As we enter week 9 of working from home, the topic of misinformation and the role libraries play in fighting back is on my mind.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the world is not only fighting COVID-19 as the “common enemy” but the enemy is also “the growing surge of misinformation” (March 27, 2020). He also said, in order to overcome the virus, “we need to urgently promote facts and science.”
Misinformation is going viral (no pun intended). Just recently a video entitled “Plandemic” registered millions of views on Facebook and YouTube before the companies removed it. A book featuring the subject and “Plandemic” rose to number one on Amazon. Groups like QAnon foster the use of bleach and chlorine pills to cure COVID-19. Other conspiracy theorists say the 5G cell towers and mobile networks emit the virus. While others will tell you to put your face in front of a blow dryer to blow dry the virus out of your system. These groups are peddling false and misleading information about COVID-19 at speed and scale we have not seen before.
Misinformation and conspiracy theorists regarding COVID-19 have spread so quickly online, some are saying we are in an “infodemic.” An infodemic is a flood of misinformation and bogus claims that are harmful to the public. Throughout the world, journalists, scientists, and communications experts find themselves fact-checking and debunking wild claims, miracle cures, and prevention methods.
Librarians can be collaborators in countering this misinformation. The Countway Library, with one of the world’s leading print and online biomedical science collections of scientific, evidence-based information along with its wealth of expertise in its highly qualified workforce is poised to do so. In these last several weeks of working remotely, our online classes and information services, our virtual scholarly communications, and hits to our library website have all seen an uptick. For example, one of our e-book vendors (R2) reports a 43% increase in usage of our Virology and Immunology titles. However, the best evidence is not always available online and a vast array of our valuable collections are in print only. These print-only resources are currently unavailable to the researchers, scientists, and policymakers as long as the building remains closed. We are diligently working on a plan to find a safe and healthy way to move forward for limited, small teams of us can return to Countway and make the best, accurate, scientifically-based information, no matter what the format, available to those who need it.
A 2016 survey by the Maine Library Association ranked library staff as the second most trusted profession (nursing was number one). We have made great progress in earning that trust by supplying outstanding e-resources, virtual consultations, and online classes in very difficult circumstances. Now, more than ever, we must fight misinformation through access to ALL of our collections and our collective expertise.
Thank you. Stay healthy. Stay safe.
Elaine