Conference Agenda

With the advance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in creating or assisting with both academic and creative works, a team of librarians and researchers at an American university formed to guide the use and development of these tools in higher education, including ethical concerns for using these tools. A subcommittee quickly formed to research the various tools available in order to develop guidelines for ethical use of the most popular AI tools. The research team quickly discovered that AI is a swiftly moving target, and development of the guidelines was stymied as keeping pace with the unfolding changes proved impossible. Any guide for researchers the team wished to develop would be hopelessly outdated before it could even be deployed even as the need for ethical guidelines increased. This understood, the team pivoted away from providing answers and instead put effort into developing questions that students and faculty should ask themselves. These questions included: Was the data informing this tool sourced ethically? What is the safety of your personal data when using this tool? Were the staff responsible for training these tools employed and compensated fairly? Are there concerns of environmental impact due to the computational power required? Will marginalized groups and individuals have their voices heard?

For disabled individuals, the situation is even more dire. Often considered as no more than an afterthought when it comes to design, concern regarding these tools and marginalized populations is paramount. With recent developments in the United States that is hindering progress in the areas of terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion, we cannot rely on government oversight to ensure these concerns are addressed by private industries developing Large Language Models and other AI tools. Already, we are beginning to see backlash against the disabled community, with chilling pronouncements from U.S. leadership. It will ultimately fall to educators and advocates to push accessibility; however, this struggle is not new and we have the ability to help prepare users and designers to adapt.

Zooming out, the authors will present a broad overview of the current situation while highlighting tools that already exist to make information more accessible to all users. Ethical uses of AI have improved accessibility in certain cases. AI has already demonstrated acumen in live transcriptions of presentations and meetings. Such tools have existed for years but AI tools have accelerated their availability and utility. Image descriptions for the visually impaired have greatly improved in a short time through the continuing development of AI tools.

Attendees will acquire deeper knowledge of the fast-moving history of these tools, the ethical issues facing information seekers and creators, and encouraging developments for improving access in the current and future environment.

Among universities in the United States (US), Rutgers University ranks very high in terms of a diverse undergraduate student body. The Rutgers University Libraries (RUL) system is vast and complex, spanning different campuses representing and supporting different academic areas and demographic needs. This study explores the experiences of four library and information science (LIS) graduate students employed in the academic library systemwho interact closely with the diverse undergraduate student population as a part of their job duties. The LIS student employees also interact regularly with and receive training from academic librarians who mentor and model in the areas of student interest and library study track. The study utilizes participatory research (PR) methodology that prioritizes participant perspectives and allows inclusivity, ensuring that their voices are central to the study. Specifically, it explores the experiences of LIS students employed in an academic library, centering their individual perspectives to understand how these dual roles shape their identities and influence their work performance in the library, regardless of department. By connecting the experiences of these graduate students as they interact with academic librarians over the course of two years, the research aims to explore the characteristics of and to foster meaningful relationships that support inclusivity. LIS graduate student experiences around inclusivity prior to working in the academic library and exposure to LIS coursework are also critical to the study. Furthermore, the goal of the study is to identify ways to strengthen relationships among librarians and LIS graduate student employees. Moreover, by incorporating qualitative analysis and researcher positionality statements, the study also emphasizes researcher reflexivity in its design.

The findings reveal varied experiences with inclusion, shaped by prior coursework and exposure to critical pedagogy and other inclusive practices, some of which are beyond the academic library (employer). Students who encountered these approaches and ideas felt more included while others reported a perceived lack of structural support. A key theme emerged: the responsibility for fostering or seeking inclusive practices and experiences often fell on the students, rather than being formally embedded in their LIS academic program or in the academic library (the employer). These findings suggest that LIS programs and academic libraries should intentionally integrate inclusive practices and critical pedagogy into their organizational and structural frameworks to better support graduate students in preparation for the workplace which is becoming increasingly diverse in the US and whose clientele (library patrons) are vastly diverse, bringing multi-cultural and multi-lingual perspectives and customs. Furthermore, such inclusive practices can, in turn, create and sustain more equitable environments for all students at the university fostering feelings of belonging. This is especially critical at institutions with highly diverse populations including those that have Native or non-traditional populations. Overall, this study seeks to provide practical strategies for academic libraries and LIS academic programs to better engage with and support their students, recognizing the value of individual identities and the importance of connecting librarians authentically with the graduate student experience to the benefit of all at the immediate institution and beyond into the workplace environment.

References

Cargo, M., & Mercer, S. L. (2008). The value and challenges of participatory research: Strengthening its practice. Annual Review of Public Health, 29(1): 325–350. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.29.091307.083824

Public libraries play a crucial role in fostering information literacy, strengthening democratic and local social resilience (LAPAS, 2022; Kine & Davidsone, 2021) as well as information integrity (Adewojo et al., 2024). In the digital age, librarians are increasingly confronted with challenges such as disinformation, conspiracy narratives, and hate speech—phenomena that are exacerbated by advancements in artificial intelligence. These phenomena are not simply random byproducts of digital communication but are often deliberate strategies employed to polarize societies, alienate individuals from democratic institutions, and reinforce ideological silos. Se developed a training program to equip library staff with the necessary analytical skills and countermeasures. In this best practice session, we will present our training framework. It empowers librarians to become experts in recognizing and countering disinformation, conspiracy narratives, and online hate while implementing reflexive exercises to help librarians recognize their own cognitive vulnerabilities—key targets of disinformation strategies. The curriculum is structured as follows:

• Understanding disinformation and AI-powered manipulation: This module covers the basics of mis- and disinfor¬mation, how it spreads, and the role of AI. It also explores psychological tactics like cognitive biases and emotion¬alization that make disinformation so persuasive.

• Conspiracy narratives as part of the disinformation ecosystem: Participants learn how conspiracy theories erode trust in democratic institutions, drive polarization, and generate profit through monetized content and platforms. The module trains librarians to identify common rhetorical strategies used in such narratives.

• Media literacy as a key preventative measure: Public libraries serve as hubs for information literacy, and training librarians to develop educational formats is essential in fostering critical thinking skills among patrons.

• Hate speech as an escalation of misinformation and conspiracy narratives: This session examines how disinfor¬mation and conspiracy narratives fuel hate speech by promoting division and enemy images. Librarians learn to rec¬ognize and respond to hostile language patterns.

We successfully implemented the training in several district libraries in Berlin, Germany, where we conducted six online workshops and two in-person sessions. Through the interactive workshops, participants learned how to apply their knowledge in real-world library settings, for example, by engaging in role-playing exercises. To maximize the impact of this initiative, we focused on two key elements alongside general staff training, both grounded in research and designed to empower librarians to recognize and challenge disinformation. First, we addressed outdated knowledge of search technologies by integrating up-to-date insights into digital search behavior and misinformation detection (Tripodi et al., 2023). Second, we collaborated with local non-profits specializing in hate speech prevention and anti-democratic behaviors, ensuring the training reflected real-world expertise and met community needs (Young et al., 2020).

In this session, we will share insights from our implementation process, highlight key learnings, and provide recommendations for scaling similar initiatives in diverse library contexts.

References

Adewojo, A.A., Esan, A.O., & Aleem, A.O. (2024). Librarians as guardians of information quality: Navigating the challenges of misinformation and disinformation. Library Hi Tech News.

Kine, K., & Davidsone, A. (2021). Library as a resource, platform, cooperation partner and initiator for the promotion of media literacy and civic participation in local communities: The case of Latvia. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science.

Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation (LAPAS). (2022). Local Social Resilience Explained. Case of libraries. Compendium of the project “Librarians as promoters of local democracy, development and resilience”. Retrieved 28 August, 2025 from https://lapas.lv/en/resources/metodikas-un-rokasgramatas/07_as_moldova_2022/assets/metodikaEn.pdf

Tripodi, F. B., Stevenson, J. A., Slama, R., & Reich, J. (2023). Libraries combating disinformation: From the front line to the long game. The Library Quarterly, 93(1): 48–71.

Young, J. C., Boyd, B., Yefimova, K., Wedlake, S., Coward, C., & Hapel, R. (2021). The role of libraries in misinformation programming: A research agenda. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 53(4): 539–550.

Overview

The TikTok House, an innovative media literacy intervention, began as a student project at the University of Tartu. Its main goal was to equip individuals with knowledge about TikTok by providing insights into the app’s inner workings and data collection practices. The TikTok House aimed to help people make informed decisions about their involvement with the platform by arming them with this information,.

While the intervention covered key TikTok-related topics, including hidden advertisements and legal cases, its primary focus was on the app’s algorithm. TikTok’s recommendation system determines the content users see based on collected data. Social media algorithms have been described as invisible mechanisms shaping users’ perceptions of reality (Klug et al., 2021). TikTok stands out because its content-recommendation algorithm solely determines what users encounter (Bhandari and Bimo, 2022).

The rise of platforms driven by personalized recommendations has highlighted the need for algorithmic literacy. Understanding how these opaque “black box” systems (Oeldorf-Hirsch & Neubaum, 2023) influence social media consumption – particularly among younger generations (Head et al., 2020) – has become crucial. To make the topic accessible, this intervention brought TikTok into a vibrant physical space, where its algorithm was explained interactively. Information bubbles, detailing different aspects of the algorithm, were hung from the ceiling, guiding visitors through a pathway that revealed its functions. A full-length mirror at the centre resembled the familiar TikTok homepage.

The decision to use a physical space, rather than an online campaign, stemmed from research indicating that online campaigns tend to reach fewer people without financial amplification (Miller, 2021) due to platforms’ profit models (Kozinets, 2022).

Outcomes

The idea evolved into a physical space intervention as part of Tartu’s annual Christmas Village at the end of 2022, held in the Town Hall Square. The TikTok House successfully captivated the public, drawing an estimated 40,000 visitors. To date, the intervention has been hosted in two different seasons and cities across Estonia, with the second edition taking place in August 2023 during the National Opinion Festival. Notably, the intervention has gained attention from the Global Media Literacy Network and TikTok’s Trust and Safety team.

At the ECIL conference, this presentation will offer practical guidelines and insights on designing engaging, accessible physical space interventions, drawing from the experience of creating the TikTok House. Given the TikTok House’s successful implementation in different contexts, the session will also explore its adaptability, outlining how the intervention can be modified and scaled for various settings.

References

Bhandari, A. & Bimo, S. (2022). Why’s Everyone on TikTok Now? The Algorithmized Self and the Future of Self-Making on Social Media. Social Media + Society, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051221086241

Head, A. J., Fister, B., & MacMillan, M. (2020). Information literacy in the age of algorithms. Project Information Literacy, 55.

Klug, D., Qin, Y., Evans, M., & Kaufman, G. (2021). Trick and please. A mixed-method study on user assumptions about the TikTok algorithm. In Proceedings of the 13th ACM Web Science Conference 2021 (pp. 84–92). https://doi.org/10.1145/3447535.3462512

Kozinets, R. V. (2022). Algorithmic branding through platform assemblages: Core conceptions and research directions for a new era of marketing and service management. Journal of Service Management, 33(3), 437–452.

Miller, E. L. (2021). Amplified speech. Cardozo L. Rev., 43(1).

Oeldorf-Hirsch, A., & Neubaum, G. (2023). What do we know about algorithmic literacy? The status quo and a research agenda for a growing field. New Media & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448231182662

Twenty years ago, Wayne Weigand asked, “To what extent are libraries places worth experiencing?” (2005, 78). Now, as generative AI pushes us to live digitally, we must retain focus on how we interact with physical spaces. And we must continue to examine embodied experiences that take place in libraries. As Annemaree Lloyd says, “the body as an information source that matters and is pivotal to meaning-making that is essential in all forms of human existence” (2024, 166).

Objective

In this best-practices presentation, I will describe the outcomes and implications of my research study that examined university students’ recollections after taking an on-site library tour.

Methods

Drawing on almost 500 responses by undergraduate students to the exit survey, I will provide a brief overview of the implementation of the tour, which is the only one known to employ a particular combination of recorded content, asynchronously offered, but experienced on-site. Results indicate experiences of physical spaces are embodied experiences providing students with first-hand information about their agentic choices not only within the library, but in their broader educational contexts. These results reflect similar findings based in the work of Andrew Cox (2018; 2019), who examines academic libraries as sites rich in embodied cognition and sensory experiences. This work also connects more broadly to the work of Annemaree Lloyd, in that these experiences are ones of information literacy as the “performance of emplacement” (2024, 177). This suggests that not only are libraries worth experiencing, but they are places worth experiencing corporeally.

Outcomes

Participants of this session will:

• Deepen their understanding of embodiment and embodied cognition in the setting of an academic library.

• Recognize the main components of the tour in order to implement a similar offering in their context.

References

Cox, A. M. (2018). Embodied knowledge and sensory information: Theoretical roots and inspirations. Library Trends, 66(3): 223–238.

Cox, A. M. (2019). Learning bodies: Sensory experience in the information commons. Library & Information Science Research, 41(1): 58–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lisr.2019.02.002

Lloyd, A. (2024). Surfacing the body: Embodiment, site and source. In A. Hicks, A. Lloyd, & O. Pilerot (Eds.), Information Literacy Through Theory. Facet.

Weigand, W. A. (2005). Library as place. North Carolina Libraries, 63(3). https://doi.org/10.3776/ncl.v63i3.70