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This article was originally written and shared on the PressReader blog. To read the full article, scroll through to the end.

The need for media literacy isn’t new — but our current cultural climate and digital ecosystem certainly give today’s issues a unique spin. Even as teachers, librarians and institutions are working so diligently to fight for critical media literacy in our communities, we need to start thinking about tomorrow’s media literacy issues. What will the future hold? And how can we prepare our community members to be engaged, thoughtful, analytical media consumers today and in the years to come and beyond? 

Media literacy concerns have always existed, but these days they are intensified by the volume of misinformation shared via social media (and resulting increase of internet conspiracy theories). There’s also the issue of media bias, and education that hasn’t kept up with evolving technology — overly simplified media literacy training too often fails to extend to complex real-world scenarios.

The bottom line? To prepare young people for a future of media literacy and constant critical thinking, we need to help them understand the systems in place behind mass media. As individuals are increasingly encouraged to “do their own research” — often with little instruction as to how to do accurate and trustworthy source analysis — the library’s role in information and digital literacy education must evolve. In the fight for media literacy, the bulk of focus on teaching critical reading and analysis falls to teachers, but library professionals and facilities can (and will) play a big role in this effort. 

Here’s what the future of library-led media literacy support might look like.

Teaching and encouraging effective research methods

While schools are ground zero for media literacy education, libraries play an important supporting role in reinforcing effective research methods. Librarians themselves, as experts in the research field, can share tricks of the trade one-on-one with patrons during everyday interactions. There are also opportunities for more passive educational moments — for instance, signage reinforcing good digital-citizenship habits near computer stations, or take-home literature and checklists at the checkout.

Media-literacy workshops and seminars are of course an option too. Whether a one-evening course on identifying bias in online information or a multi-day intensive covering critical-thinking skills and lateral reading, libraries have the opportunity to reach students of all ages with free or low-cost informational sessions. 

Working alongside educators

Librarians needn’t solve the media literacy crisis on their own, of course. In fact, the strongest approach to building informed and engaged communities of media consumers is to collaborate with the teachers who are already incorporating media literacy lessons into their classrooms. With information about blind spots in the curriculum, missed opportunities or specific resource needs, librarians can supplement the important work teachers are already doing to cultivate young people's ability to take a critical look at the media they consume. 

Whether public librarians reach out to primary school teachers or high school librarians directly, attend teaching conferences or find educator communities online, there are a variety of opportunities to connect and collaborate with the teaching community.

Identifying new ways to connect with patrons

Chances are that the future of library access will continue to be a blend of in-person and online experiences. Librarians should be prepared to ensure the foundations of library science are always present, even when people aren’t physically on-site.

That means providing easy access to reliable, authentic sources of information digitally as well as in the stacks. PressReader is one great way to connect patrons with trusted news sources from around the world, even if they’re reading or researching outside the library walls.

Meeting the challenges of the digital age

Librarians work hard to source books and content that serve their communities’ needs. But with a rise in self-publishing, artificial intelligence and increasingly sophisticated digital production tools, there are more questionable media floating around out there than ever before. There has never been a better time to be extra-diligent about ensuring the credibility of the content available to library patrons.

Librarians will continue to have a responsibility to provide the most credible resources possible. This may require additional professional development for library staff or intensified scrutiny when sourcing new materials for the collection. The goal? To make sure the most accessible information is also the most accurate.

PressReader strongly believes in the notion that librarians have an important role to play in fighting for media literacy and combating disinformation.

Why is media literacy important? Wherever we get our info — be it the local paper, TV, the internet or through social media platforms — the news we consume can shape our beliefs, attitudes and perceptions. For a democratic society to function, a population that can discern which sources of information are truthful, accurate and unbiased is essential.

As long-time journalist Alan Miller, founder of the News Literacy Project, once astutely noted:

We’ve lost any sense of a common narrative, of a shared reality. We not only can’t agree on what the facts are, we can’t even agree on what a fact is.

The good news is that libraries are ideally positioned to support media literacy in an age of misinformation by equipping patrons with fact-checking skills and media know-how. The biggest challenge in 2024 is being able to tell the difference between AI-generated content and that created by a human being.

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