Media Literacy Week: October 25-29

Join the Kansas City Public Library at the end of the month to celebrate Media Literacy Week! Between October 25-29th, the National Association of Media Literacy Educators (NAMLE) is highlighting the five components of media literacy: Access, Analyze, Evaluate, Create, and Act. Follow the links below to learn more and register for events every day of the week!

Monday, October 25th, 12-1pm

Wikipedia 101: Welcome to the kickoff of Media Literacy Week! This is a campaign set up to share resources dedicated to understanding and analyzing information you find on the Internet. Today's theme is Access. Topics of discussion will include the benefits and barriers of open-access technology like Wikipedia and an overview of the services our Tech Access and Outreach teams provide to increase community access to technology and resources.

Tuesday, October 26th, 12-1pm

Mis- and Dis-Information 101: Today’s theme is Analyze and we’ll talk about the fundamentals of media literacy and information literacy, including understanding misinformation and disinformation.

Wednesday, October 27th, 12-1pm

Civic Reasoning Online: What can you do when you see questionable content in social media or online? Evaluate it using three important Civic Online Reasoning questions: Who’s behind the information? What’s the evidence? What do other sources say?

Thursday, October 28th, 12-1pm

Creating and Editing in Wikipedia: Today’s theme is Create. Did you know that open access platforms like Wikipedia can allow anyone to create and share credible information online? Join our Wikipedian-in-Residence for a session in which you’ll help to create and edit articles on local newspapers. No Wikipedia experience is required.

Friday, October 29th, 12-1pm

How to Speak Up Without Starting a Showdown: Today is all about action. Have you ever wondered how to talk with friends and family who share misinformation online? We’ll share The News Literacy Project’s six best practices for speaking up about incorrect or misleading information so that you can have a thoughtful and civil conversation with people you care about.

Digital Inclusion Week: Accelerating Promising Practices

Digital Inclusion Week 2021 is the perfect opportunity to highlight the work our team is doing with our Accelerating Promising Practices cohort. Accelerating Promising Practices for Small Libraries (APP) is a special initiative of the National Leadership Grants for Libraries Program. The goal of this initiative is to support projects that strengthen the ability of small and/or rural libraries and archives to serve their communities and to build grantee capacity through participation in a community of practice.

Alex, our National Digital Inclusion Project Coordinator works with a group of smaller rural libraries across the nation. One of the projects is the Digital Creation Studio from the Bishop Muller Library at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, IA. Their program helps give their students access to incredible digital media tools to help them learn and create in innovative ways. There is also a digital literacy aspect to their program, where they instruct students on how to use both hardware and computer programs like photoshop and other similar ones that are a part of the studio.

We are also working with J Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia. They have a device checkout program similar to those established during the pandemic at many libraries. They help their community by lending laptops out to first generation college students and then provide classes on how to use them. We are proud of their work and the changes they are making in their communities!

KC Digital Inclusion Outreach Coordinator AmeriCorps VISTA Opportunity

The Kansas City Coalition for Digital Inclusion Outreach Coordinator VISTA will work to improve metro-wide community awareness for KCCDI through the planning of events, researching digital inclusion resources, and educating Coalition members and community members.

This position will also plan KCCDI’s presence at community events, as well as creating and distributing digital and printed promotional materials. Email vistaproject@kclibrary.org or call 816.701.3547 for more information.