Call for Proposals for Lake Superior Libraries Symposium 2023: Matter of Fact: Information Literacy in an Age of Fake News

The organizers of the Lake Superior Libraries Symposium (LSLS) invite breakout session proposals for our eleventh annual conference to be held on June 9, 2023, at Kathryn A. Martin Library on the campus of the University of Minnesota Duluth in Duluth, Minnesota.

This year’s theme, Matter of Fact: Promoting Information Literacy in an Age of Fake News, invites attendees to explore how libraries and library workers experience the unique challenges presented by the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation. We want to know how you’re promoting intellectual freedom and information literacy at your library. At LSLS23, we will be inspired to better serve our communities by promoting intellectual freedom and the pursuit of truth while actively countering disinformation and censorship.

Possibilities for presentation topics include:

Consider the Source

How do you evaluate sources for accuracy? How do you ensure that your collection represents the differing perspectives of the people served by your library? How do you respect copyright, know when and how to cite sources, and understand the social and political issues affecting information? How do you ensure that marginalized voices are included in the conversation? 

Promoting the Truth

How do you counter the spread of misinformation by actively promoting access to reliable, objective resources? How do you address issues of access or lack of access to information sources? How do you teach information literacy skills that enable your patrons to locate information and evaluate its accuracy for themselves? How do you raise public consciousness regarding the many ways in which disinformation and media manipulation are used to mislead the public?

Defending Freedom

How do you deal with challenges to library materials and/or resources? How do you promote intellectual freedom for the people served by your library? How do you defend the privacy of your patrons? 

Successful breakout session presentations will be applicable to many types of libraries and showcase effective and innovative practices. 60-minute breakout sessions should include 10-15 minutes of question and answer. Panel presentations, particularly those representing a diversity of library types, sizes, and/or locations, are strongly encouraged. All presenters will receive a discounted registration rate of $25.

Breakout session presenters should submit proposals at https://forms.gle/PmKMBJ64oPjFiR6m8. All proposals should be submitted by March 17th. Presenters will be notified of acceptance in early April.  

LSLS allows library staff to share their expertise, learn from their colleagues, and network to develop a stronger community of information professionals. Staff from all types of libraries are encouraged to attend. The event is organized and supported by library staff and educators from Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin; for a full list of our supporters, see https://lakesuperiorlibrariessymposium.com/about/supporters/.

For questions about proposals and submissions, please contact Leslie Mehle at mehlel@superiorlibrary.org. A complete listing of speakers, agenda, and costs will be released in April.