Spanish university libraries: creating safe environments against information disorders

Abstract

In the current social context, disinformation highlights the need for university libraries to transcend their role of preserving and disseminating scholarly and scientific knowledge. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), in its 2018 Statement on Fake News, states that libraries have an institutional and ethical commitment to helping users access reliable and authentic information. These institutions become agoras of knowledge, fostering a civic community of verification. The aims of this paper are to examine the concept of information disorder; to distinguish between different types of information disorder (misinformation, disinformation and malinformation) and the various informational phenomena that arise; and to analyze and describe some of the initiatives undertaken by Spanish university libraries to combat information disorders. The methodology was developed in several stages: identifying and analyzing information sources; defining information disorders; identifying key strategies to address them; and describing and illustrating these strategies. Digital competence courses and LibGuides were identified as key initiatives by some university libraries in Spain to provide training and create safe and reliable informational environments.