Stephanie Beene, University of New Mexico; Katie Greer, Oakland University
Title: Librarians in an Information Disordered Society: Where are we now, and
where are we going?
Abstract: The information age has brought with it a wealth of opportunities, but also
what scholar Matthew Hannah has termed “the information dark age,” with the rise of
QAnon and other “super conspiracies.” With their article, “A Call to Action for Librarians”
published in The Journal of Academic Librarianship just before the Washington, D.C. capitol
insurrection, librarians Stephanie Beene and Katie Greer argued that the epistemological
shift within librarianship in an information disordered society demands that we look to
other disciplines to understand the information we encounter largely through digitally
mediated environments, how we arrive at trust formulations, why conspiracies exist and
turn viral, and in turn, how librarians can begin to combat them through information
literacy praxis. In this plenary talk, Beene and Greer will discuss their most recent research
surveying librarians across the United States on their interactions with patrons exhibiting
conspiracy ideation. As information experts, librarians have the potential to shape our
information society and its citizenry, but questions remain–what should our role be, and
how do we bring that about?
Keywords: information literacy, conspiracies, mis/disinformation, librarianship
CVs
Stephanie Beene is an Assistant Professor and Art, Architecture, and Planning Librarian
at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In this capacity, she
supports the teaching, learning, and research of students and faculty within the Art
Department in the College of Fine Arts and the School of Architecture and Planning.
Stephanie received an MSIS from the University of Texas at Austin, an MA in Art History
from the University of California, Riverside, and a BA in Art and Art History from
Colorado State University. She has worked as an educator, librarian, and visual resources
curator. Her research interests include visual and information literacy frameworks as they
relate to trust, lifelong learning, and the politics of identity. Beene_CV
Katie Greer is an Associate Professor and the Fine & Performing Arts Librarian at
Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. She works extensively with her liaison
departments to promote student success and she teaches the library’s online general
education course, LIB 2500. Katie is currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Leadership
at Oakland, and she holds a MLIS from Drexel University, a MA in Art History from the
University of Notre Dame, and a BA in English from Aquinas College. Currently, Katie’s
research interests include how a pedagogy of care supports metaliteracy formation and
the various information behaviors engendered by the Information Age (and the librarian’s
role therein). Greer_C