Lifelong Information Literacy Event Held

The Meredith College Alumnae Association held a brunch and alumnae panel entitled, “Lifelong Information Literacy: From school to college and beyond” on February 11, 2017, in Belk Dining Hall.

The panel discussion, which was moderated by Laura Davidson, Dean of Library Information Services, focused on ways different types of libraries help their patrons become more informed and effective consumers of information. The patron base for public, K-12, and college has very different needs and abilities, so approaches differ.

Panelists included three alumnae:

Deanna Harris, ’90, is a librarian at East Cary Middle School. Her library degree is from N.C. Central and she holds national board certification in K-12 Library Media.

Julia Palko, ’11, is a Youth Services Librarian at the Cameron Village Branch of Wake County Public Libraries. Her library degree is from N.C. Central.

Amanda Sullivan, ’98, is one of four research and instruction librarians at Meredith College. She earned her library degree at the Pratt Institute.

The discussion began with how the internet has become a more integrated part of our lives. The challenge facing everyone has changed from how to find information to know what information is trustworthy, and what information can be acted upon. Before the internet, librarians often served as gatekeepers, curating the resources to provide limited, but reasonably reliable, support for the research projects and personal information needs for their users.

The three main points discussed were fake news, the formal and informal approaches taken with patrons, and what a librarian hopes her patrons already know when she begins teaching them.

—Submitted by Denise Parker, Associate Director of Alumnae Relations