NAVIGATING TRUTH, PRIVACY, AND REPRESENTATION IN THE DIGITAL AGE
About
This National Library Week, Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies will present a dynamic series of virtual presentations exploring the complex intersections of information literacy, privacy concerns, archival representation, and the integration of AI in educational settings. Join us as experts from a variety of fields delve into critical topics such as combating misinformation, preserving sensitive materials, addressing archival silences, and harnessing AI for educational purposes. This series promises to provide thought-provoking insights and practical strategies for navigating the ever-evolving landscape of information in today’s digital world. All sessions will be held via Zoom.
Agenda (Subject to change)
Tuesday, April 9
1:00–2:00 PM
Information Literacy in the Age of Internet Conspiracism
–Matthew Hannah
Despite the fact that more Americans than ever before have access to information, we still see the spread of mis/disinformation and conspiracy theories. In particular, conspiracy theories have dramatically impacted American political and civic life. In this presentation, we will share a new digital toolkit we have developed to help families have difficult conversations about conspiracy beliefs.
Wednesday, April 10
12:00–1:00 PM
Navigating Archival Silences: Black History at Purdue
–Sammie Morris
Archival silences, whether intentional or unintentional, result in lack of representation of diverse people and experiences in archival collections. These silences are represented through a lack of historical evidence for information about underrepresented people in Purdue’s past, including Black Boilermakers. How can University Archives navigate and seek to challenge these silences?
2:00–3:00 PM
Using an AI Video Generator for Flipped Library Classrooms
–Jerilyn Tinio and Jing Lu
This project involves creating instructional videos that will be flipped classroom materials for Libraries instruction. To begin, videos will be created to present basic information about finding and accessing resources at Purdue Libraries. This information is often presented during guest lectures. Videos will be created covering this basic information that can be used across academic departments. These videos will be shared and made available through a Library Guide on Purdue Libraries to be easily accessible to subject liaisons and all campus members.
Thursday, April 11
12:00–1:00 PM
Reacting to AI in the Classroom: Faculty and Student Perceptions and Use of Generative AI Tools
–Rachel Fundator
In spring 2023, representatives from the Teaching and Learning Community of Practice (TLCoP) received a Purdue Innovation Hub Grant to study how Purdue students and faculty perceive and use AI tools, such as ChatGPT. The team seeks to bridge gaps in understanding between faculty and students around uses of AI. In this brief presentation, I will describe the impetus for this research, initial findings from faculty and student surveys and focus groups, and the research team’s next steps for professional development around AI in the classroom.
2:00–3:00 PM
Student Partners for Information Research and Literacy (SPIRaL)
–Clarence Maybee and Rachel Fundator
It is of vital importance to society that individuals are able to navigate today’s algorithmically mediated information environment, which exacerbates the spread and the harms of mis and disinformation. In the 2023-24 academic year, SPIRaL undergraduate researchers are conducting original qualitative research to study how Purdue students perceive the relationship between social media algorithms and democratic engagement in digital spaces.
4:00–5:00 PM
Spaces as Primary Sources: Archival Literacy on Campus
–Neal Harmeyer
The spaces surrounding us—buildings, sidewalks, streets, and lawns—tell a story about the past. Through the prism of archival research, these physical spaces act as active learning laboratories for students to learn and test archival literacy skills. Primary sources—those materials created by an individual, eyewitness, or participant in an event—are often thought of as letters, photographs, scrapbooks, and webpages, among other everyday items. Yet, what about those spaces we all traverse each day? This talk will discuss connecting students to primary sources through spaces.
Friday, April 12
12:00–1:00 PM
Striking a Balance Between Access and Privacy: The Restricted Materials Group at the Archives and Special Collections
–Stephanie Schmitz
This presentation will introduce a small group of archivists who are navigating rather big issues in terms of leveraging access to potentially sensitive information in archival collections. You’ll learn about some of the conundrums we’ve faced and the solutions we’ve created.
2:00–3:30 PM
Dean’s Advisory Council Spring Meeting: Updates from Dean Beth McNeil
–Beth McNeil
Reserved for members of the Dean’s Advisory Council
Host
Beth McNeil, Ph.D. | Dean of Libraries, Esther Ellis Norton Professor of Library Science
Beth McNeil joined Purdue University as Dean of Libraries and School of Information Studies and Esther Ellis Norton Professor of Library Science in 2019 and currently serves as president of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL). Prior to joining Purdue, she was Dean of Library Services at Iowa State University (2015–2019), held associate dean positions in the libraries at Purdue University (2007–2015) and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (1996–2007).
She is the author of Fundamentals of Library Supervision (2017, 2010, and 2005) and Core Competencies (2002), and co-authored Advocacy, Outreach and the Nations Libraries: A Call for Action (2010) and Patron Behavior in Libraries: A Handbook of Positive Approaches to Negative Situations (1996), as well as several journal articles on library management, supervision, and human resources-related topics.
McNeil serves on the SPARC Steering Committee and the Academic Libraries of Indiana board. She is a past board member of the HathiTrust, the Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA), Western Regional Storage Trust (WEST), the Rosemont Shared Print Alliance, and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), and served as chair of the 2021 ACRL National Conference, “Ascending into an Open Future.”
Speakers
Rachel Fundator | Assistant Professor, Information Literacy Instructional Designer
Rachel Fundator is an assistant professor at the Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies and the associate director of the Institute for Information Literacy at Purdue. Her work focuses on faculty development, undergraduate research, and information literacy. Her research focuses on how students use information in disciplinary or context-specific ways to learn.
Matthew Hannah, Ph.D. | Associate Professor
Matthew N. Hannah earned his Ph.D. from the Department of English at University of Oregon. He was an Andrew Mellon postdoc at the University of Iowa’s Obermann Center for Advanced Studies from 2016–2018, where he worked on the Digital Bridges for Humanistic Inquiry project. He is currently an Associate Professor at Purdue University. His research focuses on text analysis, bibliometrics, and (mis)information studies. In 2022, he was a Fulbright Specialist in Digital Humanities to Morocco.
Neal Harmeyer | Associate Professor, Associate Head of Archives and Special Collections, and Archivist for Digital Collections and Initiatives
Neal Harmeyer is a digital archivist within Purdue University Archives and Special Collections responsible for online systems, digital access, and special projects. Harmeyer administers content management systems for physical and digital collections and manages several ongoing projects designated to document university histories. In addition, he works collaboratively with faculty and staff to generate course instruction material using physical and digital archival content, digital tools, and online resources. Harmeyer is also interested in digitization best practices, digital preservation policies and practices, and copyright and reproduction practices. He is currently working with a team of co-authors to create a visual history of Purdue University using materials solely from Purdue University Archives and Special Collections.
Jing Lu, Ph.D. | Clinical Assistant Professor
Dr. Jing Lu is a Clinical Assistant Professor passionate about bridging the gap between technology and education. Dr. Lu’s current research interest lies at the cutting edge of education technology. She is interested in studying the application of AI tools in teaching and learning, with a vision to harness the power of artificial intelligence to create more effective and personalized educational experiences for students worldwide.
Clarence Maybee, Ph.D. | Associate Dean for Learning, W. Wayne Booker Chair in Information Literacy
Clarence Maybee is a professor and the W. Wayne Booker Endowed Chair in Information Literacy at the Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies. He is the director of the Institute for Information Literacy at Purdue. He publishes widely and presents internationally on his research investigating experiences of information literacy in higher education. In 2019, he received the Librarian Recognition Award from the American Library Association’s Library Instruction Round Table. Dr. Maybee is the author of the book IMPACT Learning: Librarians at the Forefront of Change in Higher Education, published in 2018 by Chandos Publishing.
Sammie Morris | Professor, Head of Archives and Special Collections
Sammie Morris received an MLIS from the University of Texas at Austin in Library Science with a specialization in Archival Enterprise in 1998 and an MFA in Creative Writing from Stetson University with a concentration in Poetry in the Expanded Field in 2021. She worked at the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin and as Managing Archivist for the Dallas Museum of Art prior to joining Purdue in 2003. Morris is the head of the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections. She has published numerous articles and co-authored two books on archives and teaching with primary sources.
Stephanie Schmitz | Associate Professor, Betsy Gordon Archivist for Psychoactive Substances Research
Stephanie Schmitz is the Betsy Gordon Archivist for the Psychoactive Substances Research Collection in Purdue’s Archives and Special Collections. In this capacity, she identifies potential acquisitions and educates donors about the Archives’ role in caring and making accessible these materials; promotes the collection and ensures its visibility to those involved in this area of research; works closely with course instructors in incorporating materials form the collection for use in curricular activities; and assists others in utilizing these materials for their research or creative endeavors.
Jerilyn Tinio, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor
Jerilyn Tinio is an Assistant Professor with Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies. At Purdue, Dr. Tinio works as the libraries’ liaison to the College of Education, the Department of Philosophy and several programs in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies. Prior to her role at Purdue, Dr. Tinio completed a dual master’s program in library and information science and history at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She also holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from The Ohio State University.