Urgent Reference in Trumps America: Spring Reference SIG Meeting & Call
Details
Spring Reference SIG Meeting & Call for Submissions:
Urgent Reference in Trumps America
Wednesday, May 10th, 2017; 10am - 12pm
We welcome submissions for Lightning Round presentations on the theme of Urgent Reference in a post-Trump climate.
Students and patrons are approaching the reference desk at a time abuzz with questions of misinformation & disinformation & accusations of “fake news” & “alternative facts.” Providing reference has become differently urgent as the stakes for a Critical Information Literacy - for an informed citizenry at a time when the very definitions of “information” and “literacy” are called into question - are suddenly, jarringly high.
This spring the METRO Reference SIG will focus on Reference Work in this new climate. We believe that Reference Librarianship, in particular, is now, and has always been an avenue for “care work.” We seek to create a climate to come together and discuss our practice, showcase tools for research, interrogate systemic and evolving needs and to brainstorm and support one another in finding solutions.
Urgent Reference as it relates to:
• News related to the Trump administration in general
• Healthcare/Affordable Care Act
• Issues on Immigration Legislation
• Executive Orders and governmental procedures
• Working through “fake news” /”alternative” “facts” with students
• Determining the best ways to supply students with tools for informed responses, etc.
We consider Urgent Reference to mean reference work that directly:
• Seeks to uncover current events
• Sources news and various forms of media
• Can differentiate between Right and Left politics
• Provides support to vulnerable communities
• Provides support to activist communities
• Provides Critical Data Literacy
• Has a hand on the pulse of controversy
Presentations should be 10 minutes each. A group discussion will follow the presentations. Send one paragraph descriptions of your presentation, detailing topics covered and if you will have slides to kadler@mcny.edu & ssmith4@gc.cuny.edu by April 30th 2016.
Confirmations will arrive by May 5th, 2017.