell in Love with Robots (and How We Break Free),” which examined the ways that the uncritical adoption of AI tools compromises library services, negatively impacts user communities, and reinforces epistemic injustices. In response, her presentation invited attendees to envision a more authentic, just future rooted in an ethic of collective care.
The Summit concluded with an engaging round of lightning talks, including DePaul librarian Sveta Stoytcheva Price’s presentation on facilitating a Faculty Learning Community in which a cohort of librarians and faculty from across DePaul’s colleges met to dive deeply into Critical Disinformation Studies and support each other in creating classroom learning activities that address misinformation.
The Information Literacy Summit Program includes links to the opening keynote, as well as selected session materials provided courtesy of the presenters. For more information about information literacy and instructional services at the DePaul University Library, please contact Firouzeh Rismiller, Instructional Services Librarian.