Library Association of Ireland Cataloguing and Metadata Group AGM Keynote presentation by Isabelle Courtney on the topic of the ongoing work of Media Literacy Ireland (MLI). Media Literacy Ireland is an informal alliance of organisations and individuals working together on a voluntary basis to promote media literacy in Ireland. The Library Association of Ireland (LAI) is a key stakeholder in this initiative and in her presentation, Isabel Courtney will outline the work to date and suggest ways in which LAICMG members can get involved.

1. in partnership with

2. ●Facilitated by the Broadcasting Authority of
Ireland (BAI)
●Independent association of members
committed to the promotion of media
literacy across Ireland.
●Media literacy is a life-long learning journey
and touches on almost every aspect of life
as illustrated in the three Core
Competencies and skills of the BAI’s Media
Literacy Policy published at at the end of
2016

3. Where it began…
• Journalism undergrad degree
• Documentary library tour
2015/2016
• Masters in Library & Information
Management 2016
• Similarities ‘lightbulb’ moment
• Dissertation Research
Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexe

4. “information gathering cousins”
(David Beard Author & Journalist)
Librarians & Journalists:

7. Shared Core Values
Librarians Journalists

8. Similar Information Evaluation Tools
Librarians Journalists
CRAAP TEST
• CURRENCY
• RELEVANCE
• AUTHORITY
• ACCURACY
• PURPOSE
SMELL TEST
• SOURCE
• MOTIVATION
• EVIDENCE
• LOGIC
• LEFT OUT?

9. “Rummaging through
librarians’ toolkits, I found a
treasure trove of resources
newsrooms could use.
Information literacy is one of
them.” Louise Leif (CJR, 2016)

11. Source: UNESCO.org

12. LAI partners with MLI 2018
• Philip Cohen, President of the LAI
joins the steering committee of
MLI
• Several more librarians from
various sectors become members
of MLI
• Public
• School
• Academic
• Government & Specialist libraries

13. Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
Working Groups
Communication &
Information
Working Groups
Campaigns & Events
Media Literacy Ireland
Members 200+
Steering Committee
Key Stakeholders
Working Groups
Irish Language
Working Groups
Training &
Development

15. Be Media Smart Campaign launches March 2019
“For the Library Association of Ireland, the Be
Media Smart campaign is an invaluable
opportunity to work in close partnership with
a range of sectors and highlight the vital role
of libraries throughout Ireland, not only as
providers of trustworthy information but as
information literacy experts and educators.”
LAI communicates to its members 2019:

18. The Mutual Benefits
The LAI offered:
Reach
full range of libraries nationally
Trust
A strong public trust in libraries
Expertise
Trained Information Literacy
Instructors
MLI Provided:
Resources
Media packs, posters, micro-website
Recognition
To the role of libraries in the field of ML
Alignment
IFLA Mission on combating Fake News

20. Ongoing collaboration
Joint LAI/MLI Webinar October 2021
Librarians from various sectors
● School
● Public
● Government
● Academic
Other partnerships formed
• Webwise/school libraries
• Webwise & public libraries
for February 2022 Safer
Internet Day
‘Marian Higgins, the library representative on
the MLI Steering Group, opened the webinar
by pointing out how libraries are well known
as providers of information, but libraries and
library staff have always supported their users
in learning and acquiring essential lifelong
skills.’
Martina Chapman, National Coordinator MLI

21. Working Groups
• Training & Development
• Events
• Communications
• Irish Language

22. Training & Development Group
• librarians and media professionals
• Collaborate using Trello project
management tool and scheduled
meetings
• Knowledge sharing & contributing
to MLI webinars committee
meetings
• Research existing Media Literacy
courses & education resources
• Possible development of MLI
Media Literacy training course and
digital badge.

23. “Collaboration is at the heart of Media
Literacy Ireland..Librarians have been
working to ensure that people have access to
reliable and accurate information for a long
time so the collaboration with the LAI is of
utmost importance to MLI and we look
forward to continuing to work together on
new and exciting projects to empower people
across the country with media and
information literacy skills”
Stephanie Comey
Senior Manager BAI
Continued partnership…

24. So Cataloging and metadata librarians -what
can you do?
“I do not know anything more
valuable in the way of training in
accuracy, in observation, in
judgment and in general library
skill than such practical work in
cataloguing..That at least is an
asset in a world of Change “
William Warner Bishop, 1915.

25. The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative News
2017
How should the metadata
community respond to the rise
of the post-truth phenomenon?
Does metadata have a part to
play in helping people to identify
objectively accurate
information?

26. David Clarke: Knowledge Organisation Expert

27. Fighting the Enemy: Misinformation and a
post-truth society
“Despite painting such a dark
and dystopian vision of a post-
truth information age, I truly I
am an optimist. I believe in
human progress, in the spirit of
the enlightenment.”
(David Clarke, 2017)

28. Call to action
“Let us work together to build a
society that is open-minded, fact-
loving and search savvy. Let us hold
our leaders, businesses and
institutions accountable to promote
and protect truthfulness as a core
value.”
David Clarke

29. Metadata & Cataloguing Librarians
We Need You!
● Expertise in information search and
retrieval
● Task: Host a MLI webinar about
search engines and information
retrieval. Using Metadata to combat
misinformationa
● Expertise in the creation and
development of online catalogues
● Task : Cataloguing existing ML
courses into a searchable database
Image Source Freepik.com

30. NEW MEMBERS WELCOME

31. About

32. THANK YOU
Contact: www.MediaLiteracyIreland.ie
Isabelle Courtney BA MSc
email Isabelle.courtney@dbs.ie
Twitter: @ibelle

33. References
ALA (2006) Core Values of Librarianship, Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. Available at:
https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/corevalues (Accessed: 29 October 2021).
Ethical Journalism Network - The 5 Core Values of Journalism’ (no date) Ethical Journalism Network. Available at:
https://ethicaljournalismnetwork.org/5-core-values-of-journalism (Accessed: 29 October 2021).
‘MIL Webinar. Libraries – On the frontline of the battle against misinformation – Library Association Of Ireland’ (no date). :
https://www.libraryassociation.ie/mil-webinar-libraries-on-the-frontline-of-the-battle-against-misinformation/ (Accessed:
29 October 2021).
Online Media Literacy Strategy (2021) GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-media-
literacy-strategy (Accessed: 29 October 2021).
‘Understanding Media’ (no date) Broadcast Authority of Ireland. Available at: https://www.bai.ie/en/viewers-
listeners/understanding-media/ (Accessed: 18 February 2020).
‘What is Media and Information Literacy ?’ (no date) What is Media and Information Literacy ? Available at:
http://regimarpancho03.blogspot.com/2018/01/media-what-is-media-in-general-media.html (Accessed: 18 February
2020).
‘What is Media Literacy?’ (2019), 29 August. Available at: https://mediaaware.ie/what-is-media-literacy/ (Accessed: 29
October 2021).