Identifying knowledge practices in an infodemic era: Rediscovering the professional identities of LIS professionals in an infodiverse environment

Health Info Libr J. 2023 Sep;40(3):319-325. doi: 10.1111/hir.12498. Epub 2023 Jul 15.

Abstract

The professional identity of librarians is established with regard to the current understanding of their knowledge practices. The global phenomenon of false and untrustworthy information circulating on social media platforms paints a new issue that librarians must conquer. Messages, content, news, and information on the web make it challenging for librarians to educate users as to where the sources come from and the need to evaluate for credibility and trustworthiness. During the pandemic, and with a surge of information disorders on social media, the World Health Organization recommended building resilience to misinform-ation and engaging and empowering communities to take positive action. This research seeks to explore the relationship between professional identities and the participation of librarians in an infodiverse environment, specifically by exploring how Filipino librarians applied aspects of their knowledge practices to the evaluation of social media health information during the pandemic.

Keywords: Asia; health literacy; infodemiology; library and information professionals; public health; southeast.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19*
  • Humans
  • Infodemic
  • Librarians*
  • Pandemics
  • Social Media*