Conference Agenda (All times are shown in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) unless otherwise noted)

This paper examines social science and humanity theories that have been applied to studies dealing with misinformation. We identified 273 articles published from 2012 to 2023 from Web of Science, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. These articles are empirical studies that have applied one or more social science or humanity theories. Applying content analysis approach, we identified 124 theories that authors have used in their studies. These theories belong to different disciplines or fields, such as political science, psychology, communication, sociology, and economics. We discuss the top 11 theories and how they have been used to understand misinformation and its impacts. This study provides insights into understanding current misinformation studies and rich resources for information evaluation and information literacy education.

False information, also known as misinformation or disinformation, has long been a serious concern in health information behavior research. The phenomenon of false information in health information behavior is complex and multifaceted, and it involves a range of factors related to the production, dissemination, and consumption of health information. This paper aims to understand through which channels people receive false health information and which information behavior patterns exist towards this kind of information. Based on 21 qualitative semi-structured interviews with interactive and visual participative elements, five patterns of health information behavior towards the receivement of false health information were identified. Further, a strong relationship between these patterns, the context in which false health information was encountered, and the information source was observed. Additionally, two specific information behavior patterns (information avoidance and intentional non-information behavior) as well as the urgency and impact of false information on the health of individuals and society, were identified as potential drivers for the dissemination of false health information.

Focusing on information services to marginalized urban communities in the United States between 1940 and 1975, this paper argues that African American librarians played foundational roles in early Community-Based Librarianship (CBL) initiatives. In doing so, Black librarians skillfully and resourcefully fought information poverty, pushed for social and political equality, and promoted their communities’ well-being through proactive information provision. By fighting the systemic racism throttling inner-city Black communities, moreover, their labors constituted a vital contribution to the post-World War II United States civil rights movement. As a result, theirs was a specifically Black CBL (BCBL). This heretofore hidden history offers fruitful lessons for current library and information science practice. It therefore aligns with the annual meeting theme, “Translating Information Research into Practice, Policy, and Action,” particularly in its emphasis on “creating effective models of information provision," "creating empathetic information services," and "understanding the power of information to develop human happiness, equality, and wellbeing.”

Mass media and big data constitute powerful information tools that fuel extremist, populist messaging. Demagogues turn to mass media and social networks to convey polarizing views, and governments increasingly rely on data and artificial intelligence to manage immigration. The speakers will describe how three global, deep-seated, and historic societal ills—anti-Black racism, anti-immigrant sentiment, and misinformation— converge to typecast, vilify, and pathologize Black diasporic immigrants. The speakers will also share examples of anti-Black, anti-immigrant, and misinformed policymaking, rhetoric, and cultural norms within the United Kingdom and the United States.