‘Libraries not haven of misinformation, disinformation’

Participants at a two-day workshop on Media and Information Literacy for Public Libraries Program have expressed the need for librarians to be conscious of misinformation and ensure the dissemination of accurate information.   The participants at the training organised by Youth Initiative for Sustainable Human Development in Africa (YISHDA) with support from the United States Embassy […]

Participants at a two-day workshop on Media and Information Literacy for Public Libraries Program have expressed the need for librarians to be conscious of misinformation and ensure the dissemination of accurate information.  

The participants at the training organised by Youth Initiative for Sustainable Human Development in Africa (YISHDA) with support from the United States Embassy Africa said librarians needed to do more and acquire relevant skills in meeting present information challenges. 

The National Librarian, Prof Chinwe Veronica Anunobi, who was represented by a principal librarian, Titilola Abigail Mafe, said the library has always been at the forefront of information literacy, adding that the National Library is doing a lot in tacking misinformation and disinformation.

“We do a lot of training for librarians on information literacy where skills are learnt for fact-checking.” She said this is important because of the need to ensure that documents are free of misinformation and disinformation before they are put on the shelf to be made available to the public.

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She however called for more government support and funding.

On her part, the Director Education Resource Centre (ERC) of the FCT Administration, Hajiya Nemat Abdulrahim, described the library as one of the safest places for people to get accurate information, adding that that could be threatened if the librarians are not well trained or provided with relevant skills to guide against misinformation and disinformation.

“This programme is timely and necessary to train librarians on how to identify misinformation and to be drivers of dissemination of accurate information,” she said.

Another participant, the chairperson Nigeria Library Association in the FCT Folashade Adepoju commended the organisers, saying the program would help in transforming librarians from bookkeepers to fact-checkers.