Alternative Facts, Fake News, and Digital Literacy

By Traci Cothran

There was a time when we didn’t need to define what a fact was – or rather, we all understood that it meant the same thing. It was a fact – it was the truth; the rest was fiction or opinion. There were clear, credible sources, and there were those that weren’t. Now students, teachers, and librarians (as well as the rest of the American populous) must grapple with distinguishing fact, fake news, and “alternative facts” on a near-constant basis. While the Internet gives us a plethora of easy-to-access information, it’s up to us to discern what is factual and what is not.

To do that, we need to start asking hard questions of everything we read and hear – such as:

  • Where did that Facebook “news” post originate?
  • Is this news or a “newsvertisement?”
  • Are these statistics or this sound bite taken out of context to distort their meaning?
  • Who penned this article? Do they have a specific agenda that influences their writing?
  • Who created this website and how are they getting paid for their content?
  • When you reverse-search the image used in the article, do you find different source content?

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Archives of Human Sexuality and Identity…In The News!

Posted on April, 22 2016

By: Reggie Brown

Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, launchedArchives of Human Sexuality and Identityin February 2016. Since its debut, this historical, groundbreaking archive has graced many headlines and been featured in various publications geared toward the LGBTQ community. We’ve highlighted some snippets for you to get a feel for the impact the collection has made so far!

Bryan Lowder, an associate editor at Slate Magazine, attended the archive’s launch event in New York then wrote about the “Powerful new digital LGBTQ history archive.” He describes importance of individuals having access to this content through local and university library subscriptions—recollecting his own, less-than-favorable experience doing research without the online archive at a library.

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A Treasure Trove of Queer History Is Now Online

Gale’s Archive of Human Sexuality and Identity being called “A Treasure Trove of Queer History” by Advocate Magazine Published on April 14,2016 Gale’s Archive of Human Sexuality and Identity was recently featured in Advocate Magazine, a leading U.S.-based national gay and lesbian news magazine. In the publication, the collection is noted for its depth of information covering …Read more

Tending the Academic Garden with CLiC

Posted on February 9, 2016

By Megan McCarthy

I love to garden, and over the years I’ve gotten pretty good at it. However, that wasn’t always the case. When I first started, every spring I’d run to Lowes, and pick out all the blooming plants I thought looked pretty. I’d bring them home, and plant them in my yard. Then, every year, I would watch in horror as they would wither and die. What was I doing wrong? Well, as it turned out, almost everything. I finally consulted with a gardening expert, and found that plants had to be grown according to their needs. Some needed shade, some sun. Some needed dry soil, and others needed water. Most liked to be planted when they weren’t in bloom, probably the reason I was killing so many. I learned some important lessons, but the most valuable lesson I learned was, when you are in trouble, ask an expert.

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If You’re Reading this Blog, Thank a Techie

eBooks for Techies

Technology-savvy people are the explorers and gladiators of our great Information Age. Without them, we’d have no blogs, our phones wouldn’t be smart, and none of us would be able to look up the name of that actress we always forget from you-know-that-one-show in a few keystrokes. The Techie’s thirst for knowledge – whether budding young techies or adult tech users – is boundless.

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