Starts the project “Between lines, reading disinformation”, to encourage critical information from libraries
- The Management of Library Services of the Diputació de Barcelona with the participation of the Learn to Check association promote the initiative
- The project will train 25 professionals of the XBM and will deploy activities for the user public of the libraries
The Management of Libraries Services of the Diputació de Barcelona with the participation of the association of media education against disinformation Learn to Check launch the initiative “Between lines, reading disinformation”, a pilot project in disinformation and digital verification aimed at professionals of the Municipal Libraries Network (XBM) and its users. The initiative consists of training XBM professionals in disinformation and digital verification to design and execute pedagogical, cultural and educational activities to promote a culture critical of disinformation among citizens.
The project, which began with an information session this Wednesday, June 21, will be deployed throughout 2023. The objectives of the “Between lines, reading disinformation” initiative are to train XBM staff in digital verification tools and processes, develop informative materials for library audiences, promote critical thinking towards disinformation, promote the role of libraries as a reliable source of information and safe space and raise awareness and involve the community in the fight against disinformation.
Activities in libraries
The initiative will consist of several activities: five training sessions and exchange of experiences for 25 XBM professionals, preparation of informative materials, design and execution of activities on disinformation and digital verification for the different audiences of the libraries, which will be collected later in a case guide, and material preparation for an escape room on disinformation and digital verification co-created by the XBM and Learn to Check. The librarians participating in the project will promote in the libraries activities such as reading clubs, talks or practical workshops related to the false information that reaches us and how we can contrast it and neutralize its damages.
The Library Services Management of the Barcelona Provincial Council advises and supports the city councils in the creation and development of library services, and leads the Municipal Libraries Network of the province of Barcelona. This Network is made up of more than 233 libraries and 12 bibliobús, which work together with the same quality of service standards, guaranteeing the territorial balance in access to the public reading service, as well as the access of all citizens to information, knowledge and culture.
Learn to Check is an educational and informative project against disinformation and to promote critical thinking in the consumption and production of information of citizens. In the last five years, it has trained more than 7,500 people with its workshops for adolescents, young people, teachers, families, the elderly, journalists, librarians and other professionals. Learn to Check collaborates with some sixty entities and administrations, including the European Commission, the Embassy and the Consulate of the USA, UNICEF, the Mobile World Capital Foundation Barcelona, the Department of Education of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the governments of Cantabria, Castilla la Mancha, Castilla y León, Madrid, the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community, in addition to the Official College of Librarians-Documentaries of Catalonia (COBDC) and the Official College of Librarians and Documentaries of the Valencian Community (COBDCV), among others.
